I did a ton of research on products last year. If you want to see some of the products that I have swapped out, check out this post! Hormone disruptors come up a lot when researching products and chemicals. Unfortunately, I have found that they are present in foods and drinks that are very frequently consumed.
To start, why are hormone disruptors so bad? Hormone disruptors mimic our naturally occurring hormones. When this happens, it can cause overstimulation of hormones, interfere with natural hormone function, or completely block a natural hormone function. So when hormone disruptors get in our body, they are changing the way our natural hormones perform. One of the most common processes that hormone disruptors can effect is fertility, for both men and women.
In general, I just don’t like the idea of something messing with my hormones. I already feel hormonal enough! Removing the hormone disruptors from my beauty and cleaning products was fairly easy! You literally just have to find a clean swap! Done! Food is a little bit trickier because there are some hormone disruptors in some pretty common foods. So before I get too far into how sad it is that some of my favorite things contain disruptors, let me list them.
- Sugar
- Dairy
- Gluten
- Caffeine (coffee!)
- Alcohol
- Environmental toxins (products, air quality, etc. )
- Stress
- Lack of exercise
Let’s start with the one that I am most sad about, caffeine! I drink about three cups of coffee a day. I like the way it tastes, I like that it gives me a little boost, and I am just not ready to give it up! Also, you can typically always find me with a glass of wine on Friday nights. That’s probably no going to change anytime soon. Now, as for sugar, dairy, and gluten, they are all part of my diet (dairy probably more than others). I am guessing, if you are anything like me, all these things are in your diet as well.
Do I think you should eliminate all these things from your diet? No. In my eyes, it’s just not realistic to restrict all of these things from your diet. I do have a few simple ways that I help keep hormone disruptors in check.
1. Find Balance
Everything in life is a balancing act. The same goes for this. When looking at things like dairy, gluten, and sugar, try to balance out your meals so they are not heavily loaded with these items. I do all my meal planning for the week at once. This way, if I plan on a meal high in carbs that contain gluten and sugars, I can balance that out with a meal high in veggies. When it comes to sugar, it can be tricky. Lots of things have sugar in them. I try to stay away from things that have added sugars in them. So typical things like cookies, cakes, candies, pastries, and bread are going to be heavy with added sugars. But things you may not be aware of might have a lot of added sugars, like condiments and sauces. Always check the labels!
Caffeine and alcohol are defintiely things that need balance and for some are easier to balance than other foods. I understand completely that I do not have the best balance in this category! Are three cups of coffee a day a little much, maybe. But, do most people drink three cups of coffee a day, probably. Also, are there weeks where I drink a little more alcohol than I should, yep! Finding a balance for caffeine and alcohol can sometimes be hard. My suggestions if you are trying to find healthier solutions would be:
- Switch to tea instead of coffee. Pique has some great options!
- Switch to a coffee with less caffeine. Mushroom coffee has less caffeine with some amazing benefits!
- DO NOT drink decaf coffee! The way it is processed creates a ton of toxins.
- Find a drink you like a swap it for your 5 o’clock glass of wine. I love these drink packs!
When creating balance, don’t forget yourself! Managing your stress levels and reducing the amount of environmental toxins that are around you will help so much. Also, starting to work out can not only help hormones, but it can help reduce stress.
2. Understand Your Body
Understanding your body is going to be a great way to tell how you are reacting to certain toxins and foods. If you are feeling like it’s something in your diet that is causing you to feel a certain way, start keeping a food diary. Write down what you eat and how you feel after. This can help you understand what type of foods or toxins effect you the most and what you really need to stay away from. Also, if you believe you might be intolerant to something in your diet, go see a doctor or dietician. They can help you pin down what the issue is and if there is something more serious going on.
3. Limit Your Environmental Toxins
Sometimes switching your eating habits can see overwhelming, so if you’re feeling that way, I would suggest starting with your environment. Start swapping out your beauty products, cleaning products, and personal care items. If you need some ideas on what to swap out or product recommendations, just check out my Things I Love page! I have found product swaps to be the easiest way to remove toxins because the non-toxic swaps work just as good, if not better.
4. Do What You Can
Do you feel stressed? Just start with one thing! If you know your stress levels are out of control, try working out to see if that helps. Adjust your schedule so that you have some time for yourself. Do you know that your shampoo has some hormone disruptors in it? Swap it out next time you run out.
Toxins can be scary and sometimes the more research you do the more you get paranoid about them. If you are feeling that way, make sure to take a step back and remind yourself that this is not an overnight process. It is not realistic to remove all the food items listed above form your diet. Is it possible, yes but in my world, it’s not realistic at all. Just start with what you feel is necessary and make small steps along the way.
I hope this information and these tips help you out! Let me know what items you are going to swap in the comments!