The Anti-Estrogenic Diet
93What are some anti-estrogenic foods and herbs?
Hofmekler mentions the following foods (and their believed antiestrogenic components) that help mitigate the effects of estrogenic chemicals and estrogen mimics in the environment:
- cruciferous vegetables (like cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts) - have natural antiestrogenic indoles
- citrus fruits - contain flavonoids (although this is disputed by studies)
- coffee - contain flavones
- tea - polyphenols
- herbs: resveratrol, passionflower, chamomile, and turmeric
- conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in grass-fed, organic milk products
- nuts, avocado and fertilized eggs - high-fat, "male" (y-chromosome) containing foods that nourish the hormone system
What are some estrogenic foods?
These foods should be avoided in an estrogenic diet:
- conventionally raised meat - Hofmekler says they are "chemically castrated" using hormones, in order to build bulk and be more tender. This is not a "macho" food anymore. Pay more for organic versions that haven't been pumped up with feminizing hormones.
- soy - contains genistein and daidzein, both which have hormone-disrupting activity. I've read that Japanese women have traditionally fed their husbands soy products when they suspected they were cheating on them, and monks eat soy to diminish their libido..
- beer - Hops, the bitter herb that gives beer its bite, has estrogenic and libido-reducing effects. This is apparently why heavy beer drinkers develop "man boobs".
What is the Anti-Estrogenic Diet?
The Anti-Estrogenic Diet, a book by Ori Hofmekler (who also wrote The Warrior Diet), is a diet program that helps the body resist the effects of a high prevalence of estrogenic and estrogen-like chemicals in the environment that many researchers believe leads to health problems and weight gain.
Hofmekler says that the world is becoming feminized through chemicals such as atrazine (a common crop herbicide). He mentions that sperm counts are dropping worldwide, with a 20% drop seen in just one generation, and the highest level of infertility, despite the growing number of fertility drugs.
The diet consists of three phases:
- Detox - Allowing the liver (and kidneys) to recuperate and clean itself. The liver is the body's detoxification organ, and is the organ under the most stress from chemical attack. When it is under duress and begins to fail, diseases such as diabetes and cirrhosis can take root. This diet allows for two weeks of herbal and nutritional therapy to allow the liver to "bounce back into shape" and assume its important role in regulating the body's metabolism with renewed vigor.
- High-fat stage. Mimics diet from 10,000 years ago, before the agricultural era. Higher calorie than most diets, but still can lose weight. More than anything, it nourishes the hormone system to create sex hormones to counteract
- Reintroduction of foods. Since none of us are monks, methodically and gradually reintroducing foods "in the real world". But it requires a lot of trial and error to see what agrees with your body, and what doesn't.
|
The Anti-Estrogenic Diet: How Estrogenic Foods and Chemicals Are Making You Fat and Sick
Price: $8.89
List Price: $16.95 |
|
The Warrior Diet
Price: $24.00
|
|
Our Stolen Future: Are We Threatening Our Fertility, Intelligence, and Survival?--A Scientific Detective Story
Price: $4.79
List Price: $16.00 |
Listen to the podcasts
Commentary
The effect of estrogen mimics and endocrine disrupters is well documented and researched. There are plenty of ways to avoid exposure to these kinds of chemicals (these are not from the book, but rather what I've read about recently):
- avoiding heating food in flexible plastic containers (which contain phthalates)
- choosing organic food when possible (does not contain the herbicides and pesticides which contain hormone disrupters such as atrazine and dieldrin)
- avoiding "antibacterial" products with triclosan. They are no better than regular soaps and detergents at getting rid of dangerous bacteria, and triclosan, which has a chemical structure similar to estrogen, has recently been found to be a hormone disrupter in the bullfrog
Avoiding estrogenic foods and eating more of the anti-estrogenic foods is a good idea. There's no harm in eating more broccoli and less hormone-laden beef, right?
However, I'm not sure I agree with Hofmekler's hypothesis that eating "Y-chromosome foods", like fertilized eggs, helps. Eating more Y-chromosomes does not make us more male, especially considering almost all foreign chromosomes are digested in our stomachs before assimilation, or else vigorously attacked by our immune system as antigens. I think Hofmekler was reaching a bit here, and since he is not a medical professional or even trained in medicine or biology (he is an artist and a former health & fitness editor at Penthouse), I'd say this is the part of the book worth casting a skeptical eye on.
However, more attention should be paid to this growing problem. Even Al Gore, who was prescient about the problem of global warming back in the late 1980s, wrote an introduction to Our Stolen Future, that warned about the problem of endocrine disruption a decade ago. You have to wonder when the general public will pay attention to the problem of endocrine disruption as well.
Share it! — Rate it: up down [flag this hub]
Comments
Thank you! I put up some links to the podcast where Ori mentions how these estrogenic chemicals are harmful to women as well as men.
Very interesting Hub. Indole-3-Carbinol has also been known to be very effective in balancing the estrogen levels in the body. It is a pretty potent phytochemical with cancer fighting properties. People on hormone replacement therapy are usually advised to supplement with Indole-3-Carbinol. Indole-3-Carbinol is very heat sensitive. Therefore, one should source it properly and store it in the refrigerator.
I remember I3C mentioned in Kurzweil's fantastic Voyage. Are the indoles in cruciferous vegetables sensitive to heat too? I.e. will steamed broccoli or cooked cabbage not be healthy?
