“Few things on earth are as misunderstood as women, food, and hormones,” wrote M.D Sara Gottfried in her book Women, Food and Hormones. She’s right – and we’re on a mission to change that.

Gottfried has spent her career demystifying hormones. “I can tell you without a doubt that you cannot achieve true health without achieving hormonal health and balance,” she says. “I’ve seen it again and again in my practice: women come to me feeling overtired, cranky, frazzled, and – inevitably – lamenting the extra pounds they’ve put on despite their best efforts to exercise and eat right. More often than not, these issues start when women enter their mid-thirties.”

Through her writing, Gottfried explores how all too often women are told that feeling moody, asexual, tapped out, dried up, stressed out, and sleep deprived is just a part of being female. “Modern women face an unacknowledged epidemic of hormonal imbalance. Unremitting stress, superwoman expectations, and misinformation about hormones have led to a full-blown crisis. We are offered crash diets, sleeping pills, or anxiety medication… we’re told that it’s normal to feel fatigued, anxiety ridden, unsexy, fat and cranky. That’s not true. It’s not normal,” she writes. The good news is “it’s easier to rebalance your hormones than to live with the misery of hormonal imbalance.”

So how can you help support your hormones?

Learn how to deal with stress

This might be carving out a window of time in the morning to connect with nature, meditate, or take a few deep breathes. Feel like you don’t have time? According to Gottfried, cortisol is the main stress hormone and it controls the levels of the other key hormones in your body, including thyroid, estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. So make the time, and we promise - your hormones will thank you.

Move more

Stop sitting and go for a walk (or just move your body!). Walking can boost your mood and relieve stress.

Give your liver a break

That means detoxing your liver from time to time and incorporating some alcohol-free days into your regime.

Sleep

Yes, that beautiful yet elusive thing we’re supposed to indulge in for eight hours a day. So many of us lie awake in night in front of screens... but Gottfied might just change your mind. “When ignored, poor sleep will make you fall down a hormonal flight of stairs… That’s true, whether you’re 30, 50, or 70,” she says. Ideally, turn your screens off an hour or two before bedtime, or use blue light blocking glasses if you absolutely have to be on your screens. 

Tackle PMS head on

According to Gottfied, herbal therapies such as Chasteberry and St. John’s Wort have been proven to support symptoms of PMS. “Calcium, magnesium, and vitamin B6 help combat hormone imbalance, bloating, and anxiety. Magnesium is a girl’s best friend when it comes to preventing the ungodly fluid retention that occurs a few days before menstruation,” she says.

Go for Vitamin C

If you’re in Perimenopause, she advises to eat foods rich in vitamin C, reduce caffeine consumption and cut out sugar. If you’re in menopause, she says magnesium can help reduce hot flashes, fatigue, and distress.

Learn to feel empowered by your hormones

In her book Hormonal, leading researcher Martie Haselton writes, “What I’ve learned about women and hormones is – in my view – empowering. It’s not a simple story about going “hormonal” on those last few days of the cycle and losing our rational faculties. It’s the story of how our hormones guide us through uniquely female life experiences – from feeling desire and pleasure to choosing a mate, having a child (if we would like to), raising a child, and transitioning to our postreproductive years. These experiences are crucial to our understanding of what it means to be human.”

At Ora, we absolutely believe that a woman's hormones are her superpower, and with the right support, that power can be harnessed into more energy, creativity and productivity. 

That's why we created Ora Hormonal Balance™, which contains a potent blend of adaptogens, tonic herbs like Shatavari (a rejuvenating herb used in Ayurvedic medicine which plays a powerful role in female reproductive health), Tremella mushroom and Vitamin B6.  

Ora Hormonal Balance™ has a delicious natural Dutch chocolate flavour and is suitable for adults seeking functional food support for:

• Hormones
• Stress leading to low libido
• Maintaining general health and wellbeing
• Stamina and energy

To find out more about Dr. Sara Gottfried MD, go to saragottfriedmd.com