Balancing Your Hormones by Maintaining Healthy Blood Sugar

How many times have you heard about your hormones being out of balance, yes it is quite common. However even though there may be times for the contraceptive pill or HRT one of them isn’t necessarily to balance hormones.

By reducing your intake of sugar, especially processed foods that are high in sugar, these include prepacked meals, milk drinks, soda drinks, packaged cereals and breads. By helping our pancreas and insulin levels this will in turn help with balancing estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA, cortisol, and thyroid that can lead to weight gain and diabetes.

First commence to implement a whole food diet, at the end of one week you will find that you will have more energy, you will think more clearly and your weight will begin to balance, if you are overweight you may even begin to lose weight. Your skin will feel and also look better; this is one of the first and most important steps to “Ageless Aging”

So let’s what is unprocessed foods and why?
The processing of foods exists along a continuum. Completely unprocessed foods are eaten in their raw, natural state. An example of a completely unprocessed food would be a raw carrot. Minimal processing makes some foods more convenient to eat. Examples of minimally processed foods would be cleaned fish, plucked chickens and butchered meat: Foods such as carrots, celery, cauliflower, broccoli, mushrooms, cucumber, radish can sliced for easy consumption without cooking, or you can have these foods cooked that are still considered unprocessed such as sweet potato, pumpkin, swede, turnips, parsnips, peas & beans etc. As the amount of processing increases, the food moves farther from its raw, natural state, often changing its taste, texture and depleting it’s nutritional value;
Some foods still need to have some processing, so let’s look at some foods that can also be introduced that have minimal processing therefore still having high nutritional value for us.

Soy, almond & oat milk needs some processing it is essential to choose organic and non-genetically modified

Dairy or Goat by Products
The only true unprocessed dairy food would be raw milk. Products made from raw milk are minimally processed. Yoghurt is specifically cultured but when choosing sugar free, organic yoghurt this has the minimal processing.

Fats
Fats exist in a true unprocessed state only in their original form. Most fats require physical or chemical processing to be extracted as separate products. Butter, for example, must be separated from milk. Olives must be pressed or chemically treated to produce olive oil. The healthiest forms of fats our found in nuts such as almonds, walnuts and Brazil nuts: plus seeds

Protein
Like fats, most meats and fish require physical processing to make them ready to eat. Sashimi-grade seafood can be eaten raw in its most natural form, but is physically processed. This processing doesn’t detract from the nutritional value of the food.

Vegetables
Vegetables in their raw, natural state are unprocessed. Examples of unprocessed vegetables include carrots, tomatoes, potato, pumpkin, broccoli, sweet potato and cauliflower etc.

(Avoid totally if possible) Frozen vegetables may be cooked or blanched; canned vegetables are usually cooked in the can. Dried vegetables may or may not have been chemically treated. (Vegetables are best purchased in the fresh state with the majority of them having minimal cooking with potato, pumpkin needing a little longer.
Seaweed is usually cooked before packaging without chemicals therefore is beneficial to include with your diet.

Fruits
Fruits in their raw, natural state are unprocessed. Examples of great fruits to include in your daily eating regime are red apples, bananas, pears, kiwi fruit, red grapes (in minimal quantity), grapefruit, and rockmelon, honey dew.
Fruit is much better for your health when eaten in the non-processed state.

Nuts and Seeds
Raw nuts and seeds are unprocessed. Many nuts and seeds, including Brazil nuts, pecans and cashews, are treated with heat during the shelling process, and roasted before being sold.

Sugar
All sugar-containing plants, including sugar cane and beets, must be processed to extract the sugar as a separate product. Raw, unpasteurized honey is a source of unprocessed sugar. Commercially produced honey is typically processed before being sold. "Raw" sugar has been boiled and dried and may have colour added.

Grains
The least-processed grains are whole grains; however, many of them must be physically processed or heat-treated to make them edible, including brown rice.

Eggs
Free Range eggs are unprocessed but should be cooked for maximum health benefits; best ways of cooking are either poached or scrambled

Chemical Oestrogen disruptors to avoid:
Natural treatments can assist with balancing hormones by formulating effective herbs and homoeopathics; these are especially beneficial to your health by protecting your body from increased xenoestrogens (oestrogen mimicking chemicals found in things like plastics, chemicals in beauty products, and chemicals in our environment (xenoestrogens = foreign). They attach themselves to oestrogen receptor sites; they can mimic the action of oestrogen produced in cells and can alter hormonal activity. We can also reduce these xenoestrogens by paying particular attention to our diet and how we store and cook our foods.
Some helpful ways you can avoid the damaging effects of xenoestrogens:
Avoid all pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides. Wash your fruit and vegetables well to rid the pesticides. Add a cup of vinegar in a sink of water to wash your fruit and vegetables
Have a good water filter for your source of water. Drink your water from glass or stainless steel
Use only organic based whole foods when you can. Buy hormone free meats and dairy products where possible.
Avoid plastic goods - they leach into the environment.
Do not microwave food in plastic containers, and especially avoid the use of plastic wrap to cover food for microwaving.
Use glass or ceramics whenever possible to store food.
Do not leave plastic containers, especially your drinking water, in the sun.
If a plastic water container has heated up significantly, throw it away - do not drink the water either.
Don't use fabric softeners as it puts petrochemicals right on your skin.
Use a simple laundry and dish detergent with less chemicals.
Use organic soaps and toothpastes. Avoid fluoride.
Avoid Face & Body creams and cosmetics that have toxic chemicals and estrogenic ingredients such as parabens and stearal konium chloride. Most commercially produced products have these even the more expensive brands that you are led to believe will do all these wonderful things for you. They are slowly poisoning you
Avoid nail polish and nail polish removers.
Use only naturally based perfumes. Most perfumes are petro chemically based.
Avoid surfactants found in many condoms and diaphragm gels.
Avoid X-rays as much as possible.
Be aware of noxious gas such as that from copiers and printers, carpets, fibreboards, etc. Computer monitors can emit a high level of electromagnetic force (EMF) By having a rock salt diffuser or plug in EMF diffuser near those areas will help with this, also to ensure that you drink plenty of water and go outside to get that “breath of fresh air”

“Each step you put into place each day will lead to a Healthier, Happier YOU”

With Love
Julie

© 2014 Julie Doherty N.D, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Julie Doherty Shop 3 77a Collins Parade Hackham SA 5163 No Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. * The content of this email and any information contained on any web site linked from this email has not been evaluated by the FDA.
This information is not intended to treat, diagnose, or cure any disease. It is provided for Health support and educational purposes only. It is always recommended that if you have Health concerns it is best to arrange an appointment to see a qualified health care provider with any questions you have regarding a medical condition, and before undertaking any diet, supplement, exercise or other health program. This is to ensure that it is both suitable and safe for you.