Hormone Boost and Balance

Weight loss and exercise programs abound right now as we move full steam ahead into the new year. To help these programs work even better, we are going to share with you some top food tips that we have used successfully with hundreds of patients. Our focus will center around the hormone estrogen because it can short circuit both programs. And yes, men, you have natural estrogens, too!

A quick and simplified explanation of estrogen can help unlock the importance of the foods we recommend. There are actually different forms of estrogen. For this article, we will abbreviate them 2-Estrogen, 4-Estrogen, and 16-Estrogen. In fact, we’ll use abbreviations like this to make it easier to understand without getting hung up in the long and unfamiliar names. What you need to know is the 2-Estrogen is the good one and the 4 and 16-Estrogens are the bad ones.

2-Estrogen has numerous positive effects. It supports healthy Testosterone levels, the hormone that helps with muscle mass and vigor. Your workouts will help with increasing Testosterone. Higher levels of 2-Estrogen can also help reduce other chemicals in the body that tie up Testosterone and keep it from working. It also can have some anti-cancer activity (more on that in a minute) and can function as an anti-oxidant.

4- and 16-Estrogen can have an array of bad effects. They can cause the body to make your hands, feet and face puffy, store more water, store more fat, and make you moody. They also cause inflammation, an underlying factor in many of the chronic diseases. So how do we get the good one up and the bad ones down? Eat these things:

• Eat more Button Mushrooms. These are the plain ones in the produce isle. The work to slow down an enzyme, Aromatase, that causes your Testosterone and Progesterone to be converted into the bad Estrogens. Studies have shown that this simple mushroom lowered negative side effects 4- and 16-Esrogens in breast cancer patients.
• Eat more Cruciferous Vegetables. This is broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, and bok choy. They contain a chemical, DIM, which can help the liver in eliminate the 4- and 16-Estrogens. This, in turn helps keep your Testosterone and 2-Estrogen higher.
• Try Spirulina. This is an algae, actually. It has super high levels of vitamin E. Vitamin basically has the opposite effects of the 4- and 16-Estrogens. It decreases the inflammatory triggers in you body. It also helps with helping the liver detox the bad Estrogens out of the body.

So add these into you routine and watch your programs soar. Make the SHIFT today!