Male & Female Hormone Concerns

May 15, 2021

Women and men of all ages struggle with hormonal issues, such as hot flashes, night sweats, incontinence, sleep problems, bouts of anxiety and prostate problems. What most don’t know is that what they are eating is often times the cause of these hormonal problems. Listen in as two nutritionists share what to cut out for less anxiety, hot flashes, bladder control and the list goes on.

Similar Podcast Episodes:

• Taking Charge of Menopause Symptoms with Food
• Learn About Prostate Health & Problems
• Perimenopause  Symptom Relief - Sleep, Mood Swings & Weight Gain 

Transcript:

MELANIE: Good morning to all of you joining us today and welcome today to Dishing Up Nutrition brought to you by Nutritional Weight and Wellness. Thank you for tuning in today. We know many of you listen each week to be inspired to choose eating real food over processed food for your personal health and the health of your family. For those of us who've had some personal health problems, me included, we understand how important it is to stay with a real food eating plan for our health. We hear of women and men of all ages who struggle with hormonal issues. Let me name a few: hot flashing, night sweats, incontinence, sleep problems, bouts of anxiety and prostate problems. It's unfortunate these women and men are not aware that what they're eating is oftentimes the cause of these hormonal problems. They're not aware that by eating less sugar like skipping that big blueberry muffin you're thinking about getting today, or a “schushy” coffee that's full of sugar or a stack of pancakes, that they could reduce their hormonal symptoms. With less sugar, and maybe they would have less anxiety or perhaps they would have fewer hot flashes or maybe even better bladder control. So they could take fewer trips to the bathroom in the middle of the night. That’s so miserable.

 

BRITNI: Yeah. People appreciate fewer trips to the bathroom. That's for sure. But you know, it may surprise you that more men are making appointments with me because they're concerned about their heart health, their cholesterol numbers or their weight. However, after we talk about the heart health and their cholesterol and weight gain, I find out the real reason why they made the appointment. These men tell me they cannot get a good night's sleep, because they're going to the bathroom four or five times a night. And then they share that they're experiencing signs and symptoms of an enlarged prostate. And finally they get down or they, they start to tell me that they're concerned about their performance in their bedroom. And they're struggling with erectile dysfunction, which is so common.

 

MELANIE: And hard, it's hard for people to talk about.

 

BRITNI: It is.

 

MELANIE: So I'm hoping that this show will be beneficial.

 

BRITNI: Yup.

 

MELANIE: Sometimes that performance discussion never really actually happens, but Britni, as you know, as dietitians and nutritionists, we see lots of clients, both men and women with those hormone related problems. So it is something that we work with, right? Let's introduce ourselves to our listeners. I'm Melanie Beasley, and I'm a Registered and Licensed Dietitian. I've been working in the field of nutrition for 35 years. I think dinosaurs roamed the earth. I provided nutritional counseling in a variety of set of settings over that time, including the Navy hospitals and clinics, the VA and prisons. So I'm not shocked at the struggles men and women may be experiencing today with their health. And I have literally heard everything.

 

BRITNI: I, I believe it. I am Britni Vincent and like Mel, I am a Registered and Licensed Dietitian. You know, several years ago I was personally struggling with hormonal imbalances. And then I started to recognize the problems that women were having with fertility, perimenopause, menopause, PMS. So I started to lean my focus more towards hormonal health. And…

 

MELANIE: Those hormonal problems: I have to tell you, you know, when we, when I get a stumper and I'm just really not sure how to help a client, it's like, you're my 911 hormone help.

 

BRITNI: Thank you. I think like you can speak to this too, but when you have your own personal experience, you know, you really dig into the information and the research, and…

 

MELANIE: You just don't want someone else to go through what you've gone through.

 

BRITNI: Absolutely.

 

MELANIE: That, I think that's our driving passion at Nutritional Weight and Wellness.

 

BRITNI: Yeah.

 

MELANIE: But if you or your spouse struggle with hormonal problems, you may want to stay tuned because we have some cutting edge information to share about how food affects your hormones. And you can just start incorporating that immediately.

