Food truly is medicine and one of the most powerful ways to begin to heal your body is through the choices you make every day with what you eat and drink.
No amount of medication, supplements, exercise, habits, practices or biohacking can overcome an unhealthy diet. The foundation of true healing must be built upon a whole, real foods diet that nourishes, repairs and restores health with every bite you take.
Anti-Inflammatory Diet
Move to a Paleo diet by removing commonly problematic foods and substances, including:
Alcohol
Sugar
Sweeteners
Dairy
Gluten
Grains
Legumes
Nightshades
Caffeine
Processed foods
Packaged foods
Industrial seed oils
Food chemicals
Inflammation is at the root of nearly all modern health concerns––including most of the symptoms associated with hormonal imbalance––so following an anti-inflammatory diet is the most powerful step that must first be taken in order to see real, lasting health changes for the long-term.
Food Sensitivities
In some cases, running blood work to evaluate inflammatory immune responses to specific foods can help to identify what part of an individual's diet may be causing the most trouble.
While an elimination diet is still considered the gold standard approach, food sensitivity testing is another option to consider for those who either do not want to do an elimination diet or are still not certain what foods are most problematic after having done so.
Nutrient-Dense Foods
Once all inflammatory foods have been removed from the diet, making sure to focus on consuming only the most nutrient-dense foods is how to truly start using food as medicine to heal the body and balance hormones, including:
Grass-fed/grass-finished meat
Wild-caught fish
Organic vegetables
Organic fruits
Organic nuts
Organic seeds
Organic herbs
Organic spices
Birth Control & Nutrient Deficiencies
Research shows that hormonal birth control alone causes a long list of potential nutrient deficiencies in the body, including:
Folic acid
Vitamin B2
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B12
Vitamin C
Vitamin E
Magnesium
Selenium
Zinc
Women & Nutrient Deficiencies
Beyond hormonal birth control, women in general have been found to be deficient in any number of nutrients essential for optimal hormone function, particularly:
Iron
Selenium
Iodine
B-vitamins
Vitamin D
Calcium
Vitamin A
Magnesium
Omega-3 fatty acids
Micronutrient Testing
Deficiencies of vitamins and minerals will always vary by the individual, so running organic acid testing is the best way to evaluate not only serum nutrient levels, but also functional nutrient levels.
This functional approach to testing differs by providing a far deeper understanding of how well the body is physiologically utilizing these key nutrients at the cellular level, not just what may happen to be in the bloodstream at any given moment.
Targeted Treatment
Once we know exactly which nutrients an individual has the greatest need for and which nutrients they are already doing well with, we can target the key deficiencies with specific nutrient-dense foods and therapeutically-dosed supplementation.
With all micronutrient deficiencies optimally addressed, the body is finally supplied with the building blocks it requires to make long-awaited, much-needed repairs and systemic healing ensues.