3 Ways We’re Hurting Our Hormones + How To Fix It

Balance. If you're like me, you strive for it daily.If you were one of those carpenter levels, with the yellow liquid and floating bubble dancing between two lines, would you be straight and balanced or off-kilter and unsteady?What I mean is, how are your hormones doing lately? I get questions about hormone health all the time, so I wanted to put together a quick resource to help you at home right away.Made by our bodies and used in the right amounts, natural hormones tell our cells and tissues to act in specific ways, and guide our moods and behaviors. In the right way, our hormones turn us on, keep the metabolic fires burning, and keep us in good humor. In the wrong amounts, either produced naturally in uneven flashes by our glands, consumed in foods or through toxic exposure, disregulated hormones lead to fits of depression, bursts of anger and impatience, exhaustion, impaired sleep, weight irregularities, faulty menstrual cycles, and gut dis-eases. Steady your hormones, fix your health, love your life. It’s often as simple as that.  Yet today we are swimming in a soup of synthetic hormones that come into our bodies from air, land, sea, and late, setting our bodies and brains off balance. In order to help you fix those powerful chemical messengers to begin feeling lighter, happier, better, I’ve put together a quick list of 3 simple ways you can take control of your hormonal fate: 1. Can do? Can DON’T! Avoid BPA-lined cans I love timesaving tips as much as any home chef, but canned foods are hiding a dirty time-release bomb, BPA.Foods in BPA lined cans absorb the chemical into beans, fruits and vegetables. BPA is a chemical used in plastics that mimics estrogen, and has been lined to breast and other cancers, reproductive problems, obesity, early puberty and heart disease. Hormone Fixes: Avoid BPA by buying frozen veggies and fruits instead of canned. Some companies, like Eden Organics,  offer BPA-free cans that are safe to purchase, and put it on the label. Buy tomatoes and tomato sauces in glass jars instead of cans.  Avoid foods that come in plastic containers with #7 recycling label, and avoid handling grocery receipts with bare hands, as thermal paper is often coated with BPA. 2. Dental Damn – Danger On Your Toothbrush  We’ve been told to brush and floss 2-3 times a day, but no one said anything about the dangers of chronic exposure to the fluoride that’s supposed to keep our pearlies white.According to a 2006 report by the National Research Council of the National Academies, fluoride is an endocrine disruptor, meaning that it upsets the glands that secrete hormones.Even tiny amounts of fluoride can upset can affect your thyroid, parathyroid, adrenals, pancreas and pituitary glands. Toothpaste and fluoridated water are the two most common sources, but since fluoride stays in the water cycle, crops absorb it through watering.The average American adults consumes 3-6mg of fluoride a day, which can be twice the amount that can cause thyroid disfunction. The average American child consumes 1.5 mg, which is nearly twice the amount that can cause thyroid problems. Hormonal Fixes:Since chronic exposure can have big, long-term effects on the intellectual, social, sexual and physical development of both adults and children, it’s a good time to switch to non-fluoride toothpaste! Brands like Tom’s of Maine offer fluoride-free versions. If you live in a county, city or town that fluoridates your water, you may want to invest in a fluoride filter for your drinking water. 3. Every Thyroid Out Of The Pool! Chlorine & Thyroid  Since fluoride and chlorine are both chemically related to iodine and compete with how the body absorbs it, ingesting either can block iodine receptors in the thyroid gland.We drink or shower in chlorinated water almost every day. Those small exposures can lead to big hormone problems over time.  Hormonal Fix: Avoid swimming in chlorinated pools, especially enclosed and indoors, as the chlorine vapors will be inhaled into your lungs as well. Get a chlorine filter for both your shower and your water faucets to avoid both physical contact and consuming the chemical.  These simple fixes will help your body balance your hormones effortlessly, and get you the happy mood, easy weight loss and long-term health you crave.I want to hear from you!How are your hormones now, and what are you inspired to do to feel better?Leave a comment below about changes you plan on making, and any success story you can share about healing your hormones!Learn more about Women, Food, And Desire Cookbook!!Check this out 21 Day Sugar Detox!