 

BRITNI: Yeah. You know, before we, we get started into the topic, I just want to share a couple client success stories as it relates to hormonal imbalances. So I have had recently two women, younger women, who have lost their periods for different reasons. And they wanted to, to get their periods to return. I mean, it sounds nice not to have a period, right? But that doesn't speak to very good health on the inside.

 

MELANIE: Right.

 

BRITNI: So both of them within about three to four months were able to get their period and a regular menstrual cycle back.

 

MELANIE: Great. It's great. It’s great to feel normal.

 

BRITNI: With real food and some supplements to balance their hormones out. So we are here to help you with any sort of hormonal condition or symptoms that you're experiencing.

 

MELANIE: That's wonderful.

 

BRITNI: And I think the most common hormonal problem among men over the age of 50 is most definitely that enlarged prostate gland that we were talking about. And that is called benign prostatic hyperplasia; kind of a mouthful.

 

MELANIE: Easy for you to say.

 

BRITNI: The benign means it's not cancerous. So for most men, this prostate enlargement, it happens gradually over time, over a number of years, really. And a common sign of that enlarged prostate is the frequent urination, the many trips to the bathroom that we were talking about. And as men age, the size of the prostate gland can grow from the size of a walnut to a lemon.

 

MELANIE: Wow. Wow. That's really enlarged.

 

BRITNI: So, as you can imagine that affects the urine flow from the bladder.

 

MELANIE: You know, I had a client who came to me and he had the opposite problem where he did not have flow because of his enlarged prostate, and he kept getting these terrible, terrible urinary tract infections that were going to his kidneys. And so we were able to work some magic with the real food, balancing his blood sugar and some key supplements. And he was able to have relief.

 

BRITNI: That’s amazing.

 

MELANIE: So he and his wife were pretty happy.

 

BRITNI: Oh, I bet.

 

MELANIE: Well, symptoms of an enlarged prostate are, like I said, frequent urination, trouble starting urination, dribbling after urination, possibly stopping the ability to urinate. And because of that inflamed prostate, many times men cannot fully empty the bladder. And that's a problem. That's where those bladder infections can occur, which may lead to, like I was mentioning a kidney infection. We don't want to compromise the kidneys.

 

BRITNI: No, that is scary. And as dietitians and nutritionists, we're always considering what foods and beverages increase inflammation and what foods and beverages prevent or decrease that inflammation. And for many people, no surprise here: sugar is at the root cause of inflammation. Sugar often leads to a low grade inflammation throughout the body that many people don't even know is happening until they might get diagnosed with type two diabetes or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, cardiovascular disease, and inflammation of the prostate gland. So how do you reduce your sugar consumption to reduce inflammation in the prostate gland? For most men, and really people in general need help reducing their sugar consumption.

 

MELANIE: That sugar is so addicting.

 

BRITNI: Oh, it is. It calls your name.

 

MELANIE: Yes, it does. Sugar also leads to obesity. I think everyone knows that; that leads to chronic low grade inflammation in the fatty tissue. This is called metabolic inflammation. And overweight and obese men and women typically have metabolic inflammation they're not even aware of. And in addition, sugar and processed carbs often lead to insulin resistance, which can then lead to metabolic syndrome and chronic inflammation. So if you're listening today and you're thinking, “I feel inflamed. I feel inflamed,” maybe the easiest thing to do is to look at how much sugar that you're consuming. So again, how do you reduce that sugar consumption to reduce generalized inflammation, especially inflammation of the prostate? Most men, people in general need support, because sugar and processed carbs are very addicting. So they are difficult to give up, especially without some guidance, some support in that arena.

