75
april 2019yogajournal.com.au
Excerpted from
Cooking for Hormone Balance by
Magdalena Wszelaki, HarperOne,
2018.Reprinted with permission.diet, exercise, detoxifi cation, and stress
management. The key to balance is not
too much or too little of any hormone.
Where fat is stored in your body can tell
a bigger picture—one of a hormonal
imbalance.listening
to your body
Once you know about the role of food in
balancing hormones, you can create
daily eating habits that work best for
you. Certainly, eating a whole-food diet
and an abundance of green, leafy
vegetables while reducing the amount of
processed foods, sugar, and alcohol in
your diet is a good place to start. But
there is no one-size-fi ts-all diet plan or
nutritional protocol that will work for
every single woman. You have probably
noticed that the same food affects you
and a family member or friend
differently. Perhaps your best friend
can’t stop talking about how great
quinoa is, but you fi nd it upsets your
stomach. Or, you love fermented
vegetables as a good source of
probiotics, but your colleague can’t
tolerate them, breaking out in hives and
feeling itchy and anxious after just a
bite. One person’s health food can be
another person’s poison. The only way
to fi nd a diet that supports your health is
to respect your body and listen to what
it tells you about which foods are friends
and which are foes. Start with small
changes and the recipes here, and see
what you notice.Magdalena Wszelaki is a holistic nutrition
coach and founder of the popular Hormones
& Balance online community. Learn more at
hormonesbalance.com.Flaxseed
crackers
(ESTROGEN BALANCING, RICH IN FIBRE)
MAKES 20 CRACKERS
Try the Seed Rotation Method by adding flaxseeds
and pumpkin seeds to your diet to rebalance
your estrogen levels. Eat one 4–by–4 cm cracker
per day for the first 14 days of your cycle. If you
have a sensitivity to nuts, omit the almonds. I use
sprouted almonds for better digestibility, but if you
can’t find them at your local health-food store,
pre-soak the almonds for 12 hours before starting
the recipe. If using the oven method, keep the
oven temperature in the ideal range of 60° to 70°
by leaving the oven door ajar or even wide open
(most ovens do not offer temperatures lower than
150°). This will prevent the crackers from burning
and will create air circulation to dry them.
1 cup ground flaxseed, lightly packed
1 cup hot water
1 cup raw, chopped, sprouted almonds
1 cup raw ground pumpkin seeds, lightly packed
½ cup dried apples, coarsely chopped
1 cup coconut flakes
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp sea salt
In a medium bowl whisk the flaxseed with the water and
let it rest for 15 minutes.
If using the oven method, preheat the oven to the lowest
temperature possible, not higher than 70° C.
In a large bowl, combine the almonds, pumpkin seeds,
apples, coconut flakes, cider vinegar, garam masala, and
salt. Mix in the flaxseed mixture until well combined
OVEN METHOD Line the baking tray with parchment
paper and spread the mixture evenly, about 1/2-cm in
thickness. Place the thermometer in the oven to monitor
the temperature.
Place the baking tray on one of the upper racks of the
oven and bake for 2½ to 3 hours or until fully dried.
Check the thermometer regularly to make sure the oven
temperature does not rise above 70° and the crackers
don’t burn.
Cut the crackers into squares and cool until hardened,
about 2 hours, before storing.
DEHYDRATION METHOD Spread the cracker mixture on
dehydrator trays, about 1/2-cm in thickness. Dehydrate
for 4 hours at 60°, then cut into squares, turn over, and
dehydrate for another 4 hours at 50°. Keep in an airtight
container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.