These 4 Soups Balance Your Hormones, Improve Digestion, and Ignite Metabolism
Winter is coming. But don’t let the cold make you feel down! With these hormone-balancing soup recipes your mood swings and cravings for sugar can be replaced with healthy hormone production and balanced blood sugar. Hormones are responsible for the way you look and feel every day. Soups are one of my favorite foods for hormone imbalance during winter because they contain healthy fats, protein, and phytonutrients that help with women’s hormone imbalance symptoms.
What’s Hormonal Imbalance?
Your hormones regulate how you feel, think, and look every day. They’re responsible for your overall health and wellbeing. Symptoms of hormone imbalance include common complaints like PMS, cramps, mood swings, trouble sleeping, bloating, irritability, and weight gain.
If you’re feeling any of these, there’s a good chance your problems are rooted in a hormone imbalance.
The good news is that many common hormone imbalance symptoms can be alleviated with the proper nourishment. This is because thyroid hormones, reproductive hormones (like estrogen and progesterone, and metabolic hormones like insulin respond to ingredients in the foods we eat.
Hormones need the right nutrients to keep you sharp and energetic, with a healthy metabolism and great hair and skin.
If you’re nearing perimenopause (or menopause) it’s even more crucial that you support balanced sugar and make sure you have blending of hormone balancing foods. This will help you handle hormone transitions with greater ease.
Learn more about daily hormone support with Hormone Helper>>
Getting Started with Hormone Balancing Foods
Millions of women are dealing with hormone imbalance–but because the symptoms are so common, we unfortunately view them as just a normal part of life. But if you’re feeling sluggish, tired, irritable, or have periods that are full of painful side effects–it’s time to take the holistic approach.
Poor digestion, slow detox, bowel movement, insulin resistance, and inflammation all contribute to hormone imbalance. Essentially, if we can restore balance in the digestive system and aid detoxification in the liver, this is the foundation of balancing hormones.
Related: What You Need to Know About Your Gut & Estrogen
How does your diet affect hormones?
The food we eat contains macronutrients like carbohydrates, protein, and fats which fuel hormone production. Each type of nutrient group is essential for healthy hormone production.
Often, the modern woman consumes too many carbohydrates, and too little protein, and not enough of the right kind of fats. This energy imbalance shows in the form of weight gain and a sluggish metabolism. We frequently also don’t consume enough nutrient-dense plant foods like leafy greens or cruciferous vegetables. Too little of these foods and we may experience symptoms of imbalanced hormone levels such as estrogen dominance and poor liver detoxification.
Read more: Signs You Have Estrogen Dominance + 6 Step to Balance Hormones
4 Soups to Balance Hormones
Bissara (Moroccan Lentil Soup)
To keep your hormones happy, the first thing you need is healthy, balanced blood sugar. You shouldn’t feel brain fog, shaky, or lightheaded when you’re hungry. Intense cravings for carbohydrates and sweets are a big sign that a part of your hormonal balance is off.
Get started with a sugar detox by reading this post.
Both low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) and high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) aren’t good for balanced hormones. Imbalanced blood sugar causes systemic inflammation and increased stress levels, which makes your cells less able to respond to other hormones. High blood sugar levels worsen PCOS symptoms (ovarian cysts, facial hair, fertility troubles, weight gain) and estrogen dominance (cramps, mood changes, fibrocystic breasts).
The easiest way to regain hormonal balance is to start with nourishing meals. This means plenty of protein, healthy fats, and fiber-rich carbohydrates.
Hormone balancing recipes like this one will keep you feeling full, focused, and can even help you lose weight. It makes a large batch, and is great for leftovers, or to take for lunch for the week. You can find this recipe in my book, Super Woman Rx.
