I’ve been spending a lot of time lately working with hormonal balance and it has reminded me, yet again, of how much hard work it is to be healthy in a world full of toxins. There is so much to know and it seems, however hard we try, we can never avoid chemicals completely. Chemicals and toxins are so pervasive and the food supply is so contaminated that I think many people start to glaze over, and sometimes give up totally, on trying to live and eat in a “clean” way. The good news is that reducing your exposure to toxins isn’t an all-or-nothing pursuit! For example, a recent study showed that eating organic for just one week reduced pesticide in urine by 90%. So my approach is always to keep improving things where I can and not to stress about being perfect.
 
Below are some suggestions around the food you buy to encourage you to eat as clean as you can, as well as some other tips that you might consider implementing in your life. Take it a step at a time and don’t freak out!
 
If you’d like to learn more about your hormones and how to get them into balance then take a look at our 2 hour workshop on Nourishment for Hormonal Harmony – Feel Sexy and Vibrant Again! We’d love to have you join us!
 
 
1. Avoid food from cans lined with Bisphenol-A

• What are you avoiding?

 
Bisphenol-A acts as a synthetic hormone or xenoestrogen and confuses the body into thinking it’s a real hormone. BPA has been linked to everything from breast and other cancers to reproductive problems, obesity, early puberty and heart disease. It’s tough to avoid! Government tests show that 93 percent of Americans have BPA in their bodies!
Check the labels on canned foods. Non-BPA lined cans will be labeled as such.
 
What else can you do? 

• Opt for non-paper receipts and wash your hands if you have to handle them.
• Avoid plastics marked with PC (polycarbonate) or recycling labels #3 or #7, which may contain BPA.
• Use glass, stainless steel or ceramic containers instead of plastics where you can. Even if plastics are marked free of BPA, other plastics are proving to be just as damaging.

 
2. Buy organic, grass-fed or pastured animal products (meat, eggs, dairy) and wild caught and smaller varieties of fish.

• What are you avoiding?

 
Dioxins are a family of toxic chemicals formed as a by-product of many industrial processes that do not break down easily. As a result they accumulate in the food chain and, in particular, in the fatty tissue of animals. They are highly toxic and can cause reproductive and developmental problems, damage the immune system, interfere with hormones and cause cancer.
 
Mercury is a naturally occurring but toxic metal that gets into the air and the oceans primarily though burning coal. It is found in larger varieties of seafood. Pregnant women are the most at risk from the toxic effects of mercury, since it can interfere with brain development. Mercury can bind to hormones and damage cells. Exposure is linked with neurotoxicity, autoimmune disorders, weakened immune system and altered hormone signaling.
 
What else can you do? 

• Take a chlorella or spirulina supplement when you eat seafood to help you detoxify mercury and any other heavy metals. We carry some different options if you’d like a suggestion.
• Having a strong basis of minerals like selenium and zinc can also be helpful. (Let us know if you’d like to hear more about our micronutrient blood testing.)

 
3. Buy organic produce

• What are you avoiding?

 
Neurotoxic organophosphate pesticides are among the more common pesticides in use today. They work by targeting the nervous systems of insects. Many studies link organophosphate exposure to effects on brain development, behavior and hormones.
Another chemical found in herbicides is atrazine. It has been linked to breast tumors, delayed puberty and prostate inflammation in animals. Some research has linked it to prostate cancer in people.

What else can you do? ​

• If you can’t afford to eat completely organic then focus your organic spending on the most pesticide ridden produce. Take a look at the EWG’s Dirty Dozen list to find out which are the worst offenders.
• Use a water filter that is certified to remove atrazine.

 
4. Include seaweed and seafood in your diet

• What are you avoiding?

 
Perchlorate, a component in rocket fuel, contaminates much of our vegetables, fruits and milk. When perchlorate gets into your body it competes with the nutrient iodine, which the thyroid gland needs to make thyroid hormones, which regulate metabolism in adults and are critical for proper brain and organ development in infants and young children. Seaweed and seafood are good sources of iodine, which can help keep your iodine status strong.
 
