From: Nancy Desjardins
Fat stores estrogen. The more weight you gain, the more estrogen you will retain.
Understanding the Role of Estrogen in the Body:
Estrogen dominance is a term coined by Dr. Lee in his first book on natural progesterone. It describes a condition in which a woman can have deficient, normal or excessive amounts of estrogen, but little or no progesterone to balance its effects in the body. Even a woman with low estrogen levels can have estrogen dominance symptoms if she doesn't have any progesterone.
Here are a few things to remember about estrogen dominance:
- Fat stores estrogen. The more weight you gain, the more estrogen you will retain.
- Stress — that word we’re all too familiar with — produces cortisol, boosting estrogen levels and contributing to weight gain.
- A toxic liver won’t filter estrogen from the body
- So many of the foods we eat are fed estrogen to make them grow and produce more food. Eating meat and dairy products that have been fed estrogen will increase your own estrogen levels.
- Plastic containers, pesticides and cleaning chemicals produce "xeno-estrogens", which are chemicals that mimic estrogen in the body.
So, what can we do about it?
- Start shopping for hormone-free meats and reduce meat in your diet.
- Foods that are not organic may contain chemicals such as pesticides and herbicides that can cause a hormone imbalance or affect the way your hormones act. So it's important to buy organic whenever you can, not only for your fruits and vegetables, but everything else as well.
- Use non-toxic household cleaners and non-toxic pesticides whenever possible.
- Start using 2-3 tablespoons of ground flax seed daily. The fiber binds to estrogen, helping to remove it from the body.
- You want to be sure to get enough omega-3 fatty acids (both EPA and DHA) as well as omega-6 fatty acids. Eat sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds for Omega-3s, and try borage oil. Eat hormone-rich foods with shiny little seeds like Chia seeds, flax seeds and especially berries and figs. To get the greatest benefit from these seeds, chew them up thoroughly or put them through the blender before eating. Breaking up the seeds releases the hormones.
- Maca can relieve symptoms such as hot flashes, mood swings, fatigue, vaginal dryness and loss of libido.
- Magnesium is nature's tranquillizer. It keeps us calm and serene. Magnesium is essential for detoxing pathways found in the body.
- Antioxidants are essential to maintaining a healthy hormone balance.
Also consider:
A liver cleanse –
Limiting caffeine from your diet.
Adding fresh vegetables juice to your diet. Click here to download a Free Manual.
Eating regularly to maintain blood sugar levels and avoiding known triggers such as alcohol, sugar, dairy, corn and wheat.
Adopt lifestyle changes by eating healthy foods, including dark leafy greens, alfalfa, parsley, dulse, dandelion green and primrose, and whole food mineral supplements.
Eating 90% certified organic foods.
Eating 80% raw fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds.
Trying to add more raw food to your daily diet and onto your plate.
Starting your sprouting at home.
Avoiding the microwave.
Drinking plenty of filtered water - use glass for storage and drinking.
Exercising daily.
Using a range of certified organic personal care items for everything from shampoos to moisturizers to deodorants and cosmetics.
A healthy body, which includes balanced hormones, is your best bet for feeling your best, looking your best and keeping illness and disease at bay.
Here's a great herbal tea from one of my favorite books,” Sex, Love & Health” by Brigitte Mars:
Hormone-Balancing Nutritional Tea
It's caffeine-free and easy to make, and you can buy ingredients in bulk at health food stores.
* 4 cups water
* ½ teaspoon burdock root
* ½ teaspoon dandelion root
* 1 teaspoon basil herb
* 1 teaspoon fennel seed
* 1 teaspoon nettle leaf
Bring water to a boil. Add the burdock and dandelion root, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and add the remaining herbs. Cover and let steep for 10 minutes. Strain. Drink 4 cups daily.