We are what we eat, but further, we are also what we bathe with, spray on our bodies and clean our homes with. We are exposed to an incredible amount of environmental toxins, commonly referred to as Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDC’s), which negate a lot of the good work our bodies are doing to balance our hormones. These chemicals interfere with natural hormone balance, because they actually bind to the hormone receptors or mimic hormones resulting in mass confusion within the body. They also disrupt your metabolism which can result in unexpected weight gain, as well as preventing the body from absorbing vital nutrients. EDC’s are therefore commonly referred to as ‘anti-nutrients’.
Here are three unexpected hormone disruptors that are hiding away in your home:
Fragrance: Many EDC’s hideaway under the cover terms ‘fragrance’ or ‘scented’ as most product labels are not required to list any ingredients under these terms. This means that your scented candles, room sprays, toilet paper or sanitary products may contain more hormone disrupting chemicals than you may have realised.
Soft plastic food wrap: To soften plastic, a chemical called phthalate is used, and is a known endocrine disruptor. It is also used to line kid’s juice cartons and of course wrap the fresh produce on the shelves. Remove soft plastic immediately after purchasing your produce and rather store it in glass containers in the fridge.
Pesticides on your fresh produce: It might not be new information that your fresh produce contains pesticides, however the impact of these chemicals are less spoken about. Pesticide exposure has been linked with depression, cancer, birth defects, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), Parkinson’s disease, asthma, eczema, irritable bowel syndrome & migraines.
Here’s a simple veggie wash to remove pesticides:
Dissolve one tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda in two cups of water and submerge your fresh produce in this solution for at least 10 minutes. Rinse off under running water afterwards.
References:
Holford, P. 1997. The optimum nutrition bible. Judy Piatkus Publishers Ltd.
Medling, A. 2018. Healing PCOS. Harper Collins Publishers.