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Are you tired of irregular periods? Have you noticed hair growth issues or mood swings? You might have an estrogen hormone imbalance! But no worries — start eating these foods high in estrogen from today.
If you’re a woman, you might already be familiar with the name “estrogen.”
Estrogen imbalance of any sort, whether high or low, can wreak havoc on your wellbeing.
That’s why it’s important to regulate this hormone to ensure proper functions.
In today’s article, check out a complete list of the best foods rich in estrogen. Many of these foods are also perfect for the menopause diet.
What is Estrogen?
Estrogen is the most important female sex hormone produced by the ovaries and the body fat.
It’s responsible for your growth and development from an early age. This is why, you should have sufficient levels of estrogen all the time — especially before menopause.
But sometimes you can have estrogen depletion in your 20s or 30s. You might experience menstrual disturbance, improper hair growth, and mood swings.
The good news is that it’s easy to tackle with medicines or by eating foods high in estrogen.
Why Do You Need Estrogen?
Before getting into what foods boost estrogen, it’s important to understand why this hormone is necessary for you.
As explained earlier, estrogen is a powerful hormone, that maintains and regulates the female body.
It’s estrogen that’s responsible for puberty changes in young girls. It develops the secondary sex characteristics in your body including;
- Hair growth in pubic regions or underarms
- Breast growth
- Fat around breast and hips
- Voice change
- Periods
- Fertility
This crucial hormone also helps keep your urinary tract, heart, bones, and brain healthy. Naturally, a deficiency can result in numerous health problems.
That’s why you must eat foods high in estrogen daily by making them a part of your routine diet. Similarly, avoid foods that lower your estrogen to prevent a deficit.
What are the Symptoms of Low Estrogen?
You could have this common hormone deficiency for many reasons. Usually, it’s caused when your ovaries aren’t functioning properly.
Not eating high estrogen foods frequently is also a common problem. Some unhealthy snacks can plummet this hormone in girls to dangerous levels before they even hit puberty.
Oh and let’s not forget — female sex hormone imbalance could also mean you’re approaching menopause!
Here are some signs of low levels of estrogen you could
- Dry vagina
- Painful sex
- Irregular periods
- Joint pain
- Mood swings
- Hot flashes
- Depression or anxiety
The most natural solution is eating estrogen-increasing foods as much as possible. Make sure your diet contains enough estrogen foods to avoid these harsh symptoms.
How Can an Estrogen-Rich Diet Help
Diet has an essential role in our lives. Maintaining a healthy diet improves our lives. So is the case with eating foods with sufficient estrogen.
While there are some really bad foods for hormone balance, others can boost their production.
Thus, a natural remedy for this crucial hormone deficiency is eating foods for estrogen increase.
Numerous foods and supplements are filled with phytoestrogens. They are beneficial for reducing the risk of cancer, and heart and bone diseases. Consuming lots of phytoestrogen-rich foods can increase your estrogen levels — naturally!
Top Foods High in Estrogen
Now let’s go through this list of incredible foods for diet low in estrogen.
1. Soybeans
Also known as edamame, soybeans are packed with phytoestrogens. That’s why it’s one of the best foods rich in estrogen for women.
Soybeans are among the safest estrogen rich foods for menopausal women. It can naturally boost estrogen hormone and even ease some menopause symptoms.
Soybeans are a healthy alternative to animal-sourced protein or meat. This is also an amazing breast cancer prevention food. Soybeans are rich in nutrients that make them helpful in improving heart health.
You can eat them as a snack or add them to savory dishes. Some even drink soy milk to get the necessary compounds.
2. Tofu
Tofu is derived from soymilk. It is a perfect replacement for red and processed meat. Even tastes a lot like meat but has a different texture.
Tofu is also one of the best foods with high estrogen. It contains natural phytoestrogens called isoflavones, which mimic the function of this crucial female hormone.
You can eat tofu in the form of soups or add them to your salads.
3. Flax Seeds
Flax seeds and flaxseed oil are also a couple of excellent foods for low estrogen. These seeds contain lignans, a form of phytoestrogens that boost female sex hormone production.
It’s one of the most widely recommended foods rich in estrogen for menopausal women. Additionally, it reduces the risk of breast cancer onset.
Flax seeds can be used in bread, cereals, and smoothies. You can also take it as a healthy work-time snack!
Read More: Tips to Prevent Cancer
4. Sesame Seeds
One of the most powerful natural foods for estrogen is sesame seeds. They are packed with phytoestrogens and help boost estrogen naturally once you age 40+ years.
