Femtech is predicted to be worth a staggering £50 billion by 2025, and if you’ve been scrolling social media or reading up on wellness trends, you’ll know that ovulation is now being hailed as the “fifth vital sign.”
We’re living in an exciting era for women’s health — but what does it actually mean to keep our hormones balanced, and can this be done in a natural way?
According to registered nutritionist Fiona Lawson, the answer might be as close as your kitchen. By choosing plant-based foods packed with fibre and nutrients, you could help to stabilise blood sugar, support insulin levels, and encourage a healthy oestrogen balance.
Promoting healthy insulin levels
Insulin is one of your body’s key hormones: it shuttles sugar from the blood into cells, giving you energy to go about your day.
However, if your insulin spikes too often — a common outcome of a high-sugar diet — it can lead to an increase in androgen, sometimes called “male hormones.”
Women with elevated androgen may notice excess body hair, greasy skin, and thinning hair on the scalp, which can be frustrating and confidence-knocking.
The good news is that a balanced diet can help keep insulin in check. Meals rich in slow-digesting protein and fibre maintain steady blood sugar levels, which prevents those highs and lows that throw insulin off track.
Handy tip: check out something like Gosh! Moroccan Spiced Koftas, which clocks in at nearly half your recommended daily fibre intake (around 10g per serving).
Including more fibre-rich foods like these in your day might be a surprisingly simple way to support overall hormonal health.
Encouraging oestrogen balance
Oestrogen plays a major role in bone strength, mood regulation, and that enviable glow that many of us crave. Yet as menopause approaches or other hormonal changes occur, oestrogen levels can dip or surge — and that can lead to all sorts of uncomfortable symptoms.
This is where diet steps in once again, with research suggesting certain foods contain “phytoestrogens,” sometimes referred to as plant-based hormones.
These compounds may help lift oestrogen when it’s low and ease it down when it’s too high. You can find them in beans, legumes, and lentils — all-star ingredients in items like falafels or Gosh!’s vegan sausages.
Lifestyle matters, too
While a balanced plate is crucial, there’s more to hormone harmony than just what’s on your fork. Regular exercise, stress management, and sleep quality all help your body make and use hormones properly.
So, if you want to take care of your wellbeing from all angles, think about movement, relaxation, and getting enough rest.
By combining a fibre-rich, plant-powered diet with healthy lifestyle habits, it’s possible to support optimal hormone balance — naturally.
Whether you’re curious about stabilising your insulin levels or fine-tuning oestrogen, consider making small but sustainable tweaks to your meals and routines. After all, great health often grows from the inside out.