 

BRITNI: The question I often get asked is, “If sugar's bad for me, how much sugar can I get by with, and, and remain free of inflammation?” Well, I think this varies from person to person, but the recommended anti-inflammatory amount is about 25 grams of added sugar; six teaspoons a day. So what this looks like is a cup of lemonade is 26 grams of sugar. A 20 ounce bottle of Mountain Dew contains 19 and a quarter teaspoons of sugar. Wow; which is 13 teaspoons over the limit. So it adds up quickly. And it is time for our first break. You are listening to Dishing Up Nutrition brought to you by Nutritional Weight and Wellness. This morning, we are discussing male and female hormone concerns. A common hormonal symptom is hair loss. 40% of women in the U.S. have hair loss by the time they reach the age of 40. That's a lot. So stay tuned to the rest of today's show to find out the diet connection to hair loss.

 

BREAK

 

MELANIE: Welcome back to Dishing Up Nutrition. Research continually tells us to support our overall health. That's a no-brainer. It's important to follow an eating plan of real food full of nutrition, full of nutrients, needing to stay healthy and to avoid processed foods high in sugar and bad refined oils. That's not a really easy task to change the way you're eating. So most people need direction and support. Today Britni and I want to talk about how you can get that support. And I suggest enrolling in our 12 week Nutritional 4 Weight Loss series that starts either Thursday, May 20th or Monday, June 7. Currently classes meet once a week on Zoom. These classes will give you that direction and support to make the change you need to keep your hormones happy. Call (651) 699-3438, or go online to weightandwellness.com to sign up for this life-changing 12 week series. I think it's so beneficial.

 

BRITNI: It is so beneficial. People really appreciate that weekly education support; reminders. It's a great class.

 

MELANIE: And everybody has the same goal so you kind of support each other.

 

BRITNI: Yeah, exactly.

 

MELANIE: So how do you reduce the sugar? That's where we left off. And I think that is a bane of many people's existence. I know it was hard for me because you crave that sugar. The more sugar you eat, the more you crave. So how do you reduce that sugar consumption to reduce that inflammation in the prostate gland? It takes education to create an awareness of the amount of sugar in your diet and how to substitute low sugar foods that will not only satisfy your cravings, but also heal your body. I always say relief is everything. And if you can get that relief, it motivates you.

 

BRITNI: Yes.

 

MELANIE: It goes without saying that alcohol is not a healing drink or an anti-inflammatory beverage. So to follow an anti-inflammatory plan, most men need to limit alcohol to one alcohol beverage, maybe three times a week. I would say in that time, maybe even eliminate. And definitely for women, I just think if we eliminate it, none is best because alcohol is very inflammatory for women.

 

BRITNI: It is. And I find the best eating plan to reduce any inflammation, any place in the body or the brain is to keep it simple; keep it real. So I encourage my clients to eat real food; three to six ounces of meat or fish, at least three to four times a day. I like them to pick a variety of meats, preferably grass fed, pasture raised, free range, organic. And organic doesn't always mean that it's also grass fed, free range, all of that. So you have to look for both of those. And then eating wild caught fish. I also encourage them to eat two to three cups of a variety of vegetables per meal. If you're maybe getting one cup a day, start with maybe one cup at a meal and work your way up. And you could sauté those vegetables in natural fats like olive oil, butter, coconut oil, avocado oil.

 

MELANIE: Bacon fat.

 

BRITNI: Yes; yum. Get, you could get one to two servings of nuts or seeds throughout the day. Pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and almonds are very high in zinc. And zinc is really important for prostate health.

 

MELANIE: You know, I, I think it's pretty easy if you eat three Brazil nuts, Brazil nuts a day. Then you've got your zinc serving.

 

BRITNI: There you go.

 

MELANIE: So I encourage my clients to eat at least one meal each week of high fat fish. Hm. What is that think? Think salmon? So the fish should be wild caught. And because of the high fat content, the fish will contain omega-3 fatty acids. Omega three fish oil contains anti-inflammatory compounds and it's beneficial for reducing any and all inflammation. I have to tell you, I was walking past one of our FDS, front desk staff, and she was eating sardines out of a can. And I knew that they were a fatty fish. I knew they were so healthy for you, but the sardines in my youth were just not palatable for me. So I walked by and I was like, you like those? Obviously she did. And she says, “Go get a fork.” This was pre-COVID. Go get a fork. So I went and got a fork and I tried her sardines, which now they don't look at you. They don’t have the head, the skin. They were in olive oil. They were great. I liked it even better than tuna. So I am always a big fan of these wild caught sardines. So went to Costco and bought a bunch and love them. They're an easy protein; high fatty fish; delicious. You can use it just like you would use tuna.

