You’ve been “managing” your symptoms and can’t even recall what life was like without hormonal issues. You want to turn things around and you want one thing that you can do to start feeling better. If this sounds like you, then it’s time to learn about the why and how of juicing for hormone imbalance.
I can tell you from experience – both for my own health and a dear client who was able to drastically improve her blood sugar by 100 points within two weeks – that juicing is one of the most impactful things you can do for your hormones.
So, in this article I’m going to share with you:
- The 3 main reasons why juicing should be part of your hormone balance diet plan.
- What to include in your juices.
- Juice recipes that you can use to get started.
- How to make juices even if you don’t have a juicer.
Note: this post contains affiliate links and I earn a commission (at no additional cost to you) if you use them to make a purchase.
BENEFITS OF DRINKING JUICES FOR HORMONE BALANCE
1. Supplies a Large Quantity and Diversity of Nutrients
Your body needs nutrients in order to:
- Make hormones.
- Get rid of toxins and other contaminants that are messing with your hormones.
- Reduce chronic inflammation and elevated cortisol (which can negatively affect fertility, weight, blood sugar, sleep, energy levels and much more).
In many cases, it can be difficult to get enough of those nutrients simply from eating healthy. And this is where juicing can be a life-saver because it gives you a lot more nutrients that you could eat in one go.
To illustrate what I mean, look at it this way:
- Let’s say you make a 16-ounce glass of carrot juice (this is a typical serving size for juice).
- To make that amount of carrot juice, you would need about 4 large carrots, or about 7 medium carrots.
Now which one are you more likely to do in one go: eat 7 medium carrots or drink a glass of juice?
Definitely drinking a glass of juice is much easier and far more enjoyable!
And that one glass of juice gives you plenty of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and enzymes that your body is craving.
That’s the beauty of juicing.
NOTE: this only applies to homemade fresh juices (or freshly made at a real juice bar). Traditional, store-bought juices don’t provide this benefit because they are pasteurized. The pasteurization kills most of the nutrients.
2. Easy to Absorb
One of the most common things that happen when you start drinking fresh juices is that you get a rush of energy (sometimes before you even put the glass down).
This stems from the fact that juicing preserves all the vitamins, minerals, enzymes, antioxidants and all around goodness that is in fruits and veggies.
In addition, juicing preserves soluble fiber (which is easy to digest), while discarding insoluble fiber (which is slower to digest).
End result? With no insoluble fiber present in the juice, your body absorbs everything else very quickly.
So, those nutrients can get into your bloodstream and start working their natural magic 🙂
This is particularly helpful if your digestive system is not functioning optimally. Juicing allows you get nutrients without having to put further stress on your digestive system.
NOTE: even though juicing doesn’t preserve insoluble fiber, this isn’t a bad thing. Remember that the juice is just one of many things that you consume. As long as your diet is well-rounded, you will still get all the insoluble fiber that you need from other foods and meals.
3. Gut-Friendly
As mentioned in this guide to gut health and hormones, the gut is a key player in hormone production and detoxification.
As a result, it’s not surprising that hormonal imbalance and gut imbalance tend to go hand-in-hand.
Thankfully, juices are incredibly beneficial for the gut because they contain soluble fiber, some of which act as prebiotics.
Now, if you’re not familiar with prebiotics, they are basically the “fertilizer” that promote the growth of probiotics (i.e. gut bacteria). Some foods that contain prebiotics – and also taste good in juices – include ginger, fennel, apples, grapefruit and cabbage.
Having a healthy gut flora is a must for hormone balance because the gut:
- Makes hormones like serotonin and dopamine.
- Regulates the production of hormones like cortisol, leptin and ghrelin.
- Controls estrogen metabolism.
- Regulates how much estrogen circulates in the body.
- Controls how much estrogen is excreted from the body.
BEST INGREDIENTS FOR A HORMONE-BALANCING JUICE: CARROTS, CELERY, BEETROOT, WHEATGRASS AND MORE
Now we’re on to the million dollar question: which juice is best for balancing hormones?
The simple answer is: any juice you can get your hands on and drink consistently. Truly!
As I mentioned earlier, when balancing your hormones your goal is to pile up those nutrients.
Even though no two fruits or veggies have the exact same nutrients in the exact same quantities, they all contain what you need most:
- Vitamins
- Minerals
- Antioxidants
- Enzymes
One more item to include in the must-haves is chlorophyll. This is the compound that makes foods green. And it’s also great for detoxification.
So, including green foods like celery, cucumbers, parsley, spinach and so on, in your juices will give you that beneficial chlorophyll.
