TTC and Hormonal imbalance

Hi ladies,

While doing my own research on how to fix my terrible hormone imbalance I came across this 'diet' to regulate hormones. It seems so very simple and I'm going to give it a go myself.
Hopefully it can be help to someone else aswell.

Balance Your Hormones with Raw Foods | Women Go Raw


Articial reads as follows

Here is an effective strategy for balancing your hormones with raw foods.

You will need 3 very important items:

Nuts

Seeds

(ok, some oils are optional!)

Lunar Calendar! (Here is a link to a lunar calendar online Moon Phases Calendar / Moon Schedule)

Let me explain! Here are some of the hormonal concerns that you may have:

* Irregular cycle

* Infertility

* PMS

* Hormonal migraines

* Heavy bleeding

* Pain with your menses

Most of these hormonal concerns have to do with a combination of TOO MUCH estrogen (commonly called estrogen dominance) and TOO LITTLE PROGESTERONE.

Hormones, as it turns out, are produced from fats! Essential fatty acids play an important role. You can actually consume certain foods during the first part of your cycle that promote healthy estrogen production and then switch to foods that support healthy progesterone production in the second half of your cycle! How cool is that! You are empowered to make a profound change and it is WITH FOOD. I LOVE that. If your cycles are regular, you can do this protocol using the following system:

Days 1-14- Follow the Phase 1 Nuts, seeds and oils Plan.

Days 15-28 – Follow the Phase II Nuts, seeds and oils Plan.

If your cycles are irregular and especially if you want to get pregnant (this will help to improve the LH surge necessary for proper ovulation), try the following system:

New Moon – Full Moon - Follow the Phase 1 Nuts, seeds and oils Plan.

Full Moon – New Moon - Follow the Phase II Nuts, seeds and oils Plan.

Phase 1 Nuts, seeds and oils Plan:

Alpha Linolenic Acid (ALA) is the principal Omega-3 fatty acid. This is the fatty acid that we are seeking to emphasize during Phase I. Here are the following nuts, seeds and oils to consume.

Flaxseed, freshly ground – Flax seed has the highest linolenic acid of any food! Flax seeds can be added to anything you want whole. That will have good effects for your intestinal health. However, unless you grind the seed, it will not release the oils so you don’t get the fatty acid benefit. Flax seeds are the healthiest for you when you grind them right before you eat them! Flax oil is easily oxidized. That is a very important concept. What can be so beneficial when fresh can be harmful when oxidized. It is basically a rancid oil. I don’t think it makes much sense to buy flax meal that has been ground for you for that reason. If you grind more flax seed than you need (which is easy to do), then put it in an airtight and light proof container in the fridge or preferably, the freezer.

Flaxseed Oil – Having read the above, it might occur to you, “Hmmmm, then consuming the oil couldn’t be a very good idea could it?” I have found that one brand of flax oil works very well for cycle balancing. I recommend that you get it as fresh as possible. You could even call the company and ask them to overnight it to you right after it is pressed. That is the Barlean’s oil. For our purposes here, I recommend that you get the High Lignan oil. The lignan is actually a chemical from the plant cell wall. It’s properties are separate from those of the essential fatty acids. Lignans are phytoestrogens.


At a recent popular health conference hosted by some of the leaders in the raw food movement, flax was absolutely looked down upon and strongly recommended against by one of the presenters. It was repeated over and over again that the flax would be harmful because it has “estrogenic properties”. But remember, lignans are PHYTOESTROGENS. They can be act as weak estrogens OR they can actually be anti-estrogenic. It seems that either the plant or the human body has the ultimate wisdom here. Phytoestrogens ultimately help to regulate estrogen whether it be too high or too low!

Here is a list of the other nuts, seeds and oils that help to regulate the first half of the cycle:

Hemp seeds, hemp seed oil (the whole seeds is preferred here and does not need to be ground to benefit from the oils)

Walnuts

Pumpkin seeds

Brazil nuts (these are also high in selenium, a crucial nutrient for thyroid health)

Phase II Nuts, seeds and oils Plan:

The portion of the cycle that focuses on progesterone is supported by health forms of linoleic acid. In a person with a perfectly functioning digestive system, linoleic acid will convert to gamma linolenic acid (GLA). GLA is the most important EFA for healthy progesterone production. Therefore, it sometimes makes sense to use the oils that are highest in GLA. These are oils that are typically consumed as oils and not eaten as food. Let’s look at these two groups.

Healthy forms of linoleic acid include:

Sesame seeds

Sunflower seeds

Sesame seeds

Pine nuts

Pistachios (ok, well don’t go crazy on these!)

Give this a try for 3 full cycles and notice what a difference it makes! I have had women make quite the breakthrough with this protocol. I want to mention just two other parts of your nutritional plan to focus on if you do have hormonal issues.

Well, I don't know about all the info above, but it does look promising. But I just wanted to add that if you're chasing a boy, then nuts, seeds, flaxseeds (omega 3s), healthy oils should definitely help make you more fertile and assist in your attempt for a boy. So I can't see any harm in you going to town with this. Best of luck. Xx