 

BRITNI: Yeah. That's a great option. And I also encourage all of my clients, both male and female to eat cruciferous vegetables once or twice a day. And cruciferous vegetables are like broccoli, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts. Now I love the broccoli salad recipe on our website.

 

MELANIE: I do too.

 

BRITNI: That's a great one to, to up those cruciferous vegetables. And these help to detox excess estrogen. And oftentimes excess estrogen is caused by chemicals in our environment that mimic estrogen in our body. These are called Xenoestrogens, and they can be found everywhere unfortunately. But a few examples: skin care products, pesticides, BPA, and plastic, and BPA is also found in the lining of canned goods. And we know without a doubt that these environmental estrogens, they really disrupt people's natural hormone level.

 

MELANIE: It's a, it's a battle we're battling constantly. And it seems invisible. So it's really not on people's radar. But Britni, let's review for our listeners. Some of those hormonal problems that women experience around the ages of 35 to 50, women often experience perimenopause. One of the most common symptoms of perimenopause is allergies begin. So if you're one of these people that says, “I've never had allergies, and now I'm suffering in the spring or the fall,” well our hormones and our immune system are closely related. So as women have hormonal changes, they can suddenly experience allergies. That could be food as well. So this can happen because the shift in their hormones reduces their immune function. So then they can develop a variety of allergy symptoms. This happened to me and I developed an allergy to so many food items. It wasn't anything in my, in pollen, but I suddenly couldn't eat wheat, dairy, corn, chocolate. And it was right around this time. But I also suffered with estrogen dominance because of all the Xenoestrogens.

 

BRITNI: Yeah. And I don't think a lot of women make that connection as why that's happening at the same time all of these other changes are happening. And another symptom we hear a lot in perimenopause is that women developing anxiety. And women who've never experienced anxiety before all of the sudden they're having those racing thoughts. Maybe they experienced their first panic attack. But a quarter of women in the U.S. experience anxiety during perimenopause phase of life. It's a lot.

 

MELANIE: It's a lot.

 

BRITNI: And sometimes it occurs in the middle of the night. So you're lying awake, having restless sleep; that brain doesn't shut off. And you're waking up all throughout the night. And of course exhausted the next day, which affects everything.

 

MELANIE: Your quality of life; your quality of life. When you don't get enough sleep and you're struggling with anxiety, wow. It's, it's just hard to be a nice woman. It’s just hard.

And if you're raising children or you have teenagers or your elderly parents you’re taking care of, or you just think, “Have I lost my mind?” But we can talk more about that after the break.

 

BRITNI: Yes. You are listening to Dishing Up Nutrition. Our show today is all about hormones. So we need to address the toxic environmental estrogens that both men and women are continually exposed to every day, and how these estrogens are putting us all at risk for autoimmune disease or even cancer. So to learn more, I recommend reading an amazing book called Estrogeneration by Dr. Anthony Jay. We were honored to have him as a guest on Dishing Up Nutrition, March 27, 2020. You can go back and listen to that podcast to help you understand why certain products that you may be using can result in being exposed to more of these toxic environmental estrogens. You know, knowledge is…

 

BREAK

 

MELANIE: Welcome back to Dishing Up Nutrition. Women are always surprised to learn that having excess estrogen can be, and is a health risk for them. The hormone, progesterone, counteracts excess estrogen’s negative side effects. And progesterone is a calming hormone because it, it's up to 20 times more concentrated in the brain. So low levels of progesterone are associated with hair loss, excess facial hair, bone thinning, and anxiety. To achieve an estrogen/progesterone balance, we recommend using a natural, emphasis on natural progesterone cream containing 20 milligrams of natural progesterone from yams. We recommend using a quarter of a teaspoon at bedtime for better sleep. And of course, to avoid experiencing those unpleasant side effects of low progesterone levels. You know, Pro-Gest is the one I like, Britni, and it's well formulated. It's an easy to use transdermal cream that we recommend to our female clients who are going through perimenopause, menopause and post-menopause as well as other symptoms; maybe anxiety. So you can order Pro-Gest on our website, weightandwellness.com. You just put a little bit on thin skin; inside of your forearm, your throat, and so forth.