What else can you do? 

• Drink and cook with water filtered by a reverse osmosis filter.
• Use iodized sea salt.

 
5. Avoid microwave popcorn and fast food with paper food containers

• What are you avoiding?

 
These containers use Perfluorochemicals (PFCs), which are so widespread and tough to detoxify that 99% of Americans have them in their bodies and some don’t ever break down. Exposure has been linked
 to decreased sperm quality, low birth weight, kidney disease, thyroid disease and high cholesterol.
 
What else can you do? 

• Avoid non-stick pans.
• Avoid stain and water resistant coatings.

 
6. Eat a nutrient dense diet

• What are you avoiding?

 
Ditch the junk food, and eat a diet rich in micronutrients – vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals (plant compounds). These help protect your body from heavy metals like mercury, lead and arsenic and detoxify unwanted toxins like atrazine that can be wreaking havoc with your body chemistry.
Lead for example is linked with permanent brain damage, lowered IQ, hearing loss, miscarriage, premature birth, increased blood pressure, kidney damage and nervous system problems. Research has also shown that lead can disrupt the hormone signaling that regulates the body’s stress response system and may lower sex hormone levels. To assist with removal of lead it is helpful to have a good status for calcium, iron and vitamin C levels.

• What else can you do?

 
Make sure you do not have any peeling lead paint in your home.

• Check for lead in lipsticks.
• Use a good water filter.

 
Other ways to reduce toxic load

• Use personal care items that are paraben and phthalate free.
• Use glass, stainless steel or ceramic containers instead of plastics where you can.
• Avoid plastic wrap made from PVC.
• Avoid products that use the catch all word “fragrance” on labels.

 
Phthalates are xenoestrogens that are found in #3 plastics and fragrances. Studies have linked phthalates to hormone changes, lower sperm count, less mobile sperm, birth defects in the male reproductive system, impaired neurodevelopment in girls, obesity, diabetes and thyroid irregularities. Parabens are chemicals used as preservatives in personal care products. They act as weak estrogens once absorbed in the body and interfere with hormone levels and balance.

• Remove your shoes inside the house to avoid spreading pesticides from lawns and gardens into your home.

• Use a HEPA filter vacuum cleaner to cut down on house dust laden with toxic polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PDBEs) used as fire retardants. These chemicals can imitate thyroid hormones and disrupt their activity. That can lead to lower IQ, among other significant health effects.

• Cleaning supplies and paints can be a source of glycol ethers, which are linked with infertility and allergies in children. Avoid products with ingredients like 2-butoxyethanol (EGBE) and methoxydiglycol (DEGME).

 

Do you ever wonder whether your hormones are balanced?
 
Here’s what wonderful hormonal balance looks like:

• You have great energy levels throughout the day.
• Your moods are stable.
• You don’t experience cravings.
• Your hair is shiny and full.
• Your skin is clear.
• You have a good libido.
• It is easy to maintain your weight.

 
If you don’t identify with this picture then the chances are you are experiencing some hormonal imbalances. One important way to improve things is to takes steps to minimize your stress levels. Here’s why:
 
How does stress impact my hormones?
 

• When you are stressed your adrenals increase production of the hormone cortisol, which raises your blood sugar levels ready for “fight or flight” activity. This increases your body’s production of the hormone insulin to take that glucose to the cells. When your insulin levels are raised your body will start to store fat, typically around the middle of your body, which is the most dangerous place to have extra fat stores.  If your blood sugar is perpetually elevated due to chronic stress and production of cortisol then the cells can become resistant to insulin and it becomes more difficult to control blood sugar levels. This can cause problems with cravings, shakiness between meals, poor mood, anxiety, broken sleep and more.

 

• Cortisol is a steroidal hormone. Other steroidal hormones are estrogen, progesterone and testosterone – our sex hormones. They are all made from the same base ingredient, cholesterol. When cortisol is needed to handle stress our body can find there isn’t enough cholesterol left to make our sex hormones and we can experience symptoms of imbalance. Take a look at my blog on Sex Hormone Imbalance to find a list of possible symptoms.

