The Low Down On Hormone Balancing

Nutrition, holistic wellness, and fitness have been a passion of mine for quite a few years now. I’ve looked at these in terms of energy, immunity, internal health, physical fitness, sleep, mood, happiness, stress management, etc. However, over the past year I’ve added a “category” to this list. And that is, the endocrine system and hormonal health. 

I’ve been surrounded by some incredible friends the past year or so who most all of them have one thing in common: ditching “the pill.” And by “the pill” I mean hormonal contraception.   

I’m a tad ashamed to say, given my love for holistic health, that I’ve never given hormonal contraception a second thought. The pill has been a part of my morning routine for nearly twelve years. I was put on birth control by my doctor in high school to help calm my stubborn acne. Back then, I didn’t understand hardly anything about the relationship between food and acne. Long story short, I’ve always thought it was something that was pretty safe, and there was no reason to even give it a second thought in terms of whether or not I want to be taking it. Notice I emphasized “want.” I want to say first, that I completely respect everyone’s decisions in terms of birth control, treating hormonal symptoms, and their choice to use or not use certain forms of birth control. My belief is that knowledge is power. The more knowledge you have, the better you can make decisions to help support the life, and healthy lifestyle you desire to have. Which, of course, looks different on everyone. 

This year I got to thinking, “hmm, I wonder if my body even knows what to do without the synthetic hormones flowing every day?”   

I decided it was time to test it out and see if my body is on the same page as me. For those of you who aren’t ready to get pregnant, I’m with you. I don’t feel I am either. What I’ve learned is that there are SO many ways to prevent pregnancy that don’t involve hormonal contraception, even though it’s the “go-to” method for so many people. 

So, I made the decision to take a rest from the pill. 

Before cutting cold turkey I wanted to be sure I was fully informed and ready to support my body where it’s at in making this transition. I ordered the books “Beyond the Pill” and “Woman Code” to get started. 

First off, WOW. I learned SO much.

Second, nearly every page I could correlate “my Mom does that, my sister did that, my cousin has that, so and so probably does that.” Without going too far, there are SO mainly hormonal ailments that we experience on a daily basis that are just shrugged off as “hormones,” “PMS,” or “that time of the month.” Well, sister friends, turns out it doesn’t have to be that way. 

Not only did I learn that my body is extremely low on certain hormones, and way too high with others, but I also learned the numerous side effects of the pill that we just aren’t taught when we’re fourteen and decide it’s the only option to cure that stubborn acne. And neither are our mothers, sisters, or other role models! 

+Some things Hormonal Birth Control is said to do to your body I had no idea about. 

• May cause autoimmune disease 

• May cause gallbladder problems 

• May cause inflammation

• May impair absorption of numerous key vitamins (B, Zinc, Iron, Magnesium to name a few)

• And many more. 

In my holistic nutrition loving fashion, most all of these things can be greatly improved and even eliminated with the power of diet and lifestyle changes! 

I have been following the protocol from “Beyond the Pill” by supporting my liver in detoxing my body from the many years on the pill. If you’ve been around a while, you know about my occasional total body resets where I eat more of the foods that support liver detoxification, and less of the foods that create inflammation and toxicity. This is pretty similar to that with just a few additions. No, detoxing does not mean drinking juice for days. You should be eating plenty of foods even while detoxing, which is a natural process your body does on its own all day every day! You can thank your liver for that! For more on that, read my post about it here.

During this process I include a diet full of color providing numerous vitamins and minerals, with anti-inflammatory properties, antioxidants to reduce oxidative stress, and fiber to help flush out all of the toxicity your body may have been holding on to. 

+Foods that help this process:

• Colorful fruits and vegetables

• Lean proteins 

• Healthy fats - for more on all things healthy fats and what those include click here and here. 

• Anti-inflammatory foods such as turmeric, pineapple, cinnamon, berries, leafy greens, ginger, garlic, walnuts, even dark chocolate! 

• Antioxidant packed foods - berries, artichokes, leafy greens, dark chocolate

• Fiber rich foods - fruits and veggies, leafy green veggies, flaxseed, hemp seed, chia seed, psyllium husk

And eliminating (for a period of time, this isn’t a forever thing if it doesn’t have to be! Just simply to support your liver’s efforts by allowing it to focus on eliminating any toxicity after the pill) 

• Gluten

• Grains

• Dairy

• Soy

• Alcohol

• Caffeine

• Sugar

• Refined sugar 

I’ve been doing this for the past month, and I’d say I‘ve been about 95% compliant. What can I say, I like caffeine! I’ve reduced my intake quite a bit, but not 100%. 

So far I feel great, my skin is better than ever, I’m loving what I’m eating, my old pesky cravings for all things crunchy and salty are no longer, and I’ve been sleeping like a baby! 

Most “symptoms” from the pill arise within about 4-6 months. If you feel you have symptoms like, for instance, mood swings, low energy, hormonal acne, lack of cycle, night sweats, low libido, and more, read the books I’ve mentioned above, and peruse thought Dr. Jolene Brighton’s blog here.

Through the month of November I absolutely will not be abiding by this style of eating simply because our HONEYMOON!!!! It lands right in the middle of november. When it comes to food I’ll probably stick with it simply because I feel great, except a few desserts, some coffee, and definitely some champagne! But after that I plan to hop back on it in an effort to continue the smooth transition. Until we get to Italy that is...stay tuned my friends! 

Are you going through this process right now? If so, what has helped you, or what have you been noticing? Let me know in a comment! 

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor. All information is from reliable sources, namely Dr. Jolene Brighten and her book “Beyond the Pill” as well as Alisa Viti and her book “Woman Code.” I encourage you to consult a doctor before making any decisions regarding contraception as well as making assumptions about your own body.