#Rawcarrotsalad has 8.6 million views on TikTok, with many users claiming that eating salad every day helped balance their hormones.
Specifically, influencers and everyday users of the app say that one of the salad’s main health benefits is lowering levels of estrogen, a hormone primarily associated with female reproductive and sexual development. It says that
In a video about raw carrot salad, TikToker’s Paige Nicole said, “This has definitely become a staple for balancing excess estrogen that can peak at different times in my diet.” increase.
Other users say they’ve also seen changes in liver and thyroid function.
Many raw carrot salad recipes on the app typically contain additives such as olive oil and apple cider vinegar.
But whatever goes viral on the internet, it’s important to know if the science backs up the claims.
What nutritionists say about the trend and whether eating raw carrots can help balance hormones.
Can #raw carrot salad really balance hormones?
No detailed studies have specifically examined the effects of raw carrots on estrogen levels.
The gut is one of the major regulators of circulating estrogen in the body, according to a review published in Maturitas, an international journal of post-reproductive health.
Therefore, eating fibrous foods around the menstrual cycle, when estrogen production is highest, can be beneficial.
“It turns out that there is some truth to this ‘eat raw carrots’ TikTok trend. Eating fibrous raw foods can help your gut release this extra estrogen. “Because you can,” says Anderson-Haynes.
She says that there are microbes in the gut that release enzymes that break down estrogen, and if the enzymes aren’t released, estrogen won’t be broken down.
If estrogen is not broken down and excreted, it can accumulate and increase the risk of endometriosis, PCOS, cancer and infertility.
However, some of the TikTok videos speak specifically to individuals with estrogen dominance – high levels of estrogen compared to progesterone, the hormone associated with the menstrual cycle and pregnancy.
Raw carrot salad “doesn’t necessarily work for estrogen dominance unless the reason you’re estrogen dominant is because your estrogen is perfectly high,” says Melissa Groves. Azzaro, a registered dietitian who specializes in hormone balance, fertility, and PCOS.
According to Groves Azzaro, three possible causes of estrogen dominance are high estrogen levels, low progesterone levels relative to estrogen, and estrogen being detoxified by less useful pathways.
“Carrots don’t help raise progesterone levels, and you don’t always notice the effects,” she says.
No, carrots are not the best vegetables for hormone balance
“The raw carrot salad trend falls into the not necessarily harmful category. [but] It’s probably not very profitable,” says Groves Azzaro.
Fibrous foods like carrots are helpful for those with abnormally high estrogen levels, but they’re not the only or the best vegetables for balancing hormones.
“They’re probably number 10 on the list,” says Groves Azzaro.
Groves Azzaro recommends eating these cruciferous vegetables and other foods daily for hormonal balance.
- broccoli sprouts
- broccoli
- cauliflower
- Brussels sprouts
- radish
- collard green
- cabbage
- turnip
- citrus fruit
- berry
- flax seed
“It’s not the foods or supplements we eat or the specific lifestyle changes that make the difference,” she says.
“It has to be about the overall consistent behavior that we do day-to-day.”
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