For healthy hormone balance, your body needs stabilised blood sugar levels. 

This means including good quality, healthy fats and protein in every meal and snack, and keeping sugar content low.

Healthy fats are essential for hormone production and should not be feared. 

Hormones (both our sex hormones like oestrogen and progesterone and stress hormones like cortisol) are produced from fat. A diet devoid in fat leads to hormonal imbalances that may present themselves with symptoms like: PMS, weight gain/loss, low libido, anxiety, depression, acne, painful periods, irregular periods, fatigue, hair loss and digestive problems.

The first step in addressing hormonal balance is improving your diet by increasing your intake of good quality proteins and fats, along with complex carbohydrates (like sweet potato, quinoa, brown rice). 

This doesn’t have to mean bland, boring meals! These Hormone Balancing Chocolate Truffles are a perfect snack, packed with healthy fats, fibre and protein and are very low in sugar. 

This means they will leave you satisfied and prevent that blood sugar spike associated with many bliss balls which contain large amounts of dates and other sweeteners.

Nuts and seeds are a great source of healthy fats and also contain vitamin E which boosts skin health. Cacao powder contains magnesium which assists the body’s stress response and reduces PMS and cramps. 

Cinnamon is a powerful insulin-sensitiser, meaning that it makes it easier for glucose to move from your blood stream in to your cells, thereby reducing high blood sugar levels – an important goal in hormonal balance.

Maca is a root vegetable native to Peru which has been used traditionally to regulate hormones. 

A recent double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled study found that in early-postmenopausal women, maca significantly reduced or alleviated many menopausal symptoms (like hot flushes) and increased natural oestradiol production (the hormone which drops in menopause and causes many of the unpleasant symptoms) compared with placebo.

These Hormone Balancing Chocolate Truffles are rich, chocolately and perfectly satisfying. 

I didn’t add any sweetener to mine as I find the maca sweetens it enough, however if you aren’t a fan of super dark chocolate like me, try adding a tablespoon of honey or maple syrup.