You’re probably already aware of estrogen, known as the female hormone. But did you know that some foods are extremely high in estrogen?
Consuming these foods can lower your testosterone levels but it can do so much more. In fact, estrogen rich foods can seriously upset your hormonal balance and actually cause health issues.
More worrying is the number of foods that contain substances which will increase your estrogen and lower your progesterone.
In this video, Dr. Axe explains in detail the top 5 estrogen foods you should be avoiding.
Side Effects
It’s not just men who are affected by excess levels of estrogen!
While men will generally exhibit more feminine behavior, women with high estrogen levels are at increased risk of:
- Hypothyroidism
- Autoimmune disease
- Chronic fatigue
- Ovarian cancer
Foods To Be Avoided
There are a number of food products you should definitely avoid:
Soy
Nearly 90% of the soy produced in the US is genetically modified.
Soy originates from Japan as fermented soy beans; referred to as Nattō. But this is a different type of soy to the genetically modified soy used today.
Genetically modified soy contains xenoestrogens which increase estrogen levels in your body.
Unfortunately the genetically modified soy produces synthetic estrogen which increases the risk of breast cancer in women and impotence and testosterone issues in men.
Sugar
Processed sugar causes your insulin levels to increase. When this happens the level of your Sex Hormone Binding Globulin decreases. As SHBG binds to estrogen, lower levels of SHBG equate to higher levels of estrogen.
Grains
Grains can actually cause your blood sugar levels to rise in the same way as consuming too much sugar. This will result in the same issue with SHBG and an increase in your estrogen levels.
If you need to use grains in your diet then it is advisable to use sprouted ones as these are lower in estrogen building properties.
Balancing Your Diet
The best approach is to start lowering your carbohydrate intake and boosting your level of healthy fat. This will help your body to naturally remove estrogen.
Meat & Diary
Your milk is likely to contain approximately 20 different chemicals such as growth hormone and RHBG and estrogen boosting hormones.
The same is actually true for the meat you consume.
It is particularly an issue for the lower quality meats where the flavor and even texture is improved by the use of these chemicals.
This is one place where you don’t want to scrimp in future.
The answer is to buy grass fed organic meat; you can be certain that these chemicals have not been added to these meat and dairy products.
BPA
Bisphenol A (BPA) is a compound that mimics estrogen. Unfortunately several studies have shown that it can have a negative effect on your health.
It is found in plastic containers and water bottles. To avoid it leaking into your food you should also recycle your plastic water bottles and containers unless they are BPA free and designed for reuse.
Teflon plans also release a similar compound into your food, mimicking estrogen and damaging your health.
Adding To Your Diet
The first step in reducing estrogen is to eliminate the foods that are high in estrogen and remove the pans and plastic bottles which can mimic estrogen.
You can help your body achieve the right result by eating cruciferous vegetables. These are leafy greens such as cauliflower, cabbage, kale and even Brussels sprouts.
These are high in a substance known as indole-3-carbinol. It actually begins life as sulfur in your body which is known to help detoxify your system.
Leave a Reply