Now, to wrap up this section, here are some foods that are fun to juice, as well as what they contribute to a juice (other than plenty of nutrients!).
| Ingredients | Benefits & Characteristics |
|---|---|
| Apple | Adds natural sweetness. Any variety works. |
| Beetroot | Adds natural sweetness. Tends to make your pee and bowel movements red. |
| Cabbage | Has a surprisingly mild flavor that combines well with other fruits or veggies. |
| Celery | High in water. Has a strong, salty taste. Best combined with other juices. |
| Cucumber | High in water, very refreshing and mild-tasting. Combines well with celery and helps to camouflage the saltiness from celery. |
| Ginger | Adds a nice little “kick” to juices. Start off with a small amount (like ½ inch piece) to see how you like it. |
| Lemons and Limes | Great for enhancing the naturally sweet flavors in the juice, while also tempering less pleasant flavors from things like celery or cilantro, for example. |
| Oranges | Adds natural sweetness. Any variety works. |
| Spinach | Adds a beautiful green color and a mild flavor. |
| Wheatgrass | Adds a vibrant green color and an earthy, bitter flavor (best to combine it with sweet ingredients like apples or pineapples). |
JUICING RECIPES FOR HORMONE SUPPORT
The recipes in this section use mainly carrots, apples and celery, with a few alternating ingredients to make vibrant, red juices (both juices look very similar in color). Give them a try!
Also, if you need a reliable and good quality juicer, the one I use is this Breville Juice Fountain. One of my favorite things about it is that it has a froth separator and the chute is large enough to fit wider items like a medium sized apple (very convenient and speeds up the juicing process!).
Revitalizing Red Juice
Ingredients
½ large celery stalk
½ lime (with skin)
1 small to medium-sized beet (peeled)
2 small apples (I used galas)
2 large carrots (with skin)
Instructions
- Run all the ingredients through your juicer.
- Pour into a glass and drink immediately.
Revitalizing Red Juice – Remixed
This recipe is quite similar to the one above except that we’re swapping lime for lemon and we’re replacing the beets with cabbage.
Ingredients
½ large celery stalk
½ lemon (with skin)
1/4 of a purple cabbage
2 large carrots (with skin)
3 small apples (I used galas)
Instructions
- Run all the ingredients through your juicer and then drink immediately.
GREEN JUICE RECIPE FOR HORMONES
Green juices don’t have to have only green ingredients. But you definitely want the green ingredients to make up most of the recipe (about 60% or more).
Here’s a simple recipe to get you started.
Ingredients
3 celery stalks
½ large cucumber
1 green apple
Instructions
- Juice all the ingredients and drink immediately.
BONUS TIPS FOR MAKING A HORMONE-BALANCING JUICE
If you don’t have a juicer you can still enjoy juices by using your blender and cheesecloth (or a nut milk bag). Here’s how to go about it:
- Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until the mixture is smooth. If absolutely necessary add a little water, ideally do this without added water.
- Blending will take some time so be patient 🙂
- Pour the blender contents into cheesecloth or a nut milk bag.
- Using your hands, squeeze out the juice into a bowl or large container.
- Pour the juice into a glass and enjoy!
Please be aware that this method works best with high water foods, like pineapples, watermelons and cucumbers.
For other foods like lemons or oranges – which you can put into a juicer without peeling – you will need to squeeze out the juice by hand.
As for tougher foods like kale, this method isn’t the best.
Using the blender isn’t a perfect substitute for a juicer, but it works for basic ingredients.
FAQs ABOUT JUICING FOR HORMONE IMBALANCE
Is juicing better than blending?
Juicing concentrates nutrients, preserves soluble fiber and discards insoluble fiber. On the other hand blending preserves both soluble and insoluble fiber, but is less concentrated in nutrients. So, ounce for ounce, juicing provides a lot of nutrients and less fiber, while blending provides a lot of fiber with a lesser amount of other nutrients. Both are helpful for overall health and vitality.
Can you lose weight by juicing?
Juicing can help to improve nutritional deficiencies that contribute to hormone-related issues like weight gain. It’s important to remember that juicing should not be used as a meal replacement. Rather its purpose is to re-nourish the body and so that it can naturally shed unnecessary weight.
CONCLUSION
Adding one 16 ounce serving of green juice to your hormone balancing diet will help you “eat” more veggies, as well as soothe your digestive system and gut.
Experiment with the recipes provided in this article. And if you prefer, start with a single vegetable juice – such as carrot juice or celery juice.
You don’t have to make a blend. Just start incorporating this into your routine and you’ll be well on your way to feeling better.
Related Posts:
Can I Balance My Hormones In A Week? 5 Tips for Faster Relief
Hormone Balancing Diet Plan: Foods, Vitamins and Tips for Women
7 Drinks to Balance Hormones Naturally (+ Recipes)
The Top 5 Hormone Balancing Foods to Eat Daily
