Foods High In Estrogen – Know The Importance Of Estrogen Before The Deficiency Hits You

A sudden weight gain, lack of interest in sex, and a lot of many symptoms mentioned in the article speak about your estrogen levels. Don’t worry! All you have to do is make a note of these foods high in estrogen and include them immediately into your diet.

I can remember the times when my science teacher has taught me about the primary and secondary sexual characters, and I clearly remember learning two things

1)    Primary sexual characters – Development of sex organs

2)    Secondary sexual characters – Bodily changes of male and female and development of sex hormones.

As children, we never knew the importance of sex hormones but now that we have grown up with the ability to understand the impact of these hormones on our health life, we must step up and make some changes so that we do not fall prey to some of the serious disorders that might arise due to the deficiency of these hormones.

Why Is There A Need For Proper Estrogen Levels?

Your stress-related work life or a sedentary lifestyle may cause some significant changes in your hormonal production and it is much evident from the statistics that these cases have been increasing from day to day.

Not everyone is gifted with the ability to produce required amounts of estrogen levels, but you must understand that you have a definite control in increasing the levels of estrogen in your body.

You just have to look for foods that contain estrogen and make sure you are consuming them on a daily basis so that you stay away from the most common problems like irregular periods or an inability to conceive.

Doesn’t it sound fascinating to know that you can just look out for some natural sources of estrogen which is the best way to increase estrogen naturally and curb the problems that estrogen deficiency has been causing you?

How much estrogen should a woman have?

Stage	Estrone	Estradiol
Female before puberty	29 pg/mL	20 pg/ml
Female after puberty	10–200 pg/mL	350 pg/ml
Adult female before menopause	17–200 pg/mL	15–350 pg/ml
Adult female after menopause	7–40 pg/mL	<10 pg/ml

8 Foods High In Estrogen – The Best Foods That Increase Estrogen

You do not have to spend your time looking for and gathering various foods that boost estrogen. Here are the eight best foods high in estrogen, what you can make out of these foods and the best way to include these foods in your diet.

1.Dairy Products – The Best Foods High In Estrogen

There is no reason why you should miss upon dairy products that serve a lot more than just being a natural estrogen supplement. Whether it could be your bone problems or lack of proper protein content, dairy products are to your rescue and they are the best source to increase estrogen naturally.

• Butter
• Milk
• Cheese
• Ice creams
• Yoghurts
• Cottage cheese
• Sour creams

What Can You Make Out Of Dairy Products?

Are you someone who hates drinking milk? There are many interesting sweets or desserts prepared out of milk which you can’t get away from after having a single bite. Here is a list of some lip-smacking recipes that can be prepared out of dairy products which are the topmost estrogen rich foods.

• Buttermilk pancakes
• Sour cream apple pie
• Cottage cheese spinach chicken
• Hot milk cake
• Greek yoghurt dip
• Ranch dressing

When To Include Them In Your Diet?

Since some of the dairy products are high in fat, it is recommended to include these foods either, early in the morning or during the mid-morning.

You can choose to drink a glass of fresh milk before you go to bed, but you should consider drinking skimmed milk as it does not contain fats.

2. All Soy Products

A myth that most of the people believe is that soy products are one among the foods high in estrogen. The fact is, soy does not exactly contain estrogen but soy products are one of the phytoestrogens(1).

Phytoestrogens are plant-based products which perform the exact functions that estrogen does. They are not created in the human endocrine system but can be obtained when consumed through diet.

Excessive consumption of soy product can, however, hinder the natural functioning of your estrogen hormone. Therefore, it is much recommended for you to include soy products for acquiring phytoestrogen but not more than 39-47 grams of soy per day.

What can you make out of soy products?

• Zucchini stuffed with soy
• Soy and oat pancakes
• Soy milk blends
• Apple cinnamon soy shake
• Yellow and black soybeans

When To Include Them In Your Diet?

Soy products are usually recommended to be consumed in the mornings for breakfast. You can, in fact, prepare a workout regime for yourself, stretch and sweat hardcore and opt for anything made out of soy products.

But, you have to ensure that you do not consume more than forty grams of soy per day as they may inhibit your natural production of estrogen hormone. So, you must understand that soy products are not the natural sources of estrogen(2) but they perform the same function that estrogen does.

3. Foods High In Estrogen – Seeds

Sunflower seeds, flax seeds and sesame seeds are the most commonly consumed estrogen foods which you can easily include in your diet. These seeds are also phytoestrogens, i.e., they serve the same purpose of estrogen hormone.

Unfortunately, a modern lifestyle has been the main reason for the decrease in the levels of estrogen and the probability of occurrence of breast cancer.

Good news is that a regular consumption of these healthy seeds can increase the estrogen levels and reduce the risk of breast cancer.

The Best Way To Consume These Seeds

Flax seeds or sesame seeds may be crunchy but they may not appetize you much. There are some interesting recipes for you to consume these seeds in a much tastier way. Here are some interesting recipes made out of these seeds.

• Flax and sunflower seeds bread
• Flax seeds with a French toast
• Pumpkin bread with flax seeds
• Flax seeds with yoghurt
• Sweet potatoes with sesame seeds
• Sesame crusted chicken
• Sesame apple salad

When To Include Them In Your Diet?

You can include them anytime in your diet, but it is more important to grind the whole flax seeds since they are hard to digest.

You can also consume flax seeds in their whole form but you have to make sure that you drink plenty of water after consuming flax seeds or you can soak these seeds in water overnight before consuming them next day in the morning.

Sesame seeds can be consumed early in the morning soon after you have your breakfast. But, you have to make sure that you chew them properly and not just eat.