That is a good question. I don't have an answer to it. I did some search and still came up with nothing. I take I3C from PURE. The manufacturer recommends that the product is kept in the refrigerator.
This is very interesting. I'm always interested in health articles. I remember reading something about this awhile back, although I don't believe it was from this book. You know a listed ingredient in the list that I believe needs more attention? Soy. It's always promoted as so healthy and soy is present in virtually everything now, whether people realize it or not. Kinda scary. Thanks for this informative hub.
You're 100% right about soy, Angela, and I suspect that once information starts to get out, despite the soy lobby's best efforts, we'll realize that soy is not the dietary panacea it's been made out to be in recent years.
if you're just worried about losing the anti-estrogenic material out of your broccoli , then why not just eat it up all raw ? its more than worh it i think
Interesting article. I'll investigate this one further. I was off Hub Pages for awhile but have some new postings at Larry R. Miller.
Great hub, livelonger. This issue is of special interest to me due to my family history of "female" cancers. And I had no idea triclosan had been identified as an hormone disrupter.
Nice to read the comments. As som eone who has tried the anti-estrogenic diet for 2 weeks I am extremely satisfied. Not only have I lost weight, my energy level has incresed tremendously. The biggest surprise was after 2 weeks of wild catch fish, organic dairy, and lots of fruits and vegetables (many not organic) that my arthritis pain and inflamation has decreased dramatically.
I have been taking Isoflavones for 3 or 4 years now to help my
hot flashes.... I wonder what that can do??? any comments?
It appears that isoflavones don't appear to affect women like they do men, so if your doctor is recommending them to you for hot flashes, they might be ok. The greater issue is testosterone levels in men.
I started the antiestrogenic diet 5 days. I have lost 6 lbs and have so much energy? I really am amazed how simple it has been to follow and i haven't been hungry. I really look forward to the fish dinner at night.
I haven't bought the book yet. I have been following the diet from a copy my friend made of a mag article. All this money I have spent losing weight and the free plan is working!
Getting back to the energy, I really don't even know what to do at night. I used to pass out after putting the kids down. Now I am laying there wide awake? I have to get used to this, more than the food.
I can't wait to get the book to read more about the toxins we are all putting in our bodies daily. I do feel a little guilty feeding my kids all this junk though.
This is a good plan, and I have tried them all!
I recently purchased his book, along with his other "Warrior Diet" book. One thing though that disturbed me was that he claims grapefruit is anti-estrogenic. He basically lists different plants which he claims are estrogenic (they contain phytoestrogens or promote its activity) and antiestrogenic ones. Grapefruit and other citrus fruits, according to him, are anti-estrogenic. However a quick internet search shows that grapefruits actually will boost estrogen levels, and in women at risk raise the risk of breast cancer. Like the whole thing about eating "X chromosome" foods, this really shows that he isn't a nutritionist or medical professional but like many self-promoting diet authors he isn't above making scientifically incorrect statements. His book does seem to have some good recommendations but I'd take what he says with a grain of salt. Because of the low quality of the standard american diet, anyone can create a diet plan that will be far superior to what most people eat. For a more medically sound diet I'd look into the book "Eat to Live" by Joel Furhman.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/portal/main.jhtml?xml=/portal/2007/07/17/nosplit/ftgrapefruit117.xml
Thanks, Mark. You're right; there is plenty to be skeptical about. I probably wouldn't have given the grapefruit issue a second thought until you said research you've found suggests the exact opposite.
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/NWS/content/NWS_1_1x
Especially odd since I think his mother had breast cancer and has been hyperaware of the issue.
I strongly suggest reading, "Good Calories, Bad Calories", which, despite its cheesy-sounding title, actually debunks a lot of myths about obesity, heart disease, cancer and diet, because scientists chose to ignore findings that went against their own hypotheses, and they used too much "common sense" without testing it. (Like "grapefruits are good for you, so they must ward off the effects of estrogenic foods", which is what might have been going through Hofmekler's head, for all we know)
I'll check out the Fuhrman book - thanks for the tip, and your comment!
"Good Calories, Bad Calories" is an excellent book. It's hard to put down once you get started reading it.
This is great information and I wish everyone took it seriously. The good thing is that our livers will filter out 70-80% of what we take in orally, but we still put estrogen-imitating chemicals on our skin, which does not get filtered out. You will be hard-pressed to find any cosmetic or skin care product that does not have alkyl hydroxy benzoate preservatives (namely methyl-, ethyl-, propyl- and butylparaben).
Hmm,
I've never connected detox with sperm count. Has anyone ever tried colon hydrotheraphy cleansing? Please share it with us if you have. I'm considering Colonix.
@Rhym: Good point!
@ninaredza: I personally do not believe in colonics. They just take out of you what would come out naturally in a day or two, unless you're having serious colon issues.
Great article. I had actually gone to a health voodoo a few years ago, and she warned me about taking soy and too much estrogen in the atmosphere, but i had never heard anything about it again until now.
I saw you wrote about avoiding healthfoods in plastic containers. I know she also warned me about drinking water botteled in plastic, and suggested that i purchase water held in glass bottles instead.
working
Lyricallor says:
14 months ago
Very insightful and interesting I give this three thumbs up! Thanks for sharing.