Each of us requires different levels of hormones to maintain a healthy weight. Hormonal imbalance can drain your weight loss efforts. Thus, it is important to keep a check on the hormones that decide our hunger, mood, and cravings. The ways to balance your hormonal levels can be found in simple natural remedies.
1. Eat Green Leafy Vegetables.
Our bodies contain a weight loss hormone called adiponectin. It literally works as a fat burning component in our metabolism. The tricky thing about adiponectin is that the more fat your body starts to store, the lesser the level of this hormone. According to Dr. Leo Galland, Director of The Foundation for Integrated Medicine, “A lack of adequate adiponectin is emerging as a significant factor in people’s inability to melt flab and stay slim.” What to do? To balance the level of adiponectin, it is important to increase your consumption of magnesium. This can be done by including green leafy vegetables like kale or spinach in your diet. You can also eat pumpkin seeds, which are good source magnesium.
2. Sleep Properly At Night.
Less sleep can also be a major factor that leads to weight gain, mainly because of the hunger hormone called ghrelin. This hormone works in the hunger center of our brain and produces cravings for fatty and sweet foods at odd hours of the night. According to research published by the American Diabetes Association, ghrelin imbalance causes increased hunger and lowered fat utilization as energy. What to do? Increased ghrelin levels are caused by a lack of sleep. It is important for your mind and body to rest. The recommended amount of sleep for adults is six to eight hours per night to help in balancing ghrelin.
3. Drink Apple Cider Vinegar Before Every Meal.
While we all just love to munch on sweets and candies, they do us more harm than good. Excess sugar intake leads to insulin imbalance that lowers fat burning and rate of metabolism. The result is stored fat. Insulin regulates glucose in our body and it is important to ensure that the carbohydrates we consume are not turned into fat. The hormone insulin is related to diabetes, but its imbalance does not necessarily mean that you are suffering from this disease. What to do? An effective way to maintain glucose and sugar levels in your body is to burn it by drinking apple cider vinegar before each meal. A spoonful of vinegar 30 minutes before your meal will work to suppress hunger and maintain your blood glucose level.
4. Reduce Caffeine Intake and Stay Happy.
It is very difficult to reduce belly fat or abdominal fat that is controlled the hormone cortisol. An overload of this hormone is caused by stress due to any number of reasons. Cortisol responds to our stress and causes our body to break down muscle tissue. This results in a decreased rate of metabolism and increased fat storage. Cortisol levels are mostly disturbed in people suffering from depression, but they can also be agitated if you have a hectic and stressful schedule. What to do? We all know that stress and depression make us eat more at odd hours. We also tend to sip on more coffee that contains caffeine. However, increased caffeine consumption can lead to more stress. It is important to reduce your intake of caffeine and take a break when you need it. When you’re feeling stressed, spend time with loved ones or go for a short walk to stay happy. Featured photo credit: Energepic energepic/ Pexels via pexels.com
