Many of you read with fascination about xenoestrogens and the affect on our health and waistlines last week. We’ve followed up this week with a Part 2 to Dave Catudal’s popular post: a handy lists of foods to eat and avoid to help balance your hormones to achieve optimal health.
What is the one thing you do everyday? You eat. And that is the number one way that xenoestrogens — those nasty, estrogen-imitating compounds which threaten our health — get into your system.
As you learned last week, conventional meat and dairy products, produced by cows fed a diet rich in estrogen grains, are loaded with hormones. Other bad guys included are soy isoflavones (move over edamame), refined sugars, colorings, additives, preservatives, processed foods and beverages, grains and beer (fermented barley and other grains).
So, what’s left to eat Dave? You asked and I listened. Here is my list of 10 types of foods you should eat in abundance.
1. Cruciferous vegetables
Bok choy, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, kale and cauliflower are just some of the superstars from the cruciferous group of vegetables that contain powerful phytonutrients that ward off xenoestrogens. Their power lies in sulforphane, shown to stimulate the body’s production of detoxification enzymes that help to eliminate toxic estrogens and xenoestrogens. Eat raw for optimum effect and chew well to activate the sulforaphane and ensure it is released.
2. Citrus fruits
Containing powerful anti-inflammatory flavanoids, lemon, grapefruit, oranges and tangerines are among some of the best fruits in your diet.
3. Quality caught fish
Be careful here: on one hand fish from quality sources can be a wonderful source of omega-3 fatty acids; on the other hand, some farmed fish are pumped full of antibiotics.
4. Flax seeds
Flax seeds contain a beneficial phytoestrogen called lignans, found to be anti-carcinogenic and inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells. They’ve also been shown in studies to help the body rid itself of certain forms of estrogen.
5. Leafy greens
Dark leafy greens like spinach are another type of food rich in phytoestrogens which you should up in your diet. These plant-based estrogen compounds bind to the same estrogen receptor sites that xenoestrogens try to, so the idea is that if a receptor site is already occupied by a phytoestrogen, xenoestrogens cannot attach to it.
6. Green Tea
The polyphenols in green tea help eliminate xenoestrogens and support the liver in metabolizing fats and hormones.
7. Seaweed and other iodine-rich foods
Seaweed is yet another powerful phytoestrogen. High in iodine, which helps to kick out xenoestrogen nasties out of the body by blocking their absorption, they’ve long been known as a miracle food.
8. Selenium rich (Brazil nuts)
If you’re estrogen dominant it’s highly likely you’re lacking in selenium which is likely to elevate aromatase significantly
9. Sesame seeds
Containing powerful nutrients and minerals like copper, manganese, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, zinc, molybdenum, vitamin B1, selenium and dietary fiber, sesame seeds should be another food in your anti-xenoestrogen arsenal which helps to eliminate this toxic compound from the body.
10. Turmeric and cayenne pepper
Turmeric contains curcumin, a powerful anti-inflammatory for the body which helps the liver eliminate and detoxify cancer-causing estrogens and xenoestrogens. Cayenne pepper is another spice rich in an anti-inflammatory compound known as capsaicin.
Of course, food is not the only way that xenoestrogens pass into our bodies. Chemicals in our environment also play a huge role. Follow MAYYA Movement’s handy chart below to learn how you can avoid these toxic compounds in your food, beauty regime and at home.
How to avoid xenoestrogen compounds in your food, your beauty regime and in the home.