 

• Production of thyroid hormones is in delicate balance with the production of stress hormones so stress can exacerbate hypothyroid conditions and increase symptoms like mood issues, fatigue and weight gain.

 
I recommend that you do a stress audit. Identify where you are dealing with unnecessary stress in your life so that you can take steps to minimize it.  If you want to learn more about other natural ways to balance your hormones then consider joining me on July 2nd for my 2 hour workshop on Nourishment for Hormonal Harmony. I would love to have you join me.

​I get this question frequently from my clients as they work on reducing their sugar intake and look for other options. Stevia actually ended up being a discussion with my family over Easter brunch as there were little packets of Pure Via on the table. Marketing makes it so confusing to figure out what is really healthy and what is not. So let’s dive in…
 
What is Stevia?

• An herbal plant with many species that have leaves that are sweet, many times sweeter than sugar.
• In the same family as Ragweed, so if you have a ragweed allergy, stay away from Stevia
• It has been used in different cultures around the world for centuries as a sweetener and for its health benefits.
• It contains zero calories.
• It’s leaves contain two glycosides that make it taste sweet:
  • Stevioside which has the bitter aftertaste and
  • Rebaudioside that tastes less bitter

 
Different Stevia Products
 
Green Leaf Stevia

• The least processed of the stevia products. The leaves are simply dried and ground into a powder.
• It is 30-40 times sweeter than sugar so you don’t need much!
• Contains both Stevioside and Rebaudioside and so there are health benefits for weight loss, blood sugar levels, cholesterol, blood pressure and cancer.
• Use in moderation!

 
Stevia Extracts and Tinctures

• Some brands use only Rebaudioside to make the stevia less bitter, so there may not be health benefits.
• This is likely a better option than other sweeteners but we don’t have much information yet on it’s health effects.
• It is 200 times sweeter than sugar.
• Also be aware that some extracts contain alcohol.
• Use in moderation!

 
Highly Processed Stevia Products

• Typically pure white powders.
• This includes products like Truvia, which goes through extensive processing to extract Rebaudioside and uses chemical solvents that are toxic to the liver and carcinogenic. It is also combined with another sweetener, Erythritol, that can cause digestive discomfort and is typically genetically modified. In fact Truvia is less than 1% stevia.
• Other brands like Pure Via are also highly processed and contain other sweeteners like dextrose.
• 200-400 times sweeter than sugar.
• Avoid!

 
So why do I suggest using even pure green leaf stevia or extracts and tinctures in moderation only?
 
I thought you said there were health benefits, you say! Well here’s why…
 
I feel that one of the main benefits of removing or substantially reducing sugar in the diet is that our palate changes. We get used to and start to enjoy food without a lot of added sweeteners. Highly sweetened food starts to taste too sweet and we don’t enjoy it or crave it. When we eat and drink highly sweetened foods our appetite for them increases. Keeping sweeteners minimal is a huge help to our health.
 
Another issue to be aware of is that there are mixed studies on the impacts of stevia on our sex hormones. Some show that there are no impacts although some show that if used in large quantities stevia could have contraceptive effects. You may want to avoid stevia if you are experiencing hormonal balance problems or trying for a pregnancy.
 
 
As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences and if you’d like any help then please let me know. 

I just had a wonderful meeting in preparation for the discussion about Reclaiming our Beauty at the Parillume SHINE Soirée on March 22nd. I’d love to share some thoughts with you about what beauty means to me both personally and in my nutrition work with clients.
 
The ideals of beauty for women that are out there are pretty much meaningless. There are ever changing fashions in body shape, facial features, hairstyles, etc. that are not going to be attainable for us. For example, in the 1960s women were striving to be stick thin like Twiggy, the 1980s brought the aerobic body which was athletic and toned and then again in the 1990s extremely thin bodies were fashionable again. How could we possibly keep up? It really is a ridiculous concept if you think about it.
 
