An Uncomplicated Eating Framework: How to Eat to Support Your Hormones, Longevity and Overall Health
When we support our blood sugar, we support all our hormones because blood sugar balance is foundational for health.
Blood sugar is intricately connected to and influences the production of all our hormones including cortisol, estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone, just to name a few, in addition to influencing symptoms like fatigue, weight gain, mood swings, craving, and disrupted menstrual cycles.
So often food rules, trends, and diet culture make eating complicated, stressful and disconnected from our bodies.
But the truth is, nourishing your body does not have to be complicated or stressful. It does not require counting calories, tracking macros or white-knuckling your way through hunger pangs to your next meal.
Let’s dive into a simple nutrition framework that fits around any food philosophy. It takes the guesswork out of eating, and supports blood sugar balance, hormone health, and long-term vitality.
A Simple Nutrition Framework
Here are two foundational principles:
Prioritize whole foods
Eat balanced macronutrients
1. Whole Foods
Food is simply information for your cells.
Various components of food tell the cells of the body to do different things, like decreasing inflammation, repairing tissue, or activating an immune response.
Whole foods are rich in nutrients that support the body like
Protein
Fiber
Vitamins and minerals
Phytonutrients
In health and wellness, single nutrients are often brought to the forefront such as protein, or vitamin C, or magnesium. However, nutrients don’t work in a silo. They are synergetic and generally work best when eaten together in whole foods.
Foods that come from nature are easier for the body to digest, metabolize, and assimilate, which supports overall health and longevity.
What exactly is a whole food versus a processed food versus an ultra-processed food?
Whole Foods
Foods that come from nature, earth or sea, and do not require a label.
Examples: Apples, carrots, salmon
Processed Foods
Foods that contain minimal ingredients, but have been processed or altered for convenience.
Examples:
Almond butter (almonds and maybe salt)
Frozen cauliflower rice
Yogurt
Ultra-Processed Foods
Foods that contain significantly more ingredients and are generally created in a lab. These foods are engineered with more sugar and fat to create something called a bliss point that makes your brain want to continue to eat the food. These include foods that typically come in crinkly packaging and tend to be shelf stable (due to preservatives).
Examples: Chips, cookies, fast food
Even some healthy foods are technically ultra-processed foods, like protein powders.
Important note: There is no shame or judgement for consuming ultra-processed foods. Those foods have a place in the world and in our lives on occasion. It is when our diet is made up mostly of ultra-processed foods that trouble arises and eventually results in long-term chronic health issues.
2. Balanced Macronutrients
What are macronutrients?
Macronutrients are nutrients that we need in larger quantities every day to maintain our body’s ability to function by supporting
Brain function
Muscle movement
Hormone production
Heart and lung function
Digestion
And so much more
The three macronutrients are protein, fat, and carbohydrates.
Protein
What is protein?
Proteins are the building blocks of the body. Proteins are made up of 20 different amino acids. 11 can be made within our bodies, but the other 9 must come from the foods we consume.
What is it important for?
Proteins do so much for the body. They are essential for:
Hormone production
Muscle synthesis
Immune support
Enzymes (these accelerate bodily processed like breaking down and digesting foods into their component parts for the body to use)
What are some examples of protein?
Plant Proteins:
Tofu
Tempeh
Legumes
Nuts and seeds
Animal Proteins:
Eggs
Dairy like yogurt and cottage cheese
Seafood
Poultry
Red meat
How much protein?
Meals: 20–30 grams
Snacks: 10–15 grams
Take note of how you feel and adjust when you need to.
For example you may need to increase your protein consumption if you are:
Strength training regularly
Recovering from surgery or illness
Postpartum
Still feeling hungry after meals
Healthy Fats
They are important for:
Mood regulation
Nervous system function
Hormone production
Gut lining integrity
Types of dietary fats
There are two main types of dietary fats.
Saturated fats
These are naturally occurring fats that are solid at room temperature.
