The answer to your question, ‘Can beetroot balance hormones?’ is YES! Beetroot is one of the best foods for hormonal balance. If you are suffering from hormonal imbalance issues such as fibroids, ovarian cysts and endometriosis, beetroot should be a part of your diet!
7 Benefits of Beetroot for Hormone Balance
There are several benefits of beetroot for hormone balance as well shall see below:
1. Supports Liver Detoxification
One of the top-most benefits of beetroot for hormone balance is that it supports healthy liver function.
The liver is an important organ when it comes to hormone regulation.
This is because it breaks down toxins and excess hormones such as estrogen that are unneeded by the body. If this excess estrogen is not properly eliminated, it can accumulate in the body, leading to estrogen dominance health issues such as fibroids, heavy periods, ovarian cysts and more.
A healthy liver is able to carry out detoxification efficiently.
Beetroot is rich in nutrients such as B-vitamins, iron, calcium and antioxidants that support optimal liver function. It also contains a compound, betaine, that helps the liver flush out toxins during the detoxification process.
2. Fights Inflammation
Inflammation plays a major role in creating hormonal imbalances in the body. It is also said to be one of the main causes of disease in the body.
High levels of inflammation aggravate hormonal imbalance conditions such as PCOS, endometriosis, fibroids and more.
The nutrients in beetroot make it a powerful anti-inflammatory food. Consuming beetroot helps purify the blood and reduce inflammation in the body.
3. Helps in Elimination of Wastes
Beetroot is rich in fiber. Fiber is important in the body’s elimination process to get rid of wastes and toxins in the body. These wastes include excess estrogen which has been broken down by the liver and sent to the intestines for elimination.
The fiber in beetroot helps bind to the excess estrogen molecules, transporting it out of the body via bowel movements.
It also binds to hormone-disrupting toxins that would otherwise accumulate in the body and be eliminated via another route which may be in the form of pus-filled acne!
4. Boosts Progesterone
Eating beetroot regularly helps balance hormones by boosting progesterone, one of the two main female sex hormones.
Beetroot is rich in zinc, a nutrient that increases follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), which supports healthy ovulation, thereby triggering the ovaries to produce progesterone.
Other nutrients in beet that also help increase progesterone include B-vitamins (particularly Vitamin B6, Vitamin C and magnesium.
5. Reduces Estrogen Dominance
Estrogen dominance is a condition where there is excess estrogen in the body. It includes symptoms such as severe PMS, cystic acne, unwanted weight gain, PCOS, infertility, heavy and prolonged periods, bloating, endometriosis, fibroids, mood swings, hair loss, insomnia, thyroid problems, low sex drive, ovarian cysts and more.
People with estrogen dominance usually have high levels of estrogen and low levels of progesterone.
As we have seen above, beets have nutrients that boost progesterone levels, thus balancing the ratio of progesterone to estrogen.
The fiber in beets also helps flush out excess estrogen that would otherwise build-up in the body, skewing the ratio of progesterone to estrogen.
6. Strengthens the Immune System
Beets are packed with healthy nutrients, like Vitamin A, B-Vitamins and Vitamin C, as well as minerals like calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, copper, boron, phosphorous and potassium.
These nutrients fortify the immune system, protecting it from disease attacks.
This is important because a low immune system is susceptible to infections and diseases that the body has to fight against using nutrients.
As these nutrients are depleted to strengthen the immune system, only a few nutrients remain for other functions such as hormone production. This easily leads to hormonal fluctuations and imbalances.
7. Improves Insulin Sensitivity
Insulin resistance is linked to many hormonal imbalance issues including PCOS, unwanted weight gain, fatigue and more.
According to this study, daily consumption of 10% beetroot juice reduced blood glucose, which is useful for diabetes and people with insulin resistance.
Furthermore, beets are rich in an antioxidant known as ALA (Alpha Lipoic Acid), which has been shown to fight inflammation and improve insulin sensitivity, according to this study.
Another study shows that drinking a glass of beet juice before a meal may help boost nitric oxide levels high enough to help obese participants (obesity is a high risk factor for developing diabetes) better metabolize sugar.
How to Use Beetroot for Hormone Balance
1. Hormone-Balancing Beetroot & Carrot Smoothie
What you need
- 1 red apple
- 1 small beetroot
- 1 medium carrot
- ½ cucumber
- ½ cup water
- High-speed blender (where to get it)
Directions
- Wash all fresh produce thoroughly.
- Peel the carrot, cucumber and beetroot.
- Chop all ingredients into sizeable chunks that fit in the blender.
- Whizz for a few seconds until disintegrated then add water and whizz again till you get a lump-free smoothie.
- Enjoy immediately!
2. Sprinkle Beetroot Powder in Dishes
Add this beetroot powder to any dish you’d like including smoothies, baked goods and more! It adds a lovely pink color to any drink or meal!
3. Delicious Grated Beet Salad
What you need
- 4-5 small beets
- 2 medium-sized carrots
- 1 red apple
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon organic honey (where to get it)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (where to get it)
- Food processor (where to get it)
Directions
- You will need 4-5 small beets, 2 medium-sized carrots and 1 red apple. Select smaller beets for less bitter taste.
- Wash the fresh produce and peel the beets and carrots. Don’t peel the apple.
- Now, using the food processor, put the carrots, beets and apple through the grated blade.
- Once done, transfer to a large bowl and mix everything together.
- Now let’s make the dressing: 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon organic honey and 2 tablespoons olive oil.
- Mix it into the bowl to combine the salad with the dressing.
- Keep it in the fridge.
- Serve it as a side dish with meals.
4. Mouthwatering Pickled Beets
What you need
- 5-6 small to medium beets
- ½ cup white vinegar (where to get it)
- ½ cup filtered water
- ½ teaspoon sea salt (where to get it)
- Wide-mouth jar (where to get it)
Directions
- Wash and peel 5-6 small to medium beets.
- Slice them in circles ¼ inch thick.
- Add water to a large pot with a steamer basket and steam the beets for 30-40 minutes. This depends how large your slices are. You can tell they are done when you can easily pierce them with a knife. Don’t let it cook fully through, because you want it to have a bit of a crunch.
- Remove from the pot and let them cool down.
- Place the slices into a wide-mouth jar.
- Pour ½ cup vinegar and ½ cup filtered water into them.
- Add ½ teaspoon of sea salt.
- Store in the refrigerator at least overnight. They taste better the longer they sit in the vinegar water! They will last about 1 month in the refrigerator.
5. Beetroot Hummus
Ingredients
- 2 small beets
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1½ cups cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons tahini (where to get it)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (where to get it)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 to 3 tablespoons warm water
- ½ teaspoon of cumin (where to get it)
- Sea salt (where to get it)
- Sesame seeds and fresh coriander for garnish
- Ground black pepper (where to get it)
- High-speed blender (where to get it)
Directions
- Begin by roasting your beets. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Drizzle the beets with olive oil, wrap the beets and garlic together in foil. Place on the baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes until the beet is fork-tender.
- Once cooked, let it cool enough that you can peel the beet skins under running water using your hands.
- Chop the beet into small chunks and place it in a high-speed blender. Add the roasted garlic, cooked chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, cumin and water and blend until smooth.
- Add sesame seeds and coriander, if desired.
- Store in the fridge for up to a week.
- Serve with crispy raw vegetables, baguettes or chips.
Thanks for reading the article! I hope this answered your question, ‘Can Beetroot Balance Hormones?’
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