FACT: Alcohol does affect your hormones It is the question every client asks me when we start discussing hormones + nutrition – “Soooo what about alcohol?” 🙋‍♀️

And it is a really valid question, so let’s chat about it.

In short, yeah alcohol affects your hormones. In studies, it mostly raised estrogen, but did occasionally increase testosterone and LH as well.

Research shows that excess consumption of alcohol (1-3 drinks frequently) may affect your cycle. This can mean heavier periods, extra moodiness, missing periods, irregular cycles, and anovulation.

👉🏼 But the hormonal affects of occasional alcohol consumption was not shown to cause any changes in menstrual health. Moderation is key!
With that being said, here are my hot tips for drinking alcohol while being mindful of your hormone health:

🍾 Enjoy it! – If you’re going to go out and have a drink, don’t stress about the calories and your workouts and your diet. I’m a big believer that the stress causes more harm than what you’re consuming. As my mom says, “bless it and move on.”

🍹 Minimize sugar where/ when you can – Now listen, I love me a fancy cocktail, rosé, or a cider – but I’m also not going to drink 5 of them because I know what sugar does to my hormones + how it makes me feel.

🍺 Combine drinks with food + water – This will make it much easier on your body (especially your liver) to process the alcohol, meaning less drastic fluctuations in your body.

🍸 Opt for gluten free alcohols – If you struggle with hormonal imbalance, digestive issues, PMS, mood swings, acne, + period problems – avoid that gluten sis.

🍷 Red wine – Always a good go-to because it has many health benefits + dryer reds are lower in sugar.

Questions? Let me know! 👇🏼