 

BRITNI: It makes a huge, huge difference for many women.

 

MELANIE: Many women.

 

BRITNI: And, and low progesterone can be a concern for younger women as well who aren't in that perimenopause/menopause years. But we have some solutions for those women as well to, to increase progesterone.

 

MELANIE: I think it's, it's really important. And it helps to understand what is going on during perimenopause, which is what we were talking about. What are some of the biochemical and hormonal changes occurring during perimenopause? Well, starting perimenopause women usually experience fewer and fewer menstrual cycles, which means they'll ovulate fewer and fewer times. When women ovulate less frequently, their bodies produce less and less of the hormone progesterone. The hormone progesterone is women's relaxing hormone. Like we mentioned, it's very concentrated in the brain. When women are deficient in progesterone, they often become anxious and have trouble sleeping and wake frequently throughout the night. When women are producing less progesterone, they often have an overabundance of estrogen. A good question to ask is where is all of this estrogen coming from? Well, our fat cells make estrogen. Our adrenal glands make estrogen. And we're exposed to excess estrogen in our environment, like you were talking about Britni. But there's no longer a production of progesterone. So excess estrogen tends to make women more anxious. Too much estrogen and not enough progesterone lead to that hormone imbalance. And oftentimes anxiety occurs.

 

BRITNI: Yeah, it's a hard, hard cycle to break.

 

MELANIE: And it's complicated. It's hard to figure out on your own.

 

BRITNI: It is. It is. And I think it's important to mention is there's an accumulative effect. So if you, you know, like I grew up near farming; all those pesticides: those are Xenoestrogens. And I, I think that has a huge connection to my hormonal imbalances. So it's not necessarily what you're just exposed to now, but what you were exposed to as a child, or…

 

MELANIE: So is there hope, Britni?

 

BRITNI: There is hope without a doubt. Yes.

 

MELANIE: We can get rid of some of that accumulation.

 

BRITNI: Yes. And you know, we were talking about that natural progesterone cream; that is, that can be part of the solution. It often helps women get through perimenopause with less of that anxiety. It certainly aids in a good night's sleep, which then helps everything; getting a good night's sleep.

 

MELANIE: Everything. You know, when the estrogen/progesterone balance is disrupted, everything in a woman's body goes wrong and perimenopause symptoms follow. Ask yourself, how am I eating to support this? We know eating a lot of processed carbs and sugar causes imbalance of that estrogen and progesterone. Poor eating habits that are often from following maybe starvation, weight loss diets, which result in lack of vitamins and minerals, because we're so desperate to lose that weight. But that throws off the estrogen and progesterone levels. Stress upon stress can also throw off the estrogen progesterone levels, causing many uncomfortable symptoms. You know, I had a client, I would say I’ve been seeing her for about two and a half years. And when she came to me, she's from Montana and she had, it was a phone appointment so I couldn't see her. But she’s young; wanting to get pregnant. She had terrible anxiety, horrible hormone problems, endometriosis; difficulties with even getting out of bed, exhaustion, whole bunch of problems. And we simply worked on real food, getting some nutritional deficiencies corrected, getting her sleeping. And she got pregnant. So now she's pregnant and nursing a healthy baby. She lost 30 pounds in the process and so it can be corrected. There is hope. We can correct those hormone imbalances; may take time, but, and commitment, but it can happen.

 

BRITNI: That is the best email. The “I'm pregnant!”

 

MELANIE: Yes. So now she brings them when we Zoom call. She brings them. I get to see them. It’s wonderful.

