Here Are the 8 Best Foods to Eat to Reduce Estrogen Dominance
When it comes to hormone problems, we know that food can be your best friend or worst enemy! By that, I mean that what you eat has a huge impact on how your body makes hormones, uses them, and then gets rid of them after they’ve done their job. Estrogen dominance is one of the most common hormone imbalances women experience today, thanks to a collection of factors like diet, environmental exposure, and lifestyle.
If you’re experiencing common symptoms of estrogen dominance, the first step to reverse estrogen dominance naturally is to incorporate foods that can help, and avoid the ones that make estrogen dominance worse.
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What causes estrogen dominance?
Estrogen dominance is a term given to a type of hormonal imbalance where estrogen levels are out of balance. This is usually due to two factors:
- Your body isn’t metabolizing excess estrogen, or
- You have too much estrogen compared to the hormone progesterone
Either way, there’s a hormone imbalance that’s likely impacting your health in numerous ways. If you have other hormone issues, like PCOS or endometriosis, you may also have an underlying estrogen dominance issue. Some symptoms of estrogen dominance overlap with common PCOS symptoms, like irregular periods, infertility, or weight gain.
Watch: 6 Supplements to Reverse Estrogen Dominance
Symptoms of estrogen dominance include:
- Painful breasts, especially before your period
- Heavy periods with severe cramps
- Weight gain, especially around your hips and middle
- Fibroids/Endometriosis
- Fibrocystic breasts
- Trouble sleeping
- Depression, anxiety, irritability
- Low libido
- Fatigue
Watch: These Toxic Beauty Products Cause Hormone Imbalance!
The best way to treat estrogen dominance through diet and lifestyle
What you eat and how you live your life daily has the biggest impact on hormones in your body. Certain foods can either help move excess estrogen out of the body, or slow it down. A healthy diet can promote normal estrogen levels, fertility menstrual cycle regularity, and even reduce the risk of cancer.
Without natural hormone balance, estrogen dominance increases risk for problems including:
- PMS
- Uterine fibroids
- Some types of breast cancer
- Fibrocystic breasts
- Ovarian cysts
- Migraines
Related: How to Hormone Detox + 6 Steps for Your Liver and Digestive System
Changing your diet to promote healthy estrogen metabolism is the best way to reverse estrogen dominance naturally. Follow these basics when designing an estrogen dominance diet.
Eat a fiber-rich diet
Fiber is crucial for healthy bowel movements, which is the main way for excess estrogen to exit the body. Fiber is a natural source that binds to estrogen excreted by the liver and brings it into the intestinal tract for elimination while preventing estrogen reabsorption. Bottom line is if you’re not “going” every day, you likely have too much estrogen going on.
Aim for 25 grams of fiber per day, but start slowly and drink plenty of water. The easiest way to do this is stick to a whole-foods diet with plenty of plant-based foods. The most fiber-rich fruits and vegetables include broccoli, pears, raspberries, lentils. If you’re in need of more fiber, try adding ground flax seeds to a smoothie or oatmeal.
Get pre- and probiotics
Your microbiome regulates many detox processes in the gut, and that includes how estrogen is processed. Friendly bacteria in the gut promote estrogen metabolism, and reduce the number of bad bacteria that convert estrogen into more damaging forms—like the type that increases the risk of breast cancer.
These friendly bacteria also support overall digestive function, healthy skin, and energy production. Fuel your microbiome with prebiotics such as fiber, and probiotics—which are live bacteria found in fermented foods like kimchi, kefir, yogurt, kombucha, and miso.
Learn more: What’s Your Estrobolome and Why Does It Matter?
Stay hydrated
Aim for half your bodyweight in ounces of water per day. Water is the simplest and easiest form of detox for your whole body, helping to remove toxins and excess estrogen. Bonus if you’re to filter your water to help remove xenoestrogens from the environment.
The 6 best types of foods for estrogen dominance
Broccoli, kale, and cauliflower
These cruciferous vegetables are naturally rich in a sulfur-containing compound called diindolylmethane or DIM. This substance supports the function of liver enzymes that make the “good” kind of estrogen. They also promote regularity and detoxification by assisting in estrogen metabolism.
Cruciferous veggies also contain another type of indole, indole-3-carbinol, or I3C. IC3 has been shown to reduce the risk of hormone-related cancers by reducing how much estrogen is available in the body and by promoting detoxification (1).
Aim for about 1-2 cups of cooked cruciferous vegetables per day.
Flax seeds
Flax seeds are high in lignans, a type of phytoestrogen. But don’t be fooled by the name—phytoestrogens don’t actually contribute to harmful levels of estrogen already in your body. They are plant-based estrogens that bind to estrogen receptors in the body, and in doing so they help reduce levels of circulating estrogen.
To get the benefit of flax seeds, always consume them ground, and store in a cool place to preserve freshness. Aim for about 1 tablespoon per day.
Try these: 9 Easy Anti-Inflammatory Recipes
Sprouts
All sprouts, including alfalfa, broccoli, and clover, contain a compound called sulforaphane. Sulforaphane helps the body to flush out excess estrogen by activating detox enzymes in the liver. In one study, women who ate 2 servings of broccoli sprouts per day for four weeks had significantly lower estrogen levels than women who did not (2). Sprouts are best eaten raw or lightly steamed.
Kefir and yogurt
Kefir is a fermented milk product that contains live and active cultures. Live and active cultures from kefir or yogurt support friendly bacteria that make up your estrobolome, or the collection of specialized microbes in your gut responsible for breaking down and using estrogen.
The healthier your estrobolome is, the better you’ll process and eliminate estrogen from your body.
Omega-3 fats
Omega 3s are found in cold water fish like salmon and mackerel, chia seeds, and even avocados. Omega-3s are a special type of fat that’s vital to the production of “good” estrogen, and the detoxification of the less favorable kinds of estrogen (3). Healthy fats also support the production of progesterone to help balance out estrogen.
Read: What You MUST Know About Holistic Nutrition (for Women!)
Psyllium
Psyllium husks are a type of soluble fiber that helps to bind estrogen in the gut and promote regularity. They also help to reduce inflammation and fuel beneficial gut microbes. Psyllium powder can be found online and in most health food stores.
Pumpkin seeds
These tiny seeds pack a powerful punch of magnesium—almost 40% of the RDA in just a 1 oz handful! Magnesium helps the body clear excess estrogen by upregulating an enzyme in the liver that promotes the normal metabolism of estrogen (4). If you have low function of this detox enzyme, known as the COMT enzyme, adding more magnesium to your diet could help reduce estrogen dominance. Other rich sources of magnesium include hemp seeds, dark leafy greens, and dark chocolate!
Shop: Functional magnesium with a delicious twist.
Bell peppers, citrus, kiwi, and Brussels sprouts
These foods are rich sources of vitamin C to help your body make progesterone, which is incredibly important if your estrogen dominance is due to a high ratio of estrogen to progesterone. In this case, helping the body to make more progesterone can help mediate many symptoms of estrogen dominance.
Foods that make estrogen dominance worse
You should avoid foods that slow down estrogen detox in the gut or in the liver, which are generally the components that make up the Standard American Diet, like:
- Added sugars
- Excess caffeine and alcohol
- Ultra-processed foods
- Non-organic soy, meats, and dairy
Estrogen-like chemicals are also found in some plastics, so avoid using plastic containers for food or water storage.
Read: How to Detoxify Your Home in 8 Steps
By following these simple dietary tips, you can help to reduce estrogen dominance and balance your hormones naturally! If you think you might have estrogen dominance, please speak with a healthcare professional. Proper testing can be done to determine if this is the case.
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