How to make Moroccan Lentil Soup:
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided + additional for serving
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4–5 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 teaspoons paprika, divided
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin, divided
- 6 cups chicken broth, vegetable broth, or Dr. Taz’s Spicy Bone Broth
- 4 cups water
- 3 cups dried split peas or lentils
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon ground red pepper, or to taste
- Dash of sea salt
- Garnish with a sprinkle of raw pumpkin seeds, sumac (found in your spice aisle)
Directions
In a large pot, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over low heat. Cook the onion and garlic until lightly browned. Add 1 1⁄2 teaspoons of the paprika and 1 teaspoon of the cumin and stir to combine.
Pour in the broth and water and the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil. Stir in the split peas or lentils.
Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally so that the peas or lentils don’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
When the peas or lentils are tender, mash them with a wooden spoon until smooth. Stir in a little water, if needed, to reach desired consistency.
Add the parsley, remaining 1 1⁄2 teaspoons paprika, remaining 1 teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon salt, and red pepper. Stir to combine. Serve with a dash of olive oil and sea salt, plus some sumac for garnish, if using. Or cool and store in smaller containers. If you don’t think you’ll use all of the soup this week, it freezes well.
Fiber is designed to help balance hormones in the gut, so if you’re struggling with with hormonal imbalance symptoms, I recommend starting with this 21-day course to reset a healthy gut.
Green Detox Soup
Cruciferous vegetables (that’s broccoli, cauliflower, kale, leeks, arugula) contain a beneficial compound called diindolylmethane, or DIM. DIM helps your body detox excess hormones that have completed their job. DIM is especially helpful for estrogen metabolism, as it helps to support your liver in packaging up excess estrogen. Helping the body get rid of “used up” hormones may reduce a woman’s risk of certain types of breast cancer, as well as symptoms like mood swings and fibroids (1,2).
If you’re feeling imbalanced, skip the breads or pasta at dinner time, and add plenty of cooked greens. This soup is a great way to add a few different hormone-loving cruciferous veggies all in one dish!
For extra protein (and another one of my fav foods for hormone imbalance), this recipe pairs well with a side of grilled salmon which is rich in omega-3 fats, or a grass-fed filet to support healthy iron, zinc, and B vitamins.
Get the truth about real detox: 3 Detox Methods that Actually Work
How to make the Green Detox Soup
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 large leek; trimmed, halved, white parts thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon sea salt, more to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 ½ cups Brussels sprouts; ends trimmed, yellow leaves removed, sliced into disks
- 1 ½ cups broccoli florets (about 1 medium broccoli)
- 2 cups cauliflower florets (about 1 large cauliflower)
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock (or bone broth, listed below)
- 1 small bunch parsley, chopped
- 1 cup raw cashews
- pepper, to taste
Directions
Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add chopped onions and cook for about 2 minutes, until tender. Stir in leeks, salt, and rosemary and cook for 3-5 minutes, until the leeks soften.
Add the rest of the vegetables (minus the parsley). Stir and let cook for another minute or so. Pour in the vegetable stock (or bone broth). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and cover. Simmer for about 20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
Remove saucepan from heat, toss in the parsley and cashews, then replace the lid and keep covered for another 5-10 minutes. This allows cashews to soften slightly before the next step.
This step may need to be completed in 2 or more batches, depending on the size of your food processor. Alternatively, you can use an immersion blender. Transfer soup to your food processor or blender (or use an immersion blender) and puree soup until smooth. Once blended, move soup back to the pot. Season to taste with more salt or pepper.
Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with optional creme fraiche, dairy-free yogurt, or chopped herbs.
Read more: How to Prevent Bloating After Eating
Anti-Inflammatory Golden Soup
Ginger & turmeric soup is anti-inflammatory and good for digestion. Ginger and turmeric can both help soothe digestion while providing phytonutrients to help deal with stomach pain or slow digestion.
A healthy gut is essential to the breakdown of hormone balancing nutrients. It allows for the digestion and absorption of minerals like iron, magnesium, and calcium, and vitamins like B12 and vitamin D. We need certain vitamins and minerals to produce hormones, but an inflamed gut makes it harder to absorb nutrients from foods. A healthy gut allows for the digestion of carbohydrates, healthy fat, and proteins that are the crucial building blocks of hormones. Inflammation leads to a variety of health issues that can turn into an imbalance of hormones like insulin, cortisol, DHEA, estrogen, and progesterone.
