Tired of Feeling Flabby, Foggy & Fatigued!

Let's start with a look at our hormones... because this is where it all begins.

Estrogen, sometimes known as the feminizing hormone, makes our hips expand and our chest enlarge...

However, we can have too much of a good thing... it's called estrogen dominance! 

The liver breaks down our hormones which start out active, then once they have been “used” to carry out various bodily functions they need to become inactive.

If not, they remain ACTIVE…. and need to stored away from our vital organs, i.e. breasts, stomach and hips… in ever-increasing amounts!

This is why many people find it difficult to lose weight in these areas - the body cannot allow these ticking time bombs (active hormones) back into our system.

If we don’t get rid of these “used” hormones the body creates fat stores to house them! and since they are still active, they grow, meaning they create more fat cells...

Yep, you read that right, fat cells act like hormones, and they can grow!

Factors that affect our liver...

Diet , particularly sugar which overstimulates insulin, AKA the fat storing hormone… this is important because excess sugar is stored as glycogen in the liver (for future energy), however, if this "energy" is not used up the build up of glycogen can lead to a to a sluggish liver (fatty liver) thus reducing our ability to breakdown hormones.  

Signs and symptoms of a sluggish liver inclue:

Intolerance to alcohol 
Swollen feet or abdomen
Yellowing of the eyes
Dark urine and stool
Bad breath
Heartburn
Sensitivity to chemicals in paints, petrol, bleaches, etc.
Body odor

We also need to consider that the Western diet is rich with foods that mimic estrogen….

We (men included) are consuming estrogen-like compounds that mimic and mess with the natural estrogen produced in our body… this messes with our other sex hormones.

 For men, this can mean reduced testosterone, and man boobs…

However, the biggest cause of hormonal imbalances for women is synthetic birth control…

Then diet:

• Many of us are lacking essential fatty acids which help create our hormones, so be sure to eat healthy fats... think oily fish, avocado, coconut oil, olive oil, grass-fed butter, ghee, nuts, and seeds.  
• As mentioned, excess sugar can mess with the hormone insulin. Mess with one hormone, and you mess with the whole organization - known as the endocrine system
• Avoid eggs from chickens fed on antibiotics, hormones and genetically changed grains
• Avoid meat from animals fed on antibiotics, hormones & GMO grains
• Watch out for vegetarian alternatives made from soy & tofu - AKA plant estrogen
• Water from plastic bottles–plastic is one molecule away from estrogen, and it can mimic natural estrogen.
• Dairy is full of hormones - if you can't live without cheese choose goats cheese (less hormones) or raw cheese (the probiotics are still intact). 
• Genetically modified food. This one should be obvious: genetically changed food messes with our genetics.

Vitamin deficiencies: 

We get nutrients from plants. The plants get their nutrients from the soil... thanks to modern farming a typical apple may contain only 20 percent of the vitamin C it should contain, and many oranges contain no vitamin C at all.

Chemical exposure: 

The liver acts like a filter, if it becomes overloaded it can’t deatctivate your hormones.

Which brings us to personal care items:

What you put on your skin is just as important as what you put in your mouth…

When you eat something the liver and digestive system go to work cleaning, sorting and detoxifying… they get rid of what’s not needed via our stools, urine, and sweat…

When you put something on your skin, it moves straight into your bloodstream, there is no filter! 

Cleaning up our diet is just one way to cut down the lethal load on our body, however, we can't ignore our personal care items.

The Environmental Working Group has an App that allows you to scan a product, review its toxicity rating and pick a better choice, if need be. You can also search their database for personal care items.

For example: You want to avoid aluminum in your deodorant, we need to sweat toxins out, not keep them blocked in!

We don't need fluoride in our toothpaste, (inhibits the thyroid) and our shampoo should be free of parabens and sulphites.

And don’t forget tattoo ink which goes more than skin deep, hard evidence shows it can leave tiny particles of ink that block lymph nodes.

In closing:

The body is always talking to you, so pay attention!

Don’t try to self-diagnose, doctor Google can often lead to overwhelm so get professional help if you have a concern.

Lastly, eat like your health depends on it... and join my mailing list to help you cut through the noise and learn how to take back your health... naturally.

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