This day and age we are bombarded with toxins in our food, in the air, and in our skin products, all this can lead to hormone disruption. Here are some tips to help limit that toxic load on our hormones.
- Avoid plastic water bottles as much as possible.
– The plastic used in the making of these water bottles contain xenoestrogens that will create unbalanced hormones in the body. We do not know how long the water has been in the bottles and the temperatures they were kept at so most likely the plastic has leached into the water, best to just avoid.
- Avoid the use of soft plastics used as packaging materials.
– They are often treated with chemical compounds called phthalates, a xenoestrogen, to increase its flexibility. Plastic wrapped foods, heated in the microwave, contain some of the highest xenoestrogen levels. So do not heat food or water with plastic in the microwave. Avoid drinking coffee or other hot liquids in Styrofoam cups. And store your food in glass containers whenever possible!
- Avoid all SOY products.
– Soy is very high estrogen and mostly all genetically modified. This means no tempeh, soy sauce, edamame beans, tofu, soy milk, and any products containing soy.
- Avoid aluminum cookware.
– Any heavy metals will disrupt your endocrine system, cooking with a heavy metal will leach into the food you are consuming. Try to stick with cast iron, ceramic, and all natural cook ware.
- Avoid commercially raised meat and milk products.
– These products contain bovine growth hormones that will set your hormones off balance. Look for pasture raised meats, organic, hormone free, grass fed, free range…
- Avoid heavy perfumed dryer sheets
-Dryer sheets are loaded with xenoestrogens to make your clothes feel soft and fresh. These residual xenoestrogens can permeate your skin and go directly into your cells, avoiding your liver. Try useing a natural liquid fabric softener, ½ cup of baking soda in the rinse cycle instead or natural wool dryer balls scented with essential oils.
- Avoid Parabens in skin care products.
–This means Shampoos, lotions, soaps, toothpastes, cosmetics and other personal care products that contain paraben or phenoxyethanol chemical compounds widely used by cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries as preservatives. Note that xenoestrogens entering the skin go directly to tissue without passing through the liver for detoxification. So they’re 100% absorbed by the body and can be 10 times more potent than those consumed orally. This is not a good thing for your hormones.
- Try to shop Dirty dozen and Clean 15 whenever possible.
– this will limit the herbicide and pesticides you will be consuming therefor lowering the negative effect on your hormones.