Historically we have really only been given one tool to help us reach these ideals around body type and this is The Diet. The story goes that if we want to meet these certain rigid ideals of the ideal body then we’d better show some willpower and follow a rigid eating plan to get there. The truth is that dieting just sets most people up for failure and often a cycle of yoyo dieting and body dissatisfaction that is super destructive to health and happiness.
 
As a result of so much media pressure, plastic surgery procedures have increased massively over the last decade as people try to get to that perfect place and feel that they measure up to the ideals.
 
The truth is that these ideals are really just sticks with which we can beat ourselves and serve to make us feel less than adequate if we choose to buy into them. We are each born with a certain body type, particular facial features etc. and our true path to beauty is to keep ourselves as healthy and vibrant as we can. When we are healthy on the inside that health shows on the outside and we cannot help but be beautiful. That’s where nutrition can come in in a positive way, instead of as part of the problem.
 
What we put in our mouth, our food choices, are the raw materials that our body uses as fuel for energy and also to maintain all of the complex systems within us. We need not only a certain number of calories but vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fatty acids, phytochemicals etc. that are part of the complicated chemistry that runs our body. When our body is functioning well that will show in so many ways. On the outside that might show as clearer and firmer skin, shinier hair, strong nails and a healthy weight, all traditional beauty ideals, but there’s so much more. What about our moods? To me, happy, confident people are certainly beautiful. I know I never felt beautiful at times in my life when I was depressed. Our moods are influenced by our body’s production of neurotransmitters (mood chemicals) and those are made from nutrients. Our sex hormones impact our drive and energy, our libido and our moods too. Guess how we make these – yes, from nutrients! These are just examples but you get the picture. When we feel good, we shine more in the world.
 
I’d love to hear your thoughts and comments about what beauty means to you and as always if you’d like help reaching the Optimal You then please get in touch. 

I didn’t want to leave you hanging! So, following up on my last article about identifying sex hormone imbalances and issues with the conventional approach to dealing with imbalances, let’s continue with what you can do about it.

Some Basics about Hormones.
What are they? Chemical messengers that travel through the body via the bloodstream. They start at endocrine glands and take messages to the cells. We have many endocrine glands and a multitude of hormones, which can interact with one another. In other words – it’s complicated!

Sex hormones are a just a few of the many hormones in the body. They are steroidal hormones, which means they are made from cholesterol.

“What!?”, you say, “I thought cholesterol was bad for me”.

This is a common misconception that results in many people avoiding eating foods containing cholesterol despite the fact that we now know that eating cholesterol and saturated fat does not cause heart disease.

What can go Wrong with our Sex Hormones?
When we don’t ingest cholesterol and fats, the liver has to make cholesterol in order that we have the ingredients to build our sex hormones. If the liver is under stress (and it may well be in our toxic world) it may not be doing that as effectively as we would like.

Nutrition Tip #1
Take the burden off the liver from making cholesterol. Provide the body the foundational ingredient for your sex hormones.
Eat cholesterol containing (animal) foods and don’t be afraid 
of fat.

•  Eat fattier cuts of meat (grass fed, organic)
•  Eat full fat dairy (if you tolerate dairy)

•  Eat Pastured eggs

What else can go wrong?
Stress
Our stress hormone, cortisol, is also a steroidal hormone, made from cholesterol. It regulates bloods sugar and metabolism in response to a threat. Even though our stress may be low grade, our body can still be in fight or flight mode. This survival function is prioritized above sex hormone production and they take a dive!

Nutrition Tip #2
Reduce stress on the system. Avoid these stressors as much as possible: sugar, junk food, alcohol, trans fats, industrial seed oils. If you suspect you may food sensitivities or have issues with your gut then you may be irritating your system. Get in touch to find out how to work through this one. It can take some detective work.

Nutrition Tip #3
Support the body with handling stress by making sure you get enough B vitamins such as pantothenic acid and B12.
Adaptagenic herbs can be supportive to your body too and help modulate your stress response.

Problems with Detoxification
Unfortunately our modern environment comes along with a variety of xenoestrogens and other hormone disrupters. Supporting the detoxification of excess and unhealthy hormones and supporting the liver can help the body stay in balance.

