3 Foods to Support Your Whole Health During Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapy

Gender-affirming hormone remedy (HT) is only one of a number of aspects of gender-affirming care that transgender folks could flip to. And it is necessary to nourish your total wellbeing while you make the choice to endure hormone remedy.

Diet can play a significant function in supporting your complete well being.

Gender-affirming hormone remedy is drugs that’s prescribed to assist an individual align their bodily traits with their gender id, per Temple Health. And this drugs can take the type of drugs, injections, patches or lotions primarily based on an individual’s well being historical past and gender affirmation targets.

There are two varieties of gender-affirming hormone therapies: feminizing and masculinizing.

Throughout feminizing hormone remedy trans girls and transfeminine non-binary people are positioned on a routine of testosterone blockers in addition to estrogen, per Temple Well being. Throughout masculinizing hormone remedy, trans males and transmasculine non-binary persons are given testosterone.

There are main advantages to each varieties of hormone therapies, in accordance with the Mayo Clinic, reminiscent of:

• Making gender dysphoria much less extreme (gender dysphoria is misery or discomfort prompted when one’s gender id differs from the intercourse assigned at start)
• Lowering psychological and emotional misery
• Bettering psychological and social functioning
• Bettering sexual satisfaction
• Bettering the standard of life

Selecting to endure gender-affirming hormone remedy is a giant, life-changing determination that may have an effect on your bodily, psychological and emotional well being.

General, the dietary wants of trans people who find themselves beginning gender-affirming hormone remedy aren’t that completely different from anybody else’s.

“There aren’t any particular dietary suggestions for a trans one who is medically transitioning with HT,” says Whitney Linsenmeyer, PhD, RD, spokesperson for the Academy of Diet and Dietetics, assistant professor and director of the undergraduate diet program at Saint Louis College. “The identical Dietary Guidelines for Americans that we suggest for the final inhabitants nonetheless apply.”

However that is to not say that meals does not play a component in supporting you throughout your hormone remedy journey.

“Masculinizing or feminizing hormone remedy has recognized uncomfortable side effects the place diet can play a supporting function,” Linsenmeyer says.

“For instance, masculinizing HT is related to weight acquire, elevated muscle mass, decreased fats mass, elevated LDL ldl cholesterol and decreased HDL ldl cholesterol. Feminizing HT is related to weight acquire, decreased muscle mass, elevated fats mass and variable results on levels of cholesterol.”

Diet will help with these uncomfortable side effects by mitigating modifications in levels of cholesterol or supporting rising muscle mass, she says.

There may be nonetheless a necessity for ample analysis on the diet wants of trans people.

A September 2020 assessment in ​Clinical Nutrition ESPEN​ concluded that trans people have distinctive diet wants that modify primarily based on the kind of gender-affirming hormone remedy they’re present process and the place they’re within the course of.

As you start hormone remedy, it is necessary to concentrate on a well-rounded and nutrient-rich eating regimen. “A eating regimen wealthy in greens, fruits, complete grains, lean protein and dairy will present sufficient diet for most people — except they’ve a medical situation that warrants a particular eating regimen,” Linsenmeyer says.

Listed below are some particular varieties of meals that may assist help your complete well being when beginning gender-affirming HT.

Each masculinizing and feminizing hormone remedy can have an effect on your levels of cholesterol, so it is necessary to eat high-fiber meals that may assist preserve these ranges in a wholesome vary.

“A dietary sample that emphasizes quite a lot of greens, fruits, lean protein and complete grains, with restricted added sugars, saturated and trans fats, can support healthy blood cholesterol levels,” Linsenmeyer says.

Meals which can be excessive in fiber and unsaturated fat will help to extend “good” (HDL) ldl cholesterol, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Excessive-fiber meals embody:

• Beans (black, pinto, lima)
• Greens (artichokes, broccoli, cauliflower)
• Fruits (apples, bananas, pears, berries, prunes)
• Entire grains (oatmeal, brown rice, wild rice)
• Entire-grain bread and breakfast cereals

Having extra fiber in your eating regimen does extra than simply help wholesome levels of cholesterol as you endure hormone remedy. Consuming extra fiber additionally helps your well being within the following methods, per the Mayo Clinic:

• Normalizes bowel movements
• Helps keep bowel well being
• Helps management blood sugar ranges
• Helps you live longer
• Helps you keep a wholesome weight

Masculinizing hormone remedy, particularly, can increase your LDL ldl cholesterol, Linsenmeyer says.

Levels of cholesterol are additionally linked to heart health. Excessive ldl cholesterol will increase the danger of coronary heart illness and stroke per the American Heart Association (AHA). Maintaining a healthy diet fat is all the time a good suggestion, however getting extra of them in your eating regimen whilst you’re going by means of hormone remedy will help preserve your levels of cholesterol in examine.

Some meals excessive in wholesome fat, per the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, embody:

• Fatty fish like herring, salmon, sardines and trout
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Eggs
• Avocado
• Oils like olive and canola

Wholesome fat like omega-3s will help help mind and nervous system well being, lower cholesterol levels and decrease irritation.

For those who’re trying to construct muscle mass whereas present process hormone remedy, consuming protein-rich meals will help.

“A dietary sample that gives sufficient protein, together with a mixture of each plant- and animal-based sources (i.e. beans, nuts, poultry, eggs) can help positive factors in muscle mass, if that’s the objective,” Linsenmeyer says.

And even when constructing muscle is not your objective, your total well being can nonetheless profit from consuming a great mixture of proteins. Consuming nutritious protein sources, like those beneath somewhat than pink and processed meat, is linked to a decrease danger for sort 2 diabetes, coronary heart illness, most cancers and untimely demise, in accordance with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Strive these protein-rich meals:

• Skinless poultry
• Seafood
• Nuts and seeds
• Eggs
• Soy merchandise like tofu
• Beans, peas and lentils