Despite having gyms, fitness apps at our fingertips and too many diets to count, the modern day population is continuing to gain weight. This is why at BePure we take a systems biology approach meaning that we look at our entire body systems and see how they interplay.
I have previously written about the impact of stress, gut health, lack of nutrition and inflammation on our weight, however, hormones also play a huge role – which makes sense as hormones essentially tell your body what to do!
"And although the common belief is that we need to lose weight to get healthy, we actually need to get healthy to lose weight."
We now know that weight is so much more than just calories in and calories out and rather it is actually an incredibly complex biological process. And although the common belief is that we need to lose weight to get healthy, we actually need to get healthy to lose weight.
From my years of experience working with clients at the BePure Clinic, I would say that when it comes to our weight, only around a third of the puzzle is attributable to the calories we eat. And the rest? Our hormones.
"When it comes to our weight only about a third of the puzzle is attributable to the calories we eat. And the rest? Our hormones."
To take a closer look at your current hormonal balance take the BePure Hormone Health Questionnaire, to check how your hormonal levels could be impacting your health and weight.
Now that you've got an idea of your current hormonal balance, let's find out what could be driving stubborn weight that just won't budge when it comes to hormones.
Oestrogen Imbalance
Oestrogen is the hormone we most commonly find out of balance at the BePure Clinic. Oestrogen is responsible for our energy, libido and mood and it's a hormone that both men and women have – although it is more commonly imbalanced in women.
Oestrogen dominance is a term used when a person has deficient, normal or excessive oestrogen, but has little or no counterbalancing hormone to mitigate its effect in the body. To fully understand your oestrogen dominance story we can’t just look at oestrogen in isolation. To balance your hormones it’s important to also think about your oestrogen levels in comparison to other key hormones, progesterone and testosterone.
"Many factors such as stress, our food choices, exposure to toxins and the state of our organ function, will affect our hormone health."
Many factors such as stress, our food choices, exposure to toxins and the state of our organ function, impact our hormone health.
In the diagram above, the bold lines indicate where a women’s sex hormones should be over a monthly cycle, and the dotted line shows where we usually see them.
The problem of oestrogen dominance is largely environmental. In our environment, we are constantly exposed to oestrogen-mimicking chemicals and our body is less able to deal with oestrogen. These chemicals are called xenoestrogens. They’re found in PCB’s - man made chemical compounds - such as BPA in plastic water bottles, parabens and phylates in skincare products, makeup and sunscreen.
These environmental toxins are such a problem because xenoestrogens will sit on oestrogen receptor sites, blocking them in the body and creating an excess of oestrogen in relation to our other hormones progesterone and testosterone.
Normally our bodies would process this extra oestrogen through our liver. But because of nutrition choices, stress and liver-loaders such as alcohol and caffeine, our liver function is often compromised and we struggle to clear it. If we can’t clear it, what are we going to do with these unprocessed toxins?
Unprocessed hormones and toxins have to go somewhere. With no other options, our body will store them within fat cells. These toxins will be stored in your fat cells until the body gets a chance to handle them (if ever!). Oestrogen toxins are usually stored around the hips or the thighs. If that’s where you’re holding your weight, this is a sign that oestrogen dominance could be a concern for you.
At the BePure Clinic, we tend to see oestrogen dominance alongside other hormonal imbalances such as PMS or endometriosis.
5 Tips for Nurturing Oestrogen Levels Back to Balance
Effective weight loss while your body is dealing with oestrogen dominance, is very difficult, no matter how clean your diet. Fortunately, there are a number of things you can do.
1. Nurture your liver
First of all, you need to give your liver the nutrients it requires to process these toxins out of the body. B-vitamins are key cofactors for the metabolic reactions. BePure One provides the full spectrum of b-vitamins in adequate quantity. We also need to include lots of good quality protein; the liver requires amino acids to detoxify.
2. Take a break from coffee and alcohol
These are our biggest liver loaders and while our liver is busy detoxifying caffeine and alcohol, it won’t have the time of energy to detoxify other substances.