Nutrition Tip #4
Fiber is important for this as it helps the body excrete excess hormones so include plenty of fibrous vegetables in the diet.
The cruciferous vegetables, as well as supplements like DIM and Calcium D Glucarate, support the liver with hormonal detox.

Nutrition Tip #5
Get rid of toxins as much as you can. Nutritionally you can upgrade your food to organic and grass fed options that do not contain toxic chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics and hormones.

If you answered the questionnaire in my last blog, Sex Hormone Imbalance and you think you have hormonal imbalances, what do you do next? You can start by adjusting your nutrition and lifestyle with some of these tips. If you need to go deeper or need more specific help, that’s where we come in. Our micronutrient and hormonal blood testing as well as education and coaching can help you get there!

​Since May I have had the opportunity to do several talks on Sex Hormones. My favorite thing about speaking on this topic is that typically people are entirely unaware that they can influence their hormonal balance with nutrition. 

Many of us believe that certain symptoms and imbalances in our sex hormones that we experience are both inevitable and normal. It appears that we are destined to be using “Little Blue Pills” and dealing with a lack of sex drive as we age.

We believe and accept that men are supposed to lose their sexual function as they age and inevitably they will need Viagra to sustain their sex life.

We believe and accept that women have to suffer with mood issues and behavior swings from puberty, PMS, perimenopause and post-partum depression. Also that they will lose their emotional, physical and sexual vitality as they age.

The truth is that all of this suffering is largely unnecessary. It is caused by our habits (both nutritional and lifestyle related), which put stress on our adrenal glands, the very organ that is responsible for the production of our sex hormones later in life when our reproductive organs phase out production. The symptoms your body experiences are its way of telling you that you need to pay attention to your health. Because sex hormones are not needed for your survival, they will take a back seat if your body is lacking nutrients. Those nutrients that are available will have to be used for survival instead.

Take a look at our sex hormone balance questionnaire below to see if you are dealing with sex hormone imbalance. The number of symptoms you are experiencing and the severity is a good indication of the degree of imbalance you are experiencing.

Next time, some tips on supporting your sex hormones with nutrition. In the meantime, if you would like help getting things back to realignment we’d be happy to help you. In addition to helping you understand what nutrients your body needs to make sex hormones, we offer micronutrient and other blood testing (such as sex hormone levels) so that we can get a window into what’s really going on with you and help you in a targeted way.

Sex Hormone Balance Questionnaire:

Women, do you have:
( ) PMS (and perhaps cravings for sugar and salt)?               
( ) Weight fluctuation throughout the month?                       
( ) Unexplained weight gain, especially around the middle?  
( ) Edema, swelling, puffiness, water retention, bloating?      
( ) Headaches or PMS migraines?                                      
( ) Mood swings?                                                            
( ) Tender breasts?                                                           
( ) Depression or anxiety?                                                
( ) An inability to cope?                                                    
( ) Backaches, joint or muscle pain?                                            
( ) An irregular cycle?                                                      
( ) Infertility?                                                                   
( ) Fibrocystic breasts, breast cysts or lumps?                       
( ) Uterine Fibroids?                                                         
( ) Hot flashes?                                                               
( ) Insomnia?                                                                  
( ) Low libido?                                                                 
( ) Dry skin, hair, vaginal tissue?                                        
( ) Heart palpitations?                                                       
( ) Unwelcome hair growth?                                              
( ) Poor memory or concentration?                                     

Men, do you have:
( ) Reduced libido and vitality?                                          
( ) Trouble achieving or maintaining an erection?                          
( ) Infertility or low sperm count?                                       
( ) Loss of muscle?                                                           
( ) Increased abdominal fat?                                             
( ) Fatigue and low energy?                                              
( ) Loss of direction and sense of purpose?                                   
( ) Bone loss or bone fractures?                                         
( ) Increasing cholesterol?                                                 
( ) Increasing insulin or blood sugar?                                  
( ) Physical weakness?                                                              
( ) Depression?