Last article we looked at how beneficial plant estrogens and other foods can help correct hormonal imbalances in women. Phytoestrogens can support women who have symptoms of imbalance especially during menopause. But the darker side to the hormone balance story is the impact of environmental estrogens.

Research is beginning to show that pesticides, plastics, petrochemical and industrial pollutants that enter our body via eating, drinking and breathing contaminated food water and air can accumulate in fat cells and acts as xenoestrogens. These hormone -like substances increase the harmful circulating estrogens that can be responsible for increasing the risk of breast cancer and other hormonal problems.

Xenoestrogens

Whereas our body naturally produces hormones that are usually short acting and vary throughout the monthly cycle, exposure to xenoestrogens can start in-utero accumulating for decades. Much of the research has focused on the effects of single chemicals, but we know very little about the combined cocktail effect which can be 1000 times more potent than the individual chemical.

Xenoestrogens from chemicals such as DDT, PCB's, and dioxin can have a variety of damaging effects:

• Mimic your own hormones but with a stronger effect ie estrogen dominance
• Suppress the immune system
• Affect the functioning of the ovaries, testes, thyroid and adrenal gland
• Disrupt cellular DNA leading to cancer.

We can alter how our bodies accumulate these chemicals by cleaning up our homes and offices and choosing to eat more organic food especially whist pregnant or trying to conceive. Support your liver's ability to detoxify and excrete pollutants. Eat lots of liver friendly foods - green leafy vegetables especially those from the cabbage family (see Connector April), fruits, wholegrains, pulses, garlic, onions, and quality fats from fish, nuts and seeds. Minimise your intake of animal foods. Animals that continually eat contaminated food and water have larger amounts of pesticides in their meat and milk as well as antibiotics and hormones.

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Cleaning up your home

Homes and offices can contribute to the toxic load on our bodies. Here are ways to minimize the effects.

• Avoid spraying pesticides, herbicides and fungicides in your garden use natural pest control such as neem or garlic.
• Avoid fumigating you home with insecticide-use mosie nets at night.
• Use unscented laundry soaps and no fabric conditioner which is petrochemical based.
• Use nappies and feminine hygiene products that are made from organic cotton and no bleaches
• Clean your home with ENJO or other chemical and environmentally friendly products.
• All plastics leach chemicals into the environment. Don't let your baby chew plastic toys.
• Minimise use of solvents in nail polish remover, hair spray, cosmetics and dry cleaning.

Change your food supply

Eliminate or decrease consumption of foods most likely to be contaminated usually produce high on the food chain. If you eat red meat, poultry, eggs, other meat and fish they should be organic and therefore hormone/antibiotic free. Fish at the top of the food chain such as queen fish, sail fish, shark and tuna contain higher levels of heavy metals and pesticides (small fish such as sardines are the least contaminated). Liver products such as pate have the highest levels of contamination.

Avoid microwaving food in plastic containers or covered with cling film as these can leak chemicals into food. Foods in cans that have been coated with plastic are best avoided. Filter tap water (provided you have a clean water tank) and if you are sensitive to chlorine put a chlorine filter on you shower.

Gradually introduce organic food into your diet by choosing some organic fruits and vegetables like apples, cucumbers, broccoli, berries, Non-organic produce should be washed and peeled. Not only will you be reducing your body's chemical load with organic food, you will be getting higher levels of vitamins, trace minerals and disease fighting antioxidants, increasing flavour and taste.

A primarily plant-based diet of fresh, unprocessed, organically grown plants of all kinds is a foundation for good health and longevity for us all and the environment.

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