6 Rules to Optimizing Hormones Through Nutrition

Hormones regulate so many aspects of our body composition, performance, strength, moods, sleep, energy, and so many other things going on inside of us.So how can we maximize our hormonal potential to benefit our fat loss, strength and muscle gain goals?Well, multiple ways, but one of the best ways to help is through our nutrition. Nutrition plays such a vital part in our body’s hormonal responses that if you’re someone who has a body composition goal, you NEED to get on top of handling your nutrition so that your hormones are functioning as optimally as possible.So just to give you an idea of exactly what hormones are effected by our nutrition, let me name a few...

• Testosterone
• Cortisol
• Estrogen
• Growth Hormones
• Insulin
• Leptin
• Ghrelin
• Libido
• And more...

As you can see, the list is big… this isn’t even all the hormones effect. But this is the main hormones that will conflict or benefit with fat loss and building lean muscle, so for that very reason they were the ones I chose listed them.Without high testosterone levels, in men, our strength goes to shit, our sex drive is non-existent, we can’t produce maximal strength or power during performance, we cannot grow muscle efficiently, we cannot regulate other hormones leading to less fat loss, we stress out more, we don’t sleep as well, and to be honest I don’t think I need to same anything more.

When women cannot produce estrogen properly they can have a whole storm of issues from menstrual problems to mood swings as well as performance issues.When guys produce too much cortisol the they wont produce enough testosterone and I already explained all the shit that can happen when that goes on.For women, the key is to have balanced estrogen sand progesterone levels. If they do not, it can negatively affect their insulin and cortisol levels thus leading to fat gain or less fat loss.The growth hormone is our body’s natural way of building muscle, through he hormonal process that is. This is affected mainly by our testosterone and estrogen levels, which are directly linked to nutrition as well.Insulin is probably one of the biggest hormones affected by food, but it is also the most talked about as well both in the right and wrong manor.It is essentially our body’s response, through the levels of our blood sugar, of how we handle carbohydrates. Now if done correctly, it will allow us to recovery and build muscle while allowing us to burn fat. When done incorrectly, it will simply just go straight into storage mode...A.K.A. fat gain.Ghrelin and leptin are more hormones similar to insulin that are affected by the body’s immediate response to food.Cortisol is the stress hormone, simply just needs to be balanced correctly.But I’m not here to describe every single hormonal function in our body! So back to the point, I’m here to show you how YOU can eat to optimize your hormones and live life how we were designed to live.So the simple way of me telling you how to optimize hormones through nutrition can be done in one word… Balance.Yep, that’s it! Balance is the biggest key and the main factor EVERYONE should be focusing on.By balance I mean that your diet is consisting of healthy fats, protein coming from animal products and whole foods, and getting adequate carbs for your body type and goals, also coming from whole foods and not processed foods.

This also means getting the proper amount of fiber, minerals, vitamins and micronutrients in your diet. And I do not mean taking a bunch of supplements, I mean follow what I mentioned on balance and this will happen naturally.You see that’s the issue with IIFYM [If It Fits Your Macros]. Yeah they got half of the puzzle solve, the half that means you should have a solid macronutrient profile that you follow consistently. But they miss out on what makes our cells, gives us proper gut health and digestion, and essentially rules how our body’s systems function.I know that you may have figured I was going to give you a “Hormone Optimizing Meal Plan”, but I am sorry...I don’t work like that, this is a lifestyle and you need to follow “Principles” rather than a “Diet-Plan”.So here are my principles that WILL lead you to optimum functioning hormones and ultimately better performance, sex drive, fat loss, muscle gain, and a better, happier, mood.

1. Eat Good Fats, Every Day. This means every single meal should have a little bit of some kind of healthy fat. I suggest just about all fats, besides trans fat. You should be getting a good amount of omega-3’s (1,000mg DHA/EPA minimum!), healthy animal fats, coconut oils, tree nut fats, avocado fats, etc. Shoot for 5-10g of added fat per meal, depending on bodyweight.
2. Don't Fear Carbs. This doesn’t mean carb load every day, especially if you’re looking for fat loss. But don’t be afraid to eat carbs after your workouts, especially some healthy starches like sweet potatoes and good sources of fruit like berries. These provide the necessary fiber needed, help maintain a good metabolism and insulin level, and regulate the thyroid, which can impact every other hormone in our body. Low carb diets can work and be useful temporarily, but you’re better off cycling low/high days and supplementing it in for the fuel to train like beast, not a sloth.
3. Eat Your Greens. This one is huge for me! Too many people I’ve come across claim to eat their greens, but all’s they eat are leaves! Don’t get me wrong, spinach and kale are great… but we NEED to get in that cruciferous veggie source as well. Its what has the caloric density, a good fiber count and most hormone optimizing veggies are the thick ones. Get some broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, asparagus, and green beans in the diet ASAP!
4. Get Colorful. This is simple; eat every color of the rainbow… No, I do not mean Skittles! This is what my grandma always said to me growing up, “Cody, you have to eat something from each color of the rainbow every single day”. I didn’t listen, until now. Start throwing peppers, colored onions, garlic, beets, squash, spices, berries, and all the colorful whole foods in your diet! These are the earth’s natural probiotics and foods that supply us with most of the vitamins and minerals we need to have properly functioning hormones.
5. Eat Your Protein, SON! For some reason, I had to throw the son at the end… it just sounded right, as if it were my coach telling me personally. But its true, protein is the building block nutrient of gaining muscle mass, proper recovery, and gaining strength. The more strength and muscle we have, the better our hormones will be. This is especially the case for men, as it promotes more testosterone, but for women as well because it helps with our insulin sensitivity and metabolism for fat burning as well.
6. EAT ENOUGH!! And last, but most definitely not least, make sure you’re getting in enough calories on a daily basis. I saved this for last because this is overall probably the most important. If you under eat consistently, nothing functions properly. Without getting scientifically on you, I will give you the simplest analogy. Our body is a vehicle and our food is fuel. The car doesn’t run without fuel, period. It cannot start, drive or continue working if it doesn’t have enough fuel. So there… Get enough fuel for your body, your entire body inside and out, to function right. You will train harder, feel better, have better hormonal functions, have better immune function, and honestly every single other function inside your body will function more properly as well.

So there it is, how you can optimize your hormones through nutrition.Before I go, I want you to know that I do believe macros are important for achieving results but above all this is what counts. If you do not give your body what it needs to produce the things that allow us to live and perform how we’re meant to, then nothing else matters.Get this in line, and then figure your macros out.