Chemicals and toxins in our environment, also known as endocrine disruptors, contribute to poor health.
Too often people dismiss it and I can understand why. I’m guilty of it too, you don’t see the immediate impact it has on your health, therefore, you don’t worry about. That and you may think, why is it a problem now whereas years ago not so?
I’ll tell you why. We live in a much more toxic world than we did before. We are also more nutrient deficient and stressed which impacts the way we detoxify chemicals. By reducing your toxic load you can improve your weight loss efforts, liver function, aches, digestion, mood and more. On top of that you’re helping minimise lifestyle related diseases.
Where are these endocrine disruptors found?
- plastic bottles
- plastic storage containers
- tinned food (the lining is BPA)
- receipts
- plastic wrap
- plastic toys
- cosmetics and skin care
- nonstick cookware
- coatings on furniture and carpet
- and more
They include:
- bisphenol A/F/BPA
- dioxins
- pesticides and herbicides (glyphosates)
- phylates
- heavy metals (lead, mercury, arsenic)
The impact these chemicals can have on our health varies. It can contribute to obesity, diabetes, infertility issues (PCOS, endometriosis, early puberty, poor both outcomes, reduced sperm quality), hormone-sensitive cancers in females, thyroid conditions, neurodevelopment, anxiety, depression chronic fatigue, and epigenetic changes.
Certain groups that are more susceptible to these chemicals are children and women. Children have undeveloped detox pathways and also an underdeveloped blood-brain barrier. Women can be more susceptible depending on their stage in life, eg pregnancy. Women are also the highest consumers of personal care products. Plus women have a higher fat to muscle ratio. Toxins love fat and get stored here. On a side note to my weight loss clients, if you are losing lots of fat, you’re body will need help to detoxify all the chemicals being released by the excess fat being burnt. This is why you may feel lousy if you lose fat quickly, all your toxins are being released into your bloodstream!
Now I know we can’t all avoid endocrine disruptors completely. But we can reduce our exposure. Reducing it by a little still makes a difference! I’ll also add here, I often see clients with health conditions not getting the results that are really hoping for even though they feel they are doing things right. But, they don’t make changes in this area. If you are spending lots of money trying to improve your health, whatever the condition, don’t underestimate what chemicals may be doing to your health. We need to get down to basics sometimes before we spend endless money and time on other approaches such as medication, supplements, other natural therapies, and surgery.
So what can you do to reduce your toxic load?
- invest in quality cookware (avoid non-stick, aluminum, copper)
- buy organic where possible. Eating an organic diet for just one week has been shown to reduce pesticide exposure in adults by 90% (1).
- avoid plastic as much as you can. BPA free is no better (avoid codes 3, 6 and 7)
- avoid heating food in plastic in the microwave
- reduce the number of personal care products you use or choose organic and chemical free cosmetics. Go make up free :)
- drink filtered water. Tap water contains lead, copper, and fluoride. When buying water in plastic bottles, don’t reuse the bottle and don’t let the bottle sit in a warm place such as the car. It leaches chemicals when warm.
Lastly, support your body’s detoxification pathways. There are certain supplements that may help such as vitamin C, curcumin, NAC and also certain foods particularly useful including globe artichoke, brussel sprouts, and broccoli.
If you are feeling ‘toxic’ and this is one area of your health you know you could do better with, please contact me for a consultation. Tests can be done to pinpoint if you’re liver is functioning at optimal and the level of toxicity that may be present. Or please check out my online detox foundation program.
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