4. Dry Fruits And Fruits High In Estrogen

Among all the dry fruits, peaches, apricots, dates, prunes, pistachios and walnuts are the ones which are high in estrogen.

Fruits such as cherries, apples, peaches, strawberries, tomatoes are one among those foods that boost estrogen.

Best Way To Eat These Fruits

You can munch on these fruits anytime during the day. The best way to consume dry fruits is to soak them overnight and consume the next day, early in the morning or after having your breakfast.

Fruits like strawberries and apples are best when consumed one or two hours before your lunch.

5. Beer And Red Wine

You will be surprised to know that these alcoholic beverages are one among the foods high in estrogen. In fact, drinking beer or red wine can do a lot more than just increasing the levels of estrogen in your body.

Beer can reduce the risk of heart attacks and osteoporosis and red wine can reduce the risk of cancer and it is rich in antioxidants which is why it can be considered good for boosting your immunity.

Beer can also reduce the risk of kidney stones, blood clots and it helps you sleep better. However, you must ensure that you do not exceed more than 330 ml of beer per day and a 1-1.5 glass of red wine per day.

Best Time To Drink Beer Or Red Wine

You can prefer drinking beer or red wine right after your dinner before you go to sleep. This reduces the side effects of these beverages on your health. But, as it is advised, you must not drink more than the required amounts per day.

You can avoid drinking alcoholic beverages during your periods as this may aggravate the PMS symptoms. If you can’t resist yourself from drinking, you can consume not more than one serving per day.

6. Multigrain Bread

Multigrain is one of the best foods high in estrogen as it contains 4.800 mcg of estrogen per 100 grams. There is nothing much nutritious and healthier than a multi-grain bread, as it contains a hundred per cent whole grains.

Apart from the proteins that are obtained from the whole grains, multigrain bread also contains dietary fibres, sugars and iron.

What Can You Make Out Of Multigrain Bread?

Since you are looking for ways to increase the estrogen levels, you can opt for a multi-grain bread that is topped with sesame seeds, flax seeds and poppy seeds.

As both multigrain bread and seeds are high in estrogen, it can be considered as one of the best estrogen rich foods that will serve your major purpose of increasing your estrogen levels.  Consuming whole grains will reduce the risk of diabetes and heart strokes.

When To Include This In Your Diet?

Multigrain bread is the best food for breakfast and this can also be considered as the best food for weight loss. Since the bread is enriched with whole grains, it can keep you full and reduce your appetite.

7. Chickpeas – Natural Estrogen Supplements

These peas belonging to the legume family are the most commonly suggested foods high in estrogen because 100 grams of chickpeas contains 993 micrograms of estrogen.

If you are a vegetarian, you can make chickpeas a part of your daily consumption because chickpeas are the best source of proteins and fibres and this is the main reason why they help in an easy digestion.

The Best Way To Consume Chickpeas

Chickpeas are so fine and plain to taste, you can dress them with your favourite spices and oils and savour them as a side course for the dishes of your own choice. Here are some best ideas for you to relish these healthy beans which are the estrogen boosting foods.

• Chopped chickpea Greek salad
• Roasted chickpeas
• Chickpea zucchini pasta
• Chickpea protein bars
• Chickpea and avocado sandwich

When To Eat Chickpeas?

Since chickpeas are high in proteins, it is not much recommended to eat chickpeas for your dinner. You relish this as your evening snack or make it a part of your healthy breakfast.

8. Sprouts – Protein Foods That Contain Estrogen

Apart from being estrogen boosting foods, sprouts are an excellent source of proteins. They can increase your hair volume and contribute to weight loss, a strong immune system and also reduce acidity.

Of all the types of sprouts, the kind of sprouts which are a natural source of estrogen is

• Brussel sprouts
• Alfalfa sprouts
• Soybean sprouts
• Mung bean sprouts

The Best Way To Consume Sprouts

You can simply soak the sprouts overnight and consume them raw, the next day in the morning. But if you want to spice up your sprouts with other ingredients, here are the best ways to consume these estrogen foods.

• Sprouts in coconut garlic butter
• A sprouts salad made up of carrots, onions, coriander leaves floured with lemon
• Hot sprout omelette
• Roasted Brussel sprouts
• Baked potatoes with Brussel sprouts and bacon

When To Include Sprouts In Your Diet?

Sprouts are rich in proteins which is why you must not consider savouring them at your dinner. It is best to consume any variety of sprouts post workout as exercising can reduce your energy and stamina. You can also have them as a side course in your regular meals.

Read More: 19 Best Foods to Increase Your Stamina

How To Know Whether You Are Estrogen Deficient?

Hormonal imbalance can trigger a lot of disturbances in our body. We can only identify these after the deficiency shows up in the form of various signs and symptoms.

Good news is that the ability to increase the levels of estrogen lies within you and you will no longer suffer from the deficiency after increasing the intake of the above-mentioned foods high estrogen.

Out of all the other hormones, estrogen is of prime importance because this female sex hormone plays a major role in manifesting the female characteristics. You can check yourself with the following signs and symptoms to confirm whether you have been suffering from estrogen deficiency

1)    Irregular periods or absence of periods

2)    Painful sex

3)    Breast pain or tenderness

4)    Inability to conceive

5)    Inability to concentrate

6)    A sudden weight gain

7)    Low libido

8)    Skin complications

9)    Fatigue and shortness of breath

10)    Sweating

11)    Frequent headaches

12)    Depression

Conclusion

With the imbalance of estrogen hormone showing up in the form of various signs and symptoms, there is a need for us to recognize the severity of the problem and include foods high in estrogen in our diet to get rid of estrogen deficiency.