Estrogen Dominant Diet

[ono]

Shelley, could you write a little about estrogen dominance? I'm curious about what one should avoid when trying to correct etrogen dominance. I know tofu is out and beer too because of the hops, but what else? Also what causes estrogen dominance? What are some of the symptoms? Or if you have already covered this, where can I find the information. Thanks in advance.

[shelley]

Hiya Ono! That's a fantastic question, I haven't actually gotten around to writing about that yet. So okay, I'll start here!

Estrogen dominance is caused by a myriad of factors, so to manage it you must take a holistic, systemic approach.

First factor is the liver. The liver is responsible for breaking down estrogen and progesterone and taking it out of the bloodstream. This is low on the list of things for it to do, tho, so when it gets clogges, this gets neglected. Signs of this neglect can manifest in various ways, including increased PMS symptoms and even varicose veins, spider veins, hemrrhoids. So comprehensive liver cleansing is in order.

Estrogen dominance is also a "sugar disease," one of the side-effects of a diet that's too high in sugar for you to handle. It means you've exceeded your personal sugar threshold. So a non-sugar diet like the candida diet is highly recommended for about 1-3 months so you can recover fully and get your insulin and everything back into shape.

Liver congestion and sugar overdose means extra storage of fats, and those fats can contain the estrogen the liver isn't cleansing, as the body will use fats as the dumping ground for excess estrogen. That is evidenced by disproportionate weight gain around the hips and thighs.

Nutritional deficiencies/toxicity that contribute are:

Mangenese. Mangenese helps the liver break down estrogen. Without it, it can't do its job.
Iron.
Bioflavanoids - plant chemicals which help the body utilize vitamin C. A lack of bioflavanoids and Vitamin C means estrogen dominance.
Zinc/potassium imbalance
copper toxicity

Some people think it is advisable to avoid foods that are high in phytoestrogens, but no one can agree - some people say that these plant estrogens are friendlier than our own estrogen. Still, during a cleanse or while trying to regulate estrogen until your liver is clean, I recommend avoiding these foods:

Soy (avoid all forms of soy, even the fermented kind which at other times is okay.)
Millet
Barley
Flax seed.
Kidney beans.
Lima beans.
Rye.
Clover.
Raspberry tea
Evening primrose oil
licorice
garbanzo beans

Many forms of pesticides mimic estrogen in the body, and it is stored in fat tissues, nervous cell tissues, and even the brain, so it's hard to detox. The detox bath and liver/bowel/lymph cleansing helps with this. If you live in an apartment complex or work in a restaurant that sprays for roaches you really should detox bath regularly.

It is also important to increase circulation so the estrogen doesn't deposit somewhere, or get stuck to the veins and cause varicose veins - exercise, massage, the Cleansing Drink, will help with this, as will blood thinners like fish oil and blood purifiers like burdock root.

[mcdavid]

this may sound silly but is the estrogen dominance strictly a women's issue?

[shelley]

Not at all! men can become estrogen dominant too. For instance, a man who is a heavy beer drinker will start to form not just a pot belly but also breasts. and if a man doesn't get enough essential fatty acids (required by the gonads) he will not produce progesterone and so estrogen will dominate.

[itslaura]

Thanks for the great start Shelley...I'm looking forward to reading more. All the things you mentioned - that's me. My biggest problem is not being able to find the strength to keep to a healthy diet consistently, so it's usually one step forward, one step back or some variation of that.

[shelley]

yeah, everyone does that! I think it's human nature, part of what I call the "pendulum swing."

It helps to analyze what's causing the swing back to what you DON"T want. For me it's usually not giving myself enough good options. When my pantry gets empty of the good stuff (it never totally gets empty of the bad since I live with people who eat in all kinds of ways) I find myself reaching for the bad. So more regular shopping does the trick for me.

[itslaura]

[shelley]

Okay, physical cravings usually mean a deficiency of some kind. Do you tend to crave the same things month after month?

We also tend to crave what we detox as it enters our bloodstream again, like tobacco.

[itslaura]

I'll have to give what I'm craving some more thought, though I have to say that I don't know how Reese's Peanut Butter sticks are helping me solve a nutritional deficiency! I tend to crave sweet things that are somewhat salty like the Reeses, or carmel corn or even nuts, but it's hard to say if I'm craving that particular thing or if it just happens to be there when I want something. I'll think about this and notice what I crave and when.

[edenfield]

i crave ice cream and cake..usually chocolate

[Chrissi1981]

Yikes .... really ? Hmmm I thought toping up on the flaxseed would help with my chin acne ...; darn it. I have cool oil which my mom brough me too containing; flax oil, hemp oil, oh no evening primrose oil, pumpkin oil .... ah two bad things incuded here ?

I don't want to be taking flax seed and evening primrose if it's bad for me ... darn it another trip to the health store to find some good oils. What do you recommend besides wheat germ ... which is totally gross directly from the spoon. I also have started taking coconut oil three times daily is that OK for me ? So confusing ... sooner or later I'll find the right thing

[LILA1963]

[shelley]

Except for a few things that are very estrogenic (tofu/soy and licorice) I don't worry about the "high in plant estrogen" foods. I've been juicing for years and never had an issue with carrot juice, so I think our bodies just don't care about plant estrogens in root veggies at least.

What really makes a person estrogenic is a genetic predisposition towards potassium/zinc imbalance sensitivity. If their bodies have this tendency, then yes they'll have to limit estrogenic foods but also supplement judiciously with either zinc or potassium or their antagonizers to avoid ovarian cysts and the like. Read acu-cell.com for more info.

Congested liver will also cause estrogen/progesterone imbalance, as a congested liver won't break down progesterone properly like it should, so it then builds up in the bloodstream and the body will respond by making more estrogen to keep us female rather than male.

[LILA1963]

Thank-u so much Shelley...
I HOPE U HAD A GREAT WEEKEND!!!

I do have a dermoid cist actually on my ovary and a small cist in my right breast (near my nipple) ...
however my blood type B+ says: that licorice is HIGHLY BENEFICIAL for me ... What am I to do ?? use it or NOT ???



Oh one more thing ... how does one find out IF they indeed have a genetic predisposition towards potassium/zinc imbalance sensitivity??
THANKS SO VERY MUCH

[shelley]

Ocassional use should be okay, just watch out for signs of increased estrogen (same as PMS - tender nipples, bloating, moodyness...)

Ask your parents and grandparents what their health issues were. Keep a log of your symptoms see if they add up to that.