Happy Hormones for a Happy Body by Marcie Brown

It always shocks me to consider how many individuals in North America are in some way affected by mental health issues, whether it be depression, severe anxiety or simply monthly PMS. What we often overlook is where these issues stem from. In the past, society has perceived mental health issues as a choice or a weakness in character, when in reality it is a mechanism far beyond our control. Mental health can be an overwhelming topic due to the fact that reoccurring symptoms can have multiple conception points. While trying to decide what I wanted to discuss for this topic, I kept coming back to the same concept of hormones, because not only is this is an area of particular interest for me, but also so many issues with mental function come back to one thing - the endocrine system.


Your brain has the ability to send signals to your body to complete tasks. This includes obvious tasks such as moving your arm, and more complex tasks such as reminding your pancreas to send insulin, your heart to beat and your mind to feel happiness. It is the more complex tasks, the ones we never have to consciously consider, that we owe thanks to the endocrine system. This system is really just a series of glands and hormones. Think of these glands as the centres in your brain that send out a message. The type of message depends on the gland itself, for example, the adrenal glands send out signals to the body to deal with stress. The message itself is delivered in the form of hormones.

So why is this all so important? Well besides that fact it keeps your heart beating, it is your endocrine system that keeps everything in check. Our endocrine system happens to be very delicate. We need a healthy environment with limited stress and good nutrition for properly working glands and to produce hormones. In addition to that, the hormones being released need to have perfect timing and the perfect shape in order to be used in the body. If these hormones don’t deliver the message properly or on time, the body will eventually start to illustrate symptoms. These symptoms tend to be subjective and present themselves in the shape of tiredness, irritability, lack of concentration, headaches, food cravings, low energy, difficulty sleeping and changes in weight. All of these symptoms can be classified as mental health issues.

So a healthy endocrine system is a must in order to regulate your metabolism, sleep, reproductive system and digestive system just to name a few things. How do you keep your endocrine system and your hormones happy? Think of your endocrine system like a big loop, the more positive and healthy your glands are, the more positive and healthy the hormonal feedback to your body will be. Here are a few other natural considerations to regulate your bodies hormonal output and reduce stress on your endocrine systems to better your mental health.

Reduce intake of hormone containing foods. This includes decreasing our intake of dairy products and commercial meats, especially those higher up on the food chain. These foods tend to be high in synthetic hormones that are fed to commercial farm animals to promote growth. Limit the intake of these foods to once or twice per week, or switch to organic sources that are hormone free.

Eat foods that support a healthy endocrine system. Consider your nutritional intake as the fuel to power your endocrine system. These nutrients come from consuming a healthy diet. Include lots of fresh fruits, vegetables and quality proteins from beans, tofu and legumes. Our brains also love essential fatty acids, so try to incorporate as many good quality oils as possible. These oils can come from nuts, whole grains, and oils such as olive, flaxseed or fish. And don’t forget to drink plenty of water!

Get more sleep. Lack of sleep over prolonged periods of time has been proven to drastically decrease proper endocrine functioning. Each individual has different needs when it comes to sleep, but do your body and mind a favour and get some good quality rest. To increase the quality of your sleep, reduce stimulants before bed. That means no TV, computer, food or exercise within an hour of going to bed. Consider a good night’s sleep as your natural form of hormone therapy.

Take care of your pituitary gland. This gland is also known as the master gland. It secretes over ten important hormones and regulates the other endocrine glands to function efficiently. Foods that keep it healthy are foods high in B vitamins (especially B6) and vitamin E. This includes foods such as eggs, walnuts, wheat germ, whole grains, carrots, ginseng, avocados and dark leafy greens.

Exercise regularly. Daily exercise is necessary for a healthy body and mind. This will help stimulate and nourish your endocrine system. A 30-minute walk or the equivalent is all that is necessary.

Keep positive. Use your mind to your advantage. Relaxation, meditation, deep breathing and letting go of tension and negative emotions is very important. When we think positive thoughts, there is an abundance of energy and health available to us. Remember you get to choose your thoughts… Choose wisely!