Hormone Imbalance Can Lead to Eating Disorders

Since hormones control your appetite and stimulate your metabolism, maintaining your hormonal balance plays a major role in lasting weight loss. Imbalances, on the other hand, accelerate weight gain and interfere with a healthy metabolic burn rate. Although it is true that dietary guidelines constantly evolve with advances in food science, the challenge is to stay on top of what you should be eating as well as know what to eat to fulfill your nutritional needs. Maintaining balance is vital to proper body functioning including a healthy weight and eating a well-balanced diet is essential as certain foods in your diet can restore or cause hormonal imbalances.

If you battle with weight every day and find yourself obsessing over the number on your bathroom scales, you could be a hormonal mess. Check out the hormone balancing diets listed below for helpful tips.

• SLEEP HORMONE DIET - Nothing is better for weight control than a good night's sleep. Without it, your hormones go haywire and you end up fatigued, unable to focus, in a bad mood and feeling hungry. Instead of relying on caffeine or alcohol to help, which can cause sleep disturbances, pick foods that contain melatonin like fresh cherries.
• STRESS HORMONE DIET - High cortisol levels are linked to sugar cravings and other food addictions, so with your hormones out of balance, stress hormones will wreak havoc over time and convince your body to store visceral fat, which is the dangerous abdominal fat buildup.
• HUNGER HORMONE - Eating plenty of protein and avoiding foods and beverages that are loaded with added sugars can help you optimize your ghrelin levels. High fiber foods also keep you feeling full longer and can help prevent chronically elevated ghrelin hormone levels.
• GROWTH HORMONE DIET - In a study reported in the International Journal of Obesity, low dose growth hormone treatments combined with diet restriction decreases insulin resistance by reducing visceral fat and increasing muscle mass in obese Type 2 diabetics.
• FAT BURNING HORMONE DIET - MCT oil does not get stored as fat but is converted into energy. Since it is quickly burned, these medium-chained triglycerides help your body eliminate fat deposits. Moreover, adding fiber to your diet is still a leading intervention for those wanting to shed pounds.

No one should have to live with unpleasant symptoms of hormonal imbalance, such as chronic fatigue, mood swings, low sex drive and unwanted weight gain, and eating the right foods can go a long way towards achieving balance.

If you have been diagnosed with hormone imbalance, you know how critical these chemical messengers are for maintaining a healthy weight. Hormone imbalances can interfere with your sleep, mood and sex drive while contributing to symptoms like brain fog, fatigue and unstable blood sugar levels. Hormones play an important role in metabolism as well as in how well your body uses energy. Disorders like hypothyroidism, or low thyroid hormone production, are common culprits in people who become overweight or obese. Understanding the role of hormonal balance for permanent weight loss can help you avoid weight-loss resistance and maintain weight control. Your body needs a balanced intake of all three macronutrients: carbohydrates, protein and fat but not equal portions.