Coconut oil, butter, lard
Unsaturated fats
Monounsaturated fats: Olive oil, avocados
Polyunsaturated fats: Sources: Salmon, walnuts, chia seeds
Essential Fatty Acids: Omega-3 and Omega-6
In the health and wellness world, omega-3 is often touted as “good” while omega-6 is villianized. The truth is that both are needed in a balanced ratio. Both are needed to make a group of lipids called prostaglandins.
Omega-3s support anti-inflammatory prostaglandins
Omega-6s make pro-inflammatory prostaglandins
The Omega-6: Omega-3 Ratio
Instead of focusing on only consuming omega-3 fatty acids while simultaneously trying to avoid omega-6 fatty acids, it is more important to look at the ratio because both are essential.
The modern, western diet typically skews the ratio to 20:1 omega-6 to omega-3; however, a better ratio is 1:1 or 2:1.
Improving the Ratio
In order to adjust the balance of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids, focus on swapping where you can.
Incorporate more:
Avocado oil or olive oil instead of vegetable oil
Butter or ghee instead of margarine
Wild-caught fatty fish instead of farm-raised fish
Grass fed meat instead of generic meats
Whole Food Fat Sources
Best sources of fats are those derived from nature with minimal processing:
Plant Fats:
Avocados
Olives
Coconut
Nuts and seeds
Animal Fats:
Eggs
Full fat dairy
Wild caught fatty fish
Grass-fed beef
Butter, ghee, tallow, lard
How much fat?
Meals: 20–30 grams
Snacks: 10–15 grams
Carbohydrates
What are carbohydrates and why are they important?
Carbohydrates are the body’s immediate fuel source, and the brain’s preferred fuel. They provide the energy needed to
Produce hormones and enzymes
Digestion
Nervous system health
Exercise (muscle recruitment) and recovery
Simple Carbohydrates
These carbohydrates are digested and absorbed quickly. They may cause a blood sugar spike, especially when consumed alone.
Examples: Soda, juice, grains, potatoes
Complex Carbohydrates
These carbohydrates contain fiber which slows the digestion process, supports microbiome health and hormone production, and increases satiety.
Examples: Vegetables, fruit, legumes, whole grains
The key is to focus on carbohydrates from whole foods versus carbohydrates from refined foods.
A note on sugar: Your body will response to sugar in the same way regardless of whether it is refined white sugar, honey, or a banana; however, refined sugar hits the blood stream more quickly requiring more insulin to bring your blood sugar down quickly; whereas whole food sugars also contain fiber, phytonutrients, and antioxidants that benefit the body.
How much carbohydrate?
Meals: 30–50 grams
Snacks: 10–20 grams
Everyone will have different carbohydrate needs, depending on
Health goals
Activity levels
Current health status
Menstrual cycle phase (carbohydrate needs increase during the luteal phase)
Sample Day of Balanced Meals
Breakfast
Greek yogurt, berries, flaxseed, pumpkin seeds, chia
Protein: 25g | Fat: 19g | Carbs: 23g
Lunch
Scrambled eggs with cottage cheese, avocado, mixed greens, apple
Protein: 27g | Fat: 26g | Carbs: 23g
Dinner
Grilled salmon, sweet potato, roasted broccoli with olive oil
Protein: 29g | Fat: 19g | Carbs: 29g
Snack
Beef stick + orange
Protein: 10g | Fat: 6g | Carbs: 14g
Key Takeways:
Nourishing your body does not need to be complicated or stressful.
Whole foods provide the most nutrition
Balanced protein, fat, and carbohydrates support blood sugar, hormones, and longevity
Macronutrient Cheat Sheet
Meals
Protein: 20–30g
Fat: 20–30g
Carbohydrates: 30–50g
Snacks
Protein: 10–15g
Fat: 10–15g
Carbohydrates: 10–20g
If you’re ready for personalized guidance on how to apply this eating framework to your body, hormones, and lifestyle, schedule a 1:1 coaching call today.