Lyndi Cohen: 8 foods to help balance hormones

When your hormones are out of whack, it’s like a party that’s gone off the rails, writes dietitian Lyndi Cohen. She shares what to eat to help keep them in check.

Lyndi Cohen runs through eight foods that can help your hormones.

Think of hormones as your body’s internal messengers, acting like tiny event co-ordinators working behind the scenes to keep things running smoothly.

When they’re in balance, your energy, mood, metabolism, and menstrual cycle tend to feel steady.

But when they’re out of whack? It’s like a party gone off the rails.

The real secret to hormone balance? Stable blood sugar.

When your blood sugar spikes and crashes, it can throw insulin (a major hormone) off balance, and that ripple effect impacts everything from your cravings and mood to your energy and menstrual cycle.

One of the simplest (and most underrated) ways to support your hormones isn’t cutting carbs or obsessing over “perfect” foods.

It’s building meals with a smart mix of protein, healthy fats, and low-GI carbs.

This trio helps keep your blood sugar stable, your energy steady, and your hormones in check.

Top it off with some veg, legumes, or fruit for a boost of fibre and antioxidants and you’ve got a balanced plate that works with your body, not against it.

Lyndi Cohen is a dietitian who promotes healthy body image.

If you don’t need to cut carbs or overhaul your life to support your hormones, what do you add to your grocery list?

Here’s a list of eight foods that naturally support hormone balance.

1. Ground flaxseeds

Ground flaxseeds can help balance oestrogen levels.

Tiny but mighty! Flaxseeds are rich in lignans, a type of phytoestrogen that helps balance oestrogen levels (especially helpful in perimenopause).

Add a tablespoon to oats, smoothies, or sprinkle some on top of peanut butter toast.

If they’re ground, they nutrients are more likely to be absorbed.

2. Dark chocolate

You'll be pleased to know dark chocolate is on the list.

The food most of us can’t live without made the list – hooray!

Dark chocolate is rich in magnesium, a mineral that helps regulate cortisol (your stress hormone), supports insulin sensitivity, and may even ease PMS.

So that after-dinner square is basically self-care.

3. Leftover pasta

Don't throw away that leftover pasta.

Yes, you read that right.

When pasta is cooked and cooled (like in a pasta salad or leftovers), some of the carbs turn into resistant starch, a type of fibre that helps balance blood sugar, support insulin sensitivity, and feeds the gut bacteria that play a key role in hormone regulation.

4. Avocados

Avocados have plenty of healthy fats.

Hormones are made from fat, so including healthy fats in your diet is key.

Avocados are rich in mono-unsaturated fats, fibre and potassium, which help reduce inflammation and support steady blood sugar (key for balanced hormones).

5. Chickpeas

Chickpeas are slow-digesting.

A brilliant plant-based protein source, chickpeas are high in fibre, B vitamins and zinc, which are essential for hormone health.

Plus, they’re slow-digesting carbs, meaning they will help keep your blood sugar stable.

Try air-frying them as healthy croutons and tossing into a salad for extra texture, throw a tin (drained) into curries or blend them into a creamy hummus.

6. Salmon (or other oily fish)

If you can’t afford salmon, try sardines or a supplement.

Omega-3s in oily fish help reduce inflammation and support serotonin, your feel-good hormone.

Think of it as mood food.

Can’t afford or buy oily fish twice a week?

A good Omega-3 supplement can help too.

7. Blueberries

Blueberries are full of antioxidants.

Frozen works just as well as fresh.

Berries are packed with antioxidants and fibre, help combat oxidative stress (a sneaky hormone disrupter) and feed your gut bacteria, where a big chunk of hormone regulation actually happens.

8. Greek yoghurt

Your gut and your hormones are closely connected.

Yoghurt provides probiotics, protein and calcium to support both gut health and hormone function.

Choose unsweetened versions and add fruit or cinnamon for flavour if you like.

Lyndi Cohen is a Sydney-based dietitian and nutritionist who is also the author of best-selling book The Nude Nutritionist.

She has more than 300,000 followers on her Instagram @nude_nutritionist where she calls out wellness wankery and nutrition nonsense to promote a healthy body image.

You can also visit her website www.lyndicohen.com

Originally published as Lyndi Cohen: 8 foods to help balance hormones