 

BRITNI: So we need to be thinking about how can we prevent that estrogen/progesterone imbalance. So you can move through perimenopause and menopause with very few symptoms. Well, I think first of all, we need to try to avoid those Xenoestrogens or those chemicals in our environment that mimic estrogen as much as we can. Of course, some of it is out of our control. And you know, it, there's also the diet aspect that makes a huge, huge impact on this balance. So what's the best diet to follow? Well, when we work with clients in perimenopause, we believe each woman has their own unique protein, carb, and fat balance. And that, you know, we help you to figure that out working one-on-one. And the goal for any eating plan should be based on maintaining a stable blood sugar level. The eating plan should be high in vitamins, minerals, containing beneficial, natural fat, lots of antioxidants, lots of fiber coming from vegetables. So for great physical, mental wellbeing and hormonal health, nothing beats real food. And eating in balance so that blood sugar is stable all throughout the day. We want to talk about some other symptoms that may occur when women are deficient in these key nutrients during perimenopause.

 

MELANIE: You know, we sort of touched on, Britni, and I want to circle back to hair loss. Hair loss is a major concern for many women during perimenopause. It's a real struggle. And if you're finding that you're losing your hair one possible reason is that you're not eating adequate amounts of protein. And when I say protein, I'm talking about anything with a face. So that protein helps with our hormones because hormones and other hormone-like messages, such as neurotransmitters are actually made from protein. Protein improves adrenal fatigue caused by stress and protein is critical for repairing tissue in our body. And when you think about that, think of how our cells turnover. We want to support the healthy cell turnover to help decrease your risk of cancer. But protein helps stabilize your blood sugar. It acts like an anchor and protein supports weight loss in is necessary for hair growth. The amino acids that make up protein are really the building blocks of life in every cell in our body.

 

BRITNI: And when we're stressed, our protein needs are actually higher because we're using up the vitamins and the minerals a lot faster when we're stressed. So that is something else to keep in mind.

 

MELANIE: If you're, if you're feeling stressed today, ask yourself “How much protein did I eat yesterday?” Go through what you had for breakfast, lunch, dinner. If you can remember; many times I don't even, and check it out.

 

BRITNI: We know our skin, hair, nails, muscle, bones, brain chemicals, hormones, that all needs protein. So if you're losing hair, the first step is to make sure you're eating 12 to 14 ounces of animal protein daily.

 

MELANIE: That bears repeating.

 

BRITNI: Yes; 12 to 14 ounces of animal protein daily. And why animal protein over plant-based protein?

 

MELANIE: Yeah, let's talk about that.

 

BRITNI: Yeah. So animal protein is the most bioavailable or usable source of protein for, for our body. The plant-based protein is bound up to fiber and is much more difficult for our body to absorb. So if you are, for example, eating an egg, your body's able to use all of that protein in the egg. If you're eating a cup of black beans…

 

MELANIE: Great for fiber.

 

BRITNI: Yes, but your body can't utilize all of that protein

 

MELANIE: Because it's bound up in that fiber.

 

BRITNI: And then you're getting carbs. So to try to get adequate protein from the plant sources ends up increasing the carbohydrates too.

 

MELANIE: So here's my challenge for our listeners. I want you to, and we can use Dr. Google. I want you to look up how much protein is in a cup of chicken. Then I want you to look up how much protein is in a cup of black beans. Compare the two, and then look up how much fiber is in a cup of chicken and how much fiber is in a cup of black beans. That is your Saturday morning homework after you maybe had your tea or coffee. But I think it will be eye opening because we want to eat a lot of plants. And I think plants and vegetables, it's so important, but not at the compromised risk of not getting enough bioavailable protein for cell turnover, for our hormone production, for our bones ladies. We've got to have enough protein for our bones.

 

BRITNI: Yeah.

 

MELANIE: So I think it's, I think it's important. And then ask yourself, get a little scale. How much protein am I eating? Measure it. Many times we make a salad. We throw a couple ounces of protein on there and think, “Ooh, I got my protein.” But weigh it out. Try to get about four ounces at a meal. And you're going to find that your hormones are stable. Your body is stable. Your appetite is stable and your blood sugar is stable. So see what you feel.

