awakening
   


Is your kitchen killing your HORMONES?

   



by NARELLE STEGEHUIS ND ANPA

Moderation is key when it comes to how much fat to eat, but some fats are better for your hormones & health than others.


As mum’s we know too well the importance of providing a balanced diet for our children. Unfortunately though, many parents are unaware of the effect of Trans Fatty Acids (TFA’s) in our favourite snacks and foods. Not only do they cause weight gain, but they also effect mood, brain function and much more.

UNHEALTHY SYMPTOMS TO LOOK OUT FOR

• Irritability, Anxiety or Depression
• Stubborn weight especially around your tummy and lower body
• Fatigue and weakness
• Hormonal imbalance - Irregular Periods, Skin problems or Hair Loss
• Cravings.
• Swollen or sore breasts
• Lowered Libido

The Australian government is encouraging the manufacturers of products to clearly list TFA’s on labels. The Australian Medical Association is calling for a ban on TFA’s, in line with that enforced in Denmark. There, foods containing more than 2% are outlawed. Unfortunately current Australian legislation states that Trans fat need only be listed when a product is marketed as low in cholesterol or saturated fat.

What many people don’t realise is that Trans Fats are almost as bad for you as smoking.


Trans Fats found in margarines, biscuits, fried foods & processed foods make you gain weight the same way that saturated fats (mostly animal fats) do. They also contribute to diseases such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and cancer. Over the long term, they interfere with your body’s ability to ingest and utilize the good fats & promote fatty body tissue to synthesize small amounts of testosterone and related hormones. These play roles in fuelling hormonal imbalances such as Polycystic Ovarian Disorder, Fibroids, Endometriosis, & PMT & low libido.

SO HOW IS THE HARM DONE?

Picture it like this. The TFA’s stop the essential fatty acids (derived from fish & good nuts - important for balancing sex hormones) from getting into the cell wall. So they have to find some where else to go. Over time, more and more TFA’s block more cells - so new fat cells have to be built to keep them in – so you get fatter.

1. YOUR METABOLISM SLOWS

Oils derived from soybeans etc slow down your Thyroid, which lowers your energy levels, makes you feel less like exercising, and generally makes you fatter!

2. TRANS FATS AFFECT, INSULIN, AND GROWTH HORMONE

Trans Fatty Acids impede insulin’s potential to bind with the cell, causing it to stay circulating in the blood.

Now there is an excess of insulin in the bloodstream. Result? Ravenous hunger, low energy, and lightheadedness mood swings & teariness. You then have to eat, and you have to eat carbs to satisfy the hunger.

The long-term effect is lots of carbs, lots of overeating, and a total inability to generate growth hormone (which is only released in the absence of insulin). Without growth hormone, less muscle is created, so there is less of an opportunity to burn the fat!

3. HORMONAL IMBALANCE

Along with making us gain weight. TFA’s can also interfere with the production of prostaglandins which may increase the severity and incidence of PMS, Painful periods and Endometriosis.


Weight gain and abdominal obesity are strongly associated with insulin resistance. Evidence suggests that hyperinsulinemia (excess insulin) increases ovarian androgen production and decreases serum SHBG (Sex hormone-binding globulin that binds to sex hormones, specifically Testosterone and Estradiol). Increased androgen production and reduced binding of androgens to SHBG contribute to Hyperandrogenism, resulting in a lack of ovulation & increased facial hair – imbalances found in women diagnosed with PCOS.

4. YOUR MOOD CHANGES

In a recent study at the University of Guelph, Dr. Bruce Holub has demonstrated that the huge increase in TFA’s in our diets over the last twenty years has been the main factor in the rise in the new generation of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) in children & could even contribute to mood changes in adults such as anxiety, depression, aggression and poor concentration.

His research has shown that TFA interferes with the absorption of Omega-3 fattyacids which are physiologically important for brain function.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

For starters, read food labels and avoid anything that contains the words “hydrogenated”. That means partially hydrogenated oils, hydrogenated oils, or anything of that kind. Secondly eat more good fats - the Omega-3’s found in flaxseed, avocado, olive oil, many nuts (e.g. walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts), oily fish - mackerel, tuna, salmon, herring, trout, cod (and cod liver oil) sardines, bluefish & restore the integrity of cell membranes. Finally, take an anti oxidant every day & keep the Tim Tam intake to a minimum!


Unfortunately though, if you have significant imbalance symptoms the repairing of long-term damage takes time and is not as simple as cutting these "poisons" from your diet. Hormonal imbalances need to be both identified and treated. The use of targeted herbs and other nutritional support via dietary changes have well documented success in achieving accelerated rebalance and improved health.

LOOKING FOR HEALTHY ANSWERS?

Remember, your health reflects the way you live – so isn’t it time you started making some healthy changes?


Narelle Stegehuis, CEO of MassAttack, is a practicing Naturopath specializing in the research and development of natural treatment programs for women with hormonal imbalances, which have contributed to such symptoms as weight gain, cravings, anxiety and mood swings. She is both an accomplished wrier and recent recipient of the Australian Naturopathic Excellence Award 2006.



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