Hormonal imbalance: Nutritionist on how to eat cashews for balancing hormones
16/10/2022
Cashews are an ideal snack for those mid-meal munchies and a healthy addition to your daily diet for getting some heart-healthy nutrients and a generous dose of protein, healthy fats and antioxidants. One of the lesser-known benefits of cashews is that they can help balance hormones in women as they have a substance called anacardic acid which has a natural anti-estrogen effect. Estrogen is a hormone that is produced naturally in the body and is important for reproductive, cardiovascular and bone health. However, when too much of estrogen is produced, it could lead to a variety of health issues from irregular periods, PCOS, weight gain, fibroids etc. There is another reason for hormonal imbalance in women and that occurs due to deficiency of progesterone. Considering both estrogen and progesterone work in tandem, the absence of one could cause excess of the other. Without progesterone’s balancing influence, estrogen can work overtime in your body and cause cell overgrowths, like tumours in your uterine lining. The hormonal imbalance can be corrected by right diet, exercise and enough sleep apart from other things. Nutritionist Bhakti Kapoor in her recent Instagram post talks about the benefits of cashew in balancing hormones in women. "Cashews deserve a little more street cred when it comes to your health. Cashews contain a substance called anacardic acid, which has a natural anti-estrogen effect. One handful of cashews contains approximately 20 mg of anacardic acid. Excess estrogen is a very common condition among women because our food and environment are flooded with estrogen and synthetic chemicals that behave like estrogen. High estrogen can promote problems like PMS, heavy or painful menstrual bleeding, uterine fibroids and an increased risk of breast cancer," says Kapoor.
The nutritionist says just one serving of cashews has positive effect on your estrogen levels and recommends daily intake of cashews for those who are struggling with estrogen dominance.
"Be sure to include about 1/4th cup of this nutrient-rich nut to help balance your hormonal health," says Kapoor.
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