3. Avoid plastics as much as possible
Plastics contain xenoestrogens which interfere with the balance of oestrogen in the body. Especially avoid plastic that comes into contact with your food or drink. Time to swap out your plastic drink bottle for a glass or stainless steel one.
4. Eat plenty of cruciferous vegges
These are vegetables like broccoli sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, collard greens, radish, and brussel sprouts. These are found in concentrated amounts in BePure One in the form of sprouted broccoli seeds. These support the liver and are especially rich in di-indolylmethane (DIM), which help mop up excess oestrogens. Try and eat some of these foods at least once a day, I particularly like this cauliflower steak recipe.
Thyroid hormonal imbalance
The thyroid is a butterfly shaped gland which sits around our throat and produces hormones that regulate our metabolism and many other vital functions such as heart rate, body temperature and body weight. Our thyroid hormones control our ability to access fuel and break it down into energy.
"Think of an unbalanced thyroid hormone as a car full of petrol but with a broken motor. Even with the appropriate fuel, the car can’t get to where it needs to go unless the motor is working."
When our body is not balanced, we produce too many thyroid hormones or too few. Symptoms such as nervousness, heat intolerance, fatigue, and increased bowel movements can indicate excess thyroid hormones, while too few can lead to weight gain, sensitivity to cold, constipation, dry skin and brittle nails.
If we have too few thyroid hormones or the wrong form, it makes it much harder for our body to use fuel to create energy. Think of a car full of petrol but with a broken motor, even with the appropriate fuel, it still can’t get to where it needs to go unless the motor is working.
Underactive thyroid, in particular, can lead to weight gain and resistance to weight loss. A lack thyroid hormones are not allowing you to access the stored energy within your fat cells.
"I am yet to see a person with a thyroid disorder whose symptoms have not drastically improved on a gluten free diet."
Thyroid hormone imbalance is commonly due to autoimmunity. I am yet to see a person with a thyroid issue whose symptoms have not felt drastically better on a gluten free diet. If any of the signs above apply to you - the best thing you can do is trial taking gluten out of your diet. Other factors for thyroid dysfunction include nutrient deficiencies, stress, calorie restriction, inflammation and toxins.
When looking at supporting your thyroid health we also need to look at our nutritional status. Iodine, selenium and zinc are essential for the creation of thyroid hormones so we need to make sure we are getting this from our diet or a high-quality nutritional supplement.
5 Tips for Supporting your Thyroid Hormones
1. Eliminate gluten from your diet
As I said above, I am yet to see a person with a thyroid disorder whose symptoms have not drastically improved on a gluten free diet. This removes the trigger for thyroid autoimmunity. Find more information and some tips and tricks when going gluten free.
2. Include thyroid loving nutrients
Supplement with iodine and selenium which can be found in our BePure One multivitamin. This also contains zinc but test your zinc levels and consider an additional restorative zinc supplement. Read more here about why zinc is so important.
3. Nourish your adrenal glands
Our adrenal glands and thyroid work closely together so by nourishing our adrenal glands, were also nourishing our thyroid gland. Take a look at these key dietary and lifestyle recommendations for adrenal health.
4. Avoid Raw Goitrogens
Goitrogens are substances in certain foods that, when eaten raw, interfere with iodine uptake and optimal thyroid function. Examples of goitrogen containing foods include cauliflower, garden cress, bok choy, kale and brussel sprouts. These foods are only harmful when raw goitrogens so instead enjoy them roasted, sauteed or otherwise cooked.
5. Exercise right for you
For most of you out there, exercising right for you will mean more restorative rather than high intensity exercise. Try yoga or tai chi.
WANT TO TAKE ACTION NOW?
Start by testing your hormones with the Eve Hormone Balance Test - a simple, at-home urine collection test provided by our sister brand, Eve Health.
This comprehensive test measures 19 different hormone markers to assess normal levels of DHEA, oestrogen, progesterone and androgens (like testosterone) in both men and women. It also looks at how your body is metabolising these hormones.
Once your sample has been analysed at our lab, you'll receive an easy-to-understand test report complete with personalised diet, lifestyle and nutritional support recommendations.