Besides, sesame seeds improve cholesterol levels. It’s also rich in antioxidants that prevent chronic diseases.
You can add sesame seeds to salads, curries, desserts, and more.
5. Peaches
Peaches are also one of the perfect foods for estrogen increase. According to 2013 research, eating two peaches per week can lower your risk of estrogen-receptor breast cancer.
This fruit is also an excellent source of essential vitamins, like Vitamin C. If you mix peaches in shakes or smoothies, the nutritional value of this estrogen-increasing food amplifies.
Read More: 27 Best Foods with High Vitamin B12
6. Pomegranate
Pomegranate is yet another interesting food that increases estrogen. The plant-based phytoestrogens in this delicious fruit are more effective than human-produced estrogen.
Also, pomegranates can enhance hunger and are an excellent food for anemia. You could eat it raw, or use it in sauces/chutneys.
7. Berries
All kinds of berries are perfect for estrogen production in women. Besides, they’re packed with vitamins, fiber, and anti-cancer compounds.
You could choose from a wide variety of berries including blueberries, cranberries, raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries.
Try them with breakfast cereal, pancakes, or in smoothies. Some even prefer making tarts or pies. Or go ahead and eat them raw!
8. Garlic
Besides being an effective home remedy to treat bacterial vaginosis, garlic is also among the top must-have foods for estrogen balance.
Garlic is rich in isoflavonoids that significantly boost the female sex hormone. It helps prevent bone deterioration caused by estrogen imbalance.
This sharp-taste edible herb is also effective in managing cholesterol, blood pressure, and risk for heart diseases.
Read More: Health Benefits of Garlic
9. Green Cruciferous Veggies
All green cruciferous vegetables including kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, etc., are among the best a diet for low estrogen. Leafy greens contain secoisolariciresinol and coumestrol — two different types of phytoestrogens.
They’re also loaded with essential anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.
These veggies can be consumed in various forms such as side dishes, soups, salads, snacks, or even smoothies.
10. Coffee
Coffee is also one of the top foods to boost estrogen. If you want to quickly and safely increase estrogen or ease menopause symptoms, drink up coffee daily.
But make sure you don’t overdose or it could cause harmful effects.
11. Apples
Apples are not only one of the best foods rich in estrogen but are also known to increase iron levels naturally.
They contain ample phytoestrogens that maintain hormonal balance and prevent frequent vaginal infections. Also, the vitamins in apples are great for hair, nails, and skin.
You could start by eating dried apples or drinking fresh apple juices daily. Some also eat raw apples as salads or bake apple pies.
Or you could simply chuck in a few slices in your smoothies!
Read More: 19 Risky Pregnancy Infections: Signs, Causes & Prevention Tips
12. Nuts and Dry Fruit
Various nuts and dry fruits such as pistachios, peanuts, apricots, walnuts, prunes, and dates, are some of the top foods for estrogen increase.
Even though they’re packed with necessary fats, the phytoestrogen compounds in nuts and dried fruits improve heart health and are an excellent energy source.
You can eat more of these estrogen-rich foods daily as snacks, salads, desserts, or cereals.
13. Whole Grain Bread
Whole grain bread made from wheat, rye, barley, or oats, is one of the most amazing foods to increase estrogen naturally. They are packed with lignans which is a type of phytoestrogen.
Whole-grain bread is a powerful, energizing source of food with estrogen that balances hormones reduces diabetes risk, and improves heart health.
You can eat it daily as a morning breakfast or make sandwiches using whole grains. Avoid eating white bread as it decreases estrogen.
14. Brown Rice
Brown rice is unprocessed, unrefined, and rich in fiber.
This pure form of rice is one of the best foods for low estrogen. You get tons of natural phytoestrogens to balance hormones.
15. Parsley
You can try a huge variety of herbal foods that balance estrogen. Parsley is one of them. Regular use of parsley can improve estrogen levels.
Parsley can be used as a seasoning in salads or added to chutneys or smoothies.
The Bottomline
I hope this article gives you a clear idea about the best natural foods for estrogen that you should consume daily.
Most of these estrogen-increasing foods are also quite beneficial for women nearing menopause and help ease the harsh symptoms.
If you’re looking for a natural solution to boost the female sex hormone balance, start eating these foods rich in estrogen daily.
References:
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3074428/
- https://www.nature.com/articles/ejcn201236
- https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/83/7/2223/2865105
- https://www.uspharmacist.com/article/focus-on-phytoestrogens
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0031942206006911
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6412439/