A healthy gut is also home to “good” digestive bacteria that make up your microbiome. Your microbiome helps kill off harmful bacteria and prevent the overgrowth of problematic yeast. If your gut is producing inflammation, it can lead to a cascade of digestive troubles.
Get the benefits of turmeric, along with gut-healing amino acids, and fermented greens in Belly Fix.
How to make Golden Soup
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, avocado, or coconut oil
- 3 carrots, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp ground turmeric
- 1/4 tsp fresh ginger, minced (or substitute 1 tsp ground)
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
- 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
- 1 can full fat coconut milk
- Himalayan salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Prepare quinoa according to package directions and set aside.
In a large pot, heat oil to medium. Add onions and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add carrots and celery and saute for another 5 minutes. Then add the garlic, turmeric, and ginger and saute for 1-2 more minutes.
Next, add the vegetable stock and then the cubed butternut squash.
Bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer until the squash is fully cooked (about 10-12 minutes).
If you do not want a creamier soup, skip this step. With a slotted spoon, remove about half of the vegetables from the pot and place in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth, and then pour back into the rest of the soup.
Last, stir in canned coconut milk and cooked quinoa. Garnish with any fresh herbs of your choice such as fresh cilantro or parsley, and serve immediately.
Get more anti-inflammatory recipes here.
Gut-Healing Bone Broth
In case you haven’t noticed, so much of hormone balance begins with a healthy gut! Foods for hormone imbalance should also support gut health. Bone broth is amazing for healing an overworked gut when you’re experiencing intestinal permeability (or leaky gut). Bone broth contains collagen, which helps rebuild the intestinal lining and reduces inflammation. Plus, it’s packed full of amino acids like l-glutamine that your gut just loves.
Bone broth is an easy way to reduce food waste (because it uses ingredients we’d otherwise throw away), and it has so many different uses. Conditions that can benefit from bone broth include: Acne breakouts, brain fog, digestive troubles like constipation or bloating, IBS, Crohn’s or colitis, skin conditions, and stubborn weight gain.
Sip a warm cup of bone broth in the afternoon for a boost of energizing minerals, or in the evening when its rich glycine content may help you get to sleep faster and reduce stress hormones (3).
Rich in minerals, gelatin, and probiotics that support the immune system and gut, this healing broth is something I like to have on hand at all times.
How to make superfood bone broth
- 3 pounds chicken, lamb, goat, or beef bones
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
- 1 tomato, chopped
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2–3 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil, ghee, or grass-fed butter
- 1 rib celery, chopped (optional)
- 1 carrot, chopped (optional)
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 4 quarts water
In a medium pressure cooker, slow cooker, or stockpot over medium heat, combine the bones, onion, garlic, ginger, tomato, cumin seeds, salt, and oil, ghee, or butter. If using, also add the celery and carrot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cumin seeds brown.
Add the water. If using a pressure cooker, cook under pressure for 8 to 10 minutes. If using a slow cooker or cooking on the stove, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low. Simmer for a minimum of 2 hours, or up to 48 hours if using poultry; up to 72 hours for beef or lamb. A longer simmer time allows for greater gelatin and collagen to be released from the bones.
Once done simmering, strain the broth and discard the solids. Allow to cool, or use in other recipes that call for broth or stock. The broth can be stored in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 days.
Using Hormone Balancing Recipes
Hormonal imbalance symptoms are common for women. But most holistic healthcare providers now suggest starting with foods for hormone imbalance. You can balance your hormones by starting with a hormone balancing diet rich in proteins for energy, healthy fats to help build hormones, and vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower which support hormonal detoxification in the liver and digestive system.
For more support, and other ways to balance hormones naturally, join this list so you don’t miss out on helpful tips.
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