Hormonal balance lies at the root of a healthy metabolism that supports weight loss and maintenance. Hormones affect weight loss by holding the reins of the thoughts and feelings associated with food, exercise and self-perception. In a purely physiological sense, hormones also dictate where fat will be stored in the body and how environmental factors will aid or sabotage weight loss efforts. The aspects of a hormone-friendly diet offer more than a quick weight-loss remedy, but a change in lifestyle that feeds your overall health and well being.
PH Balancing
In her book "The Hormone Diet," naturopath Dr. Natasha Turner says that knowing your hormonal state is the first step in managing weight. Inflammation and slow digestion are often byproducts of obesity that have occurred from high acidic levels in the body. Excessive acid also interferes with hormones and the body's ability to absorb nutrients, detoxify and metabolize. Turner suggests replacing wheat and rye with millet, increasing vegetable intake and drinking warm lemon water before meals to cleanse the liver and add alkalinity to your diet.
Inflammation
Inflammation has been found by researchers to be an underlying factor in degenerative diseases and weight gain, according to an article published in "Time" magazine. Spurring on the negative effects of inflammation are stress, diets rich in saturated fat, processed and refined foods and environmental chemicals that interfere with fat burning. Partaking in a diet that replaces red meat with fish and poultry and includes whole grains and seasonal fruits and vegetables can help to stifle inflammation.
Enhancing Sleep
To achieve weight loss, the pound-packers cortisol and insulin must be tamed and replaced with increased melatonin and growth hormone, a fat-burning hormone that works its magic while you sleep, Dr. Turner says. When the nervous system has a chance to relax, the fight or flight response that stimulates cortisol and insulin is replaced by the weight regulators in thyroid hormones, serotonin and leptin. Adding passionflower, melatonin and vitamin B6 supplements to your diet may quell the negative effects of sleep-deprivation and promote weight loss in a hormone-friendly way.
References
- "The Hormone Diet"; Natasha Turner, N.D.; 2009
- Time.com: Health: The Fires Within