 

BRITNI: And yeah, personally, I used to eat very little protein, maybe three ounces in an entire day. And then once I started to add more, my body wanted it. So if for some reason I don't get enough, I can feel that difference. And my body starts to crave more protein.

 

MELANIE: And I started craving, if I don't get enough protein, I crave carbs, sugar, foods that I, I don't ever really crave. And then I'm like, oh, well, did I get enough protein?

 

BRITNI: Yep. Because protein helps keep you satiated.

 

MELANIE: Yes. What about the protein in nuts? Also, you can Google that and see. Remember, it's bound up with that, that fiber.

 

BRITNI: Well, it is time for our last break. You are listening to Dishing Up Nutrition. You may be wondering, “What are the health risks of all these environmental estrogens that we've been talking about and what can I do about it?” The NIH: National Institute of Health, has looked at the health impacts of toxic estrogen. It isn't pretty. Here are just a few of the health risks: reduced fertility, altered sexual behavior, modified immune function, feminization of males, cancer of the reproductive tracks of both females and males. And we, we believe all need an ongoing plan to detox these environmental estrogens because they're everywhere. We're all exposed to them on a regular basis. But it all starts with the food that you eat, that you do have complete control over. So we recommend eating a serving of cruciferous vegetables at every meal, including breakfast. So that could be sautéed spinach or kale and butter with a couple of eggs or add cauliflower rice to your protein shake; sounds very strange, but…

 

MELANIE: It works great. You don’t taste it.

 

BRITNI: It does; yeah. At Nutritional Weight & Wellness, we teach you how to be proactive in reducing your personal health risk. So ask yourself, “Do I like to learn by taking classes or do I prefer individual sessions once a month?” And I have a lot of clients that do both. So we offer both of these options. So you can call (651) 699-3438. Ask your questions and get started on a risk reducing eating plan.

 

BREAK

 

MELANIE: Welcome back to Dishing Up Nutrition. After you have your own eating plan to help you detox those estrogens, the next step is to offer support to your liver. Two products that are well formulated to support this detoxification process are Estro I-3-C, which is made up of many of the compounds found in broccoli. The second supplement to support the liver for detoxification is called Estro ReBalance. They're wonderful. We recommend taking Estro ReBalance for at least three months. We believe excess toxic estrogens are a very high health risk that we are all facing and we all need a plan to reduce our personal risk and the risk of our families. I wish I would have known about these products because I lived by a farm. I ate food from the garden that my mother treated for bugs and grew up with, you know, smoking parents, because they didn't know what they didn't know. And so I wish I would've known how to detox these estrogens in my young twenties, so I would possibly have been able to avoid an estrogen positive breast cancer diagnosis. But I wanted to circle back, Britni, because we were talking about fiber and I think it's important for our clients to understand fiber is important. We're not, we're not disrespecting fiber at all. We want you having fiber, you know, and the goal is at least 30 grams a day of fiber. Well, why is that? Because we want to have a good bowel movement every day. And the reason being, and I said every day; sometimes twice a day after meals, the reason is because our bodies eliminate those toxic estrogens through stool. So if we're not eliminating, guess what? You can be reabsorbing toxins and estrogen. So it's important for that fiber. And there's some easy fiber ideas to get more in is to add to your smoothie. So I love to add, I love to add frozen vegetables to my smoothie because I don't taste them. Now, I'm not a fan of the peppers, but in my smoothie, but I will do frozen broccoli and cauliflower. So listeners double dog dare you.

 

BRITNI: Give it a try.

 

MELANIE: Give it a try. Frozen curly kale works really well in a smoothie and frozen spinach. So those are ways that you can start your morning with your smoothie. You drink it down. And then of course I love blueberries in a smoothie. So I'll do a half a cup.

Well, I'm starting my day with fiber, antioxidants. I'm starting my day. And then I add a really good clean protein powder. And I like Paleo Protein powder cause I can't do dairy. But the whey protein powder is good. We've got some great ones on our website. You can look at those brands. We know the research behind them that they're clean and they don't have contaminants or artificial sweeteners. So, and you start your day feeling a little righteous.

