Close up of edamameSoy products hit the US market over the last decade with a vengeance, but are they all they're cracked up to be?  

Upon first glance, all the rumors about Asian women who never experience menopausal symptoms and stay skinny as rails because of how much soy they eat can actually be documented, however there's one fact that's often left out of such reports, which is the difference between fermented and unfermented soy.

[bctt tweet=”Unfermented soy products like soy milk, soy ice cream or soy nuts are known endocrine disrupters”] and mimic hormones in your body, which creates confusion about where hormones go and other unpleasant symptoms too.

Hormones are what make your endocrine system function, effecting important organs such as thyroid, adrenals and pituitary, and, as a result, endocrine disrupters block the receptor sites in your cells that naturally produced hormones lock into and consequently interrupt the feedback loop between your hormones and the glands that are dependent on them throughout your entire endocrine system.

From there, hormones can run amok.  It’s akin to a ship without a captain, as in, none of the shipmates would know what to do without the captain’s direction.  If your hormones are off, you’ve got a similar situation taking place inside your body, and to make matters worse, xeno hormones in our environment like BPA (Bisphenol A) found in plastics and in ink on register receipts; petroleum byproducts in food, candles, and personal care products (think petroleum jelly); and even household furnishings like carpet, disrupt hormones too and create a new hormone called Sex Hormone Binding Globulin.

Sounds icky right?  Well, it is. 

SHBG for short, occurs due to overexposure to xeno hormones, or estrogens, and bonds with testosterone making it impossible to absorb, therefore rendering it unusable.  So even if your body is making testosterone, it can’t be used. This sets the stage for an increasingly common condition known as estrogen dominance, for women and men. It’s bad enough testosterone drops 10% a year for men as it is, now this?  And too much estrogen in a woman can result in breakouts, excess fat, and even breast cancer.

There’s mounting evidence too that breast cancer in men is on the rise as well thanks to xeno hormones.  Join the club guys.  Historically the emphasis has always been on women, but with an overly adulterated food supply, hormonal imbalances are cropping up in more and more men nowadays leaving them feeling depressed, cranky, and suddenly crying, and they can’t seem to figure out why.

To top things off, this all leads to low libido.  Ee gads!

So what can you do to naturally balance your hormones and get back in the bedroom?  Here are my top 3 tips to help you reduce or eliminate soy from your diet, reduce the impact of xeno hormones and get your sexy back all at the same time:

  1. Use nut mylk instead of soy milk.

    A lot of people shop health food stores thinking that puffed brown rice cereal and soy milk = healthy.  Wrong.  It’s better than Cap N’ Crunch and homogenized cows milk, but it’s still processed and it’s still soy. 

    My suggestion?  Try nut mylk, such as almond, hemp, or coconut, instead.  They’re a better source of protein and healthy fats, and most importantly don’t mess with hormone levels or production.

  2. Eat fermented soy only.

    Fermented soybeans are a staple in many Asian cultures, but in the US we’ve mass produced the soybean without first fermenting it.  Unfermented soy has goitrogens, which are anti-nutrients and suppress thyroid, thereby inhibiting healthy thyroid function.  Fermented soy doesn’t block protein digestion like unfermented soy does, and isn’t a threat to your thyroid.  

    Fermented soy options include tofu, natto, miso, tempeh, shoyu, and tamari; I recommend eating it no more than twice a week.

  3. Detox your liver quarterly.

    Without a healthy functioning liver, it’s hard to be healthy.  Your liver processes your hormones, and is also responsible for converting T4 into T3 thyroid hormone so that your thyroid activates.  With xeno estrogens in the mix, it’s very hard for your liver to break them down and do its job properly. 

    I'm a big fan of detoxification.  With the toxic burden we’re under these days, it’s impossible to experience true health if you don’t clean out your system on a regular basis, therefore I suggest doing a liver cleanse every 3 months.  I've balanced my hormone naturally following these steps more than once, and I'm confident they'll work for you too.  

The bottom line is, health isn't about perfection, and protecting yourself from the dangers of toxins that have a dramatic impact on a lot of things you're not even aware of goes a long way in living a long, healthy life.

I'd love to know what you think!  Leave me a comment on the blog, and don't forget to download my free report The Top 10 Ways to Stop Feeling So Tired All the Time – Drug-Free and Naturally! Just click here.

 
Love, 
Angela

Angela Minelli is an author, speaker and founder of Angela Minelli International, a heart-based global business serving purpose-driven everyday women and entrepreneurs whose self-image and weight issues are inhibiting their confidence and blocking them from pursuing their life’s passion. 

Angela's joy is in taking a stand for women who are living less than ideal lives, stopped by fear and doubt, which prevents them from stepping into their innate power and delivering their God-given genius to the world. Her coaching programs and products are designed for women with busy lifestyles yet allow for powerful transformation to take place within a small segment of time.  

As a natural health practitioner and digestive health specialist, Angela specializes in helping people overcome weight and energy issues through holistic, non-invasive protocols that address the root cause of their conditions, including adrenal fatigue, candida, thyroid disorders, and more.  

Explore the ideals that are the cornerstone of her work at angelaminelli.com.

3 Responses

  1. I used to eat a lot of tofu salad from Nature’s Bin – It was wonderful tasting and I was in a very busy phase of my life. I was working full time in a law firm, plus overtime, plus teaching 3 Yoga classes per week, plus 3 classes for a Cleveland Clinic study on the impact of Yoga on chronic pain. I felt stress from all the work, but it was temporary for me to be so busy so I figured oh well. So I ended up eating tofu salad for lunch and dinner, lunch and dinner for several weeks (I also was in vegetarian phase) and I developed an allergy to soy – it severely inhibited my digestion and I haven’t been able to eat it since. I might get it in my salad dressing but that’s about all I can tolerate. That was in 2000 so I’m off the soy!

    Enjoy your writings, Angela! Hugs!
    Michelle

  2. Hullo Angela,
    Thanks for your Sex/ soy article. Many of us know only soy as a protein source benefit,
    especially in Uganda / Africa where i come from. Otherwise i am learning more from you.