Our hormones affect many aspects of our health. Our hormones must maintain a balance in order for us to feel our best. Otherwise, a hormone imbalance can make us feel out of whack and can affect things like our mood, weight, food cravings, and even libido.

The most common side effects of a hormone imbalance include infertility, weight gain, depression, fatigue, insomnia, low libido, hair loss and hair thinning.

Here are ways to balance your hormones:

1.     Eat avocados and coconut oil. Both are essential fats and fundamental building blocks for hormone production. They provide a boost for your metabolism and promote weight loss.

2.     Get more sleep. Lack of sleep and going to bed at the wrong time can disturb hormone balance. This is because cortisol, the stress hormone, is regulated at midnight. For the best hormone function, aim to get to bed by at least 10pm.

3.     Limit caffeine intake. Caffeine elevates your cortisol levels and lowers your thyroid hormone levels. Try not to drink more than one cup a day.

4.     Avoid toxins. Pesticides, plastics, and household chemicals contain hormone disrupting chemicals that inhibit hormone production.

5.     Take supplements for hormone support. Try maca, magnesium, vitamin D, cod liver oil, and gelatin.

6.     Be physically active. Aim for at least 30 minutes of cardio exercise on most days of the week.

7.     Lift weights. Exercises like deadlifts, squats and lunges can be beneficial to your hormones. Aim for about five to seven sets at a weight that makes you sweat.

8.     Avoid omega-6 polyunsaturated fats. This includes peanut oil, canola oil, soybean oil, vegetable oil, margarine, shortening, or other chemically altered fats.

9.     Correct your leptin levels. Improving your levels of leptin will help boost fertility, make weight loss easier, improve sleep, and lower inflammation.

10.  Stop taking hormonal birth control. Hormonal birth control can create a hormonal imbalance by creating nutritional deficiencies and disrupting gut bacteria.