 

BRITNI: Yes. It's great way to start the day. And as the weather gets warmer, it's refreshing. You can make a big batch of them. That's what I always do. You know, if you don't want to take the time to make it every morning. And that Paleo Protein is actually, it's a beef protein. I know that sounds strange, but…

 

MELANIE: It does not taste like steak.

 

BRITNI: Not at all. It's delicious.

 

MELANIE: I love the vanilla.

 

BRITNI: It's a great option for a lot of people. I love to make chia pudding. If you like the texture of tapioca pudding, it's similar to that. So a ratio is a quarter cup of chia to a cup of liquid. And that liquid, you could use some canned coconut milk. That would be your fat; makes it really rich.

 

MELANIE: I like to add my Paleo Protein to that.

 

BRITNI: Yes. And then, you know, you could top with a few berries.

 

MELANIE: Flaked coconut.

 

BRITNI: Yeah. There's so many options and that would give you two servings. And a note about chia: two tablespoons gives you 10 grams of fiber. So if you're, if you've not had chia before, don't start with two tablespoons.

 

MELANIE: Start small.

 

BRITNI: Yeah, start small; work your way up. And you know, the same could be said with all fiber. You know, gradually work your way up. Make sure you're drinking enough water. So you're flushing everything out.

 

MELANIE: And if you don't necessarily love that texture, that, that little bead texture of the chia pudding, I have a girlfriend and she blends her chia seeds first and then adds it. So it's thick without the little, the little balls. And then you have to check your teeth afterwards, too.

 

BRITNI: Yes. Yes, you do. That's a great idea.

 

MELANIE: So you were talking, but when we went to break, you were talking about some other fiber recipes that you, to get fiber in, you were telling me, and I can't remember what it was. Do you remember?

 

BRITNI: Well, I think another great one we have, we have a couple of salad, well we have lots of salad recipes on our website.

 

MELANIE: And smoothie recipes.

 

BRITNI: Yes. This would double duty with the fiber and the cruciferous vegetables. There's a great kale salad recipe on there.

 

MELANIE: I love that one.

 

BRITNI: There's a Cruciferous Salad Recipe on there. And any salad, I know salads can be boring, but you could put any sort of topping on there or, you know, there doesn't have to be any greens involved. You could make a salad over just a bed of cabbage.

 

MELANIE: Yes. It's delicious. The napa cabbage, especially. One of my little tricks for time-saving because I have, I raised my babies. They're grown. I'm kind of over standing in the kitchen for very long. And so one of the things that I do is if I cook wild rice, I cook extra. And then I put in a zip lock bag, flatten it out, zip it and put it in the top shelf of your freezer. If I have blueberries, I do the same thing. If I cook cubed sweet potatoes, I'm going to double batch it and then put it in there. So what I love to do, right now, I also have organic oat groats that I cooked in, in bone broth, which is just, you know, they’re oats in its original form. Anyway, so what I love to do is I will mix up my salad. So if I'm bringing a salad to work, I might do some carrot strips in there. I might do some cauliflower, like my fresh vegetables I'm always changing it up. But then I'll break off about a half a cup of one of those frozen, “carby” root vegetables or wild rice. And I will add that. So by the time I get to work and ready for lunch, it's thawed out. It's delicious. Cubed sweet potatoes, sometimes cubed beets, but it's a way to get a variety because we get stuck on broccoli. We get stuck on spinach. We get stuck on salad makings. And that way it's a delicious profile. And then I always make my husband an added bowl and make him eat it. Here you go. This is what you're eating. But it works. It works great.

 

BRITNI: Those are great ideas.

 

MELANIE: Let's hear a little bit about you. So, Britni…

 

BRITNI: Actually, it is at the end of our show already. Our goal at Nutritional Weight and Wellness is to help each and every person experience better health through eating real food. It's simple yet a powerful message. Eating real food is life-changing. Thank you for listening and have a great day.