Best breakfast foods for hormone health and why..

I am sure you have heard the importance of eating a good breakfast and whilst it also comes with so many benefits. In this blog post I am going to focus on the benefits it has on your hormone health and fertility, giving you all the knowledge you need to create a breakfast not leaving you wanting more.

The best breakfast which help to balance our hormones and improve our fertility are ones containing full fats, proteins and complex carbs. Lets look at why this is..

Why fats?

They help to regulate and balance hormones

Provide us with optimum fertility and ovulation

Good quality fats actually help to decreased inflammation

They help us to absorb other fat soluble vitamins in our food and are high in energy.

Why Protein?

They are the building blocks of life being found in almost every part of our body and tissue.

Provide us with slow releasing energy

They help our body make our hormones

Why Carbs?

The big energy drivers of the body

Play an important roll in building hormones

Many contain high levels of fibre which is a prebiotic helping feed our gut bacteria

Eating a balanced breakfast including these three things can positively impact hormone health in many ways we will look at how now.

1. Regulating Insulin Levels: When we just eat carbs for breakfast often we can find ourselves hungry at 11 and fatigued come the afternoon. This is because carbs convert in the body as glucose which spike our blood sugar levels leaving us with that crash. Eating a balanced breakfast can help stabilise blood sugar levels, which in turn supports insulin regulation. When you eat breakfast, especially one containing complex carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats, it can prevent blood sugar spikes and crashes throughout the day. This helps maintain steady insulin levels, which is crucial for overall hormone balance.

2. Balancing Cortisol: Cortisol, often referred to as the stress hormone, plays a key role in regulating various bodily functions, including metabolism, immune response, and blood sugar levels. Skipping breakfast or going too long without eating can lead to increased cortisol levels, as the body perceives it as a stress. Eating breakfast helps to reduce this stress response, keeping cortisol levels balanced.

3. Supporting Thyroid Function: Breakfast provides essential nutrients that support thyroid health, including iodine, selenium, and zinc. These nutrients are necessary for the production of thyroid hormones, which regulate metabolism, energy levels, and growth and development. Consuming breakfast can help ensure optimal thyroid function.

4. Enhancing Hormonal Communication: Eating breakfast can facilitate optimal hormonal communication throughout the body. A breakfast including fat, protein and complex carbs supports the production and release of hormones involved in appetite regulation, metabolism, and energy balance. This helps maintain a healthy hormonal balance and promotes overall well-being.

By eating a balanced breakfast you are improving, balancing and maintaining your hormone health by stabilising blood sugar levels, balancing your cortisol levels, supporting thyroid function, and promoting optimal hormonal communication throughout the body. If you are feeling a bit stuck for ideas I have written some examples below.

Breakfast ideas

~ Scrambled eggs with veggies and bacon

~ Avocado on sourdough with 2 eggs

~ Wild salmon with eggs and garlic spinach

~ Soaked oats with full fat yogurt or ghee with berries

~ Chia pudding with full fat yogurt

~ Eggs, a protein and veg

~ Scrambled tofu cooked in butter with spring onions, tomatoes and kale

~ Protein powder smoothie (with mostly veg)

~ Omelette

~ Porridge with a spoon of ghee and/or a spoon of full fat yogurt or an egg added at the end when the porridge has been taken off the heat

(might sound weird but you won’t taste it and it makes the porridge all fluffy and blood sugar spike free)

If your left thinking that sound lovely but I can’t do that my questions for you are

• Can you find an extra 10-15 minutes in your morning?

• Is it possible to move things around in your day to accommodate?

• Could you go to bed 10 minutes earlier and get up 10 minutes earlier?

• How can you prep breakfast in the evenings so you don’t need as much time to prepare it in the morning?

• Is there anyone else that can make the breakfast whilst you do something else or vice versa?

• Can you build a breakfast schedule around your week?

If you have a specific concern or worry when it comes to your hormone health or fertility take a look at my 1-1 container ‘Awaken Fertility’ where we dive into the root cause of your imbalance and I teach you my steps to awakened fertility and rebalanced hormones.