Hormones and hormone balance are extremely popular topics, as they should be. Without getting too technical, hormones play a pivotal role in how we feel, weight distribution, metabolism, the building and breakdown muscle, sex drive, skin tone, etc. I can’t list them all or you may get quite bored, actually you will get quote bored! Below I actually share some pretty important and revealing information. This Page is actually researched written and devoted to you, and with sincere care from me to you.

One hormone affects another or another area of the body, not unlike like a domino effect. To have this area of the body in balance is optimum. The unfortunate fact about hormones is they are ever-changing, therefore there’s no sitting-back moment where you say, “I did it! Now I’m done with these darn things!” Being a woman even has extra “benefits” like our periods, ovulation and all that. Through the paleo diet, we can achieve better balance and that’s the key here. Men and woman, this is for us both. Once hormones are in balance, they work well and work things out themselves pretty well. That’s if you do your job living the paleo lifestyle.

It’s pretty amazing, but even a small imbalance can create significant changes in the body. This can negatively affect your appearance and health in many ways with:

• Acne
• Allergies
• Anxiety
• Craving sugar or sweets
• Depression
• Diabetes
• Endometriosis
• Facial or excess hair growth
• Fatigue
• Headaches and migraines
• Irregular periods
• Irritability or mood swings
• Low sex drive
• Urinary tract infections (UTIs)
• Oily or dry skin
• Osteoporosis
• Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
• Sleeping difficulties
• Water Retention
• Weight Gain

There are many reasons behind hormonal imbalances including:

• Stress and exhaustion of the adrenal glands
• Birth control pills
• Hormone Replacement Therapy
• Insulin imbalance
• Poor Nutrition
• Pregnancy and childbirth
• Hormones from non-organic animal products

Synthetic Hormones

Following the right paleo diet for you will most likely balance your hormones. Many have had amazing success with the paleo diet. This diet includes more nutrient-dense foods, better sleep and proper exercise, as well as eliminating any foods causing you unnecessary inflammation. You will be eliminating unnecessary synthetic hormones via beef (cows are injected with synthetic hormones and fed grains to fatten them up, and thus make more money).

These “dead” synthetic hormones sit in the slaughtered animal. We buy a nice steak, go home and have a BBQ. From the first bite of our big, juice steak, we’re transferring these lovely “fake” hormones to our bodies, which sincerely attempt to fully break down and metabolize it all, wreaking havoc within. It starts slowly, and sooner or later, an ailment or skin disorder, etc. may show up after many years. Sadly, this is much more prevalent in the U.S. than in other countries. (Not to mention the grains that U.S. livestock are fed make these animals extremely omega-6 dominant. This is another subject entirely.)

The to-be-slaughtered grain-fed and synthetic-hormone-injected animals are estrogen dominant. This makes them fat! If you ever saw a lady or man with too much estrogen, they usually are overweight in the mid-section or their waist and the men will have “man boobs.” I’ve seen men with bigger boobs than mine. No fair! Many women going through menopause will be estrogen-dominant, and you will notice many woman gain weight around menopause, pre-menopause and peri-(after). Look around at kids these days, their school lunch programs, the fast food industry (which offers the poorest quality meats to keep prices low), etc. For the women, this all tampers with our female cycle tremendously and can cause early menopause, infertility problems, teenage and adult menstrual issues, etc.

Dairy Products

Let’s take a quick look at our dairy products. Oh dear, what about the milk from these dairy cows? Yes, you guessed it: loaded with synthetic hormones. The milk, cheese, and whey (yes, even the infamous whey protein powders) are full of hormones too. Dairy cows sit in close-quartered bins being injected with hormones to make them produce milk like a women ready to nurse a child. Their bodies are not unlike our human bodies. They are milked by machines sometimes for hours per day in rotation. The milk is laden with hormones.

I don’t want to go on and on about all the hormone-loaded items that are affecting our hormones, but I want you to see that there’s a good reason that the paleo diet call for pure food. The paleo diet is not some nutty, limited diet. Far from it: this diet is full of such incredible foods and recipes that there’s no scarcity.

Hormones and Carbs

Our hormones are affected by more than just the foods that we ingest with hormones already in them, as I mentioned above. For example, our bodies are affected by how many carbohydrates (sugar) we ingest. This affects our hormones, as it triggers insulin reactions, cortisol changes, etc. There is much to read about the paleo diet and carbohydrates online. I suggest you take a peek and get familiar with this a bit more.

Xenoestrogens

You can search my site with the search term “hormones,” as I write more about this topic. I want you to be educated so you’ll be able to make changes YOU want.

Educate yourself a bit about hormones called xenoestrogens. It’s pretty eye-opening and important. If you use deodorant, house cleaners, or shampoos, or if you work in the yard or around cars, get educated. Please read the two references I supplied below for you. I personally know someone who removed some xenoestrogen-containing cleaning products from her home, and her son’s attacks stopped permanently.

As I’m not a doctor, I can only suggest you try the paleo diet that is right for you.Start out with your wish list of things you want handled: “drop weight,” “leaner legs,” “get rid of my man-boobs,” “gain weight,” “get rid of my eczema,” etc. You name it! Write it all down. You can see what happens after a few weeks of omitting all these unnecessary hormones from your diet while following the paleo lifestyle. While implementing the diet, you’ll be able to gauge your changes as you move along.

If you are on medications or hormones, stay in touch with your doctor. It’s suggested you get tested by your doctor after a few months on the paleo diet, especially if you are feeling changes. Many people have weaned off their medications and have had changes in their hormone profiles.

Some References for You

Q. WHICH HORMONES ARE USED ON FEEDLOTS?

Diethylstilbestrol (DES) was one of the first hormones used to fatten feedlots. It was banned in 1979 after forty years of evidence that DES was cancer-causing. In its place, sex hormones, such as estradiol and progestins (synthetic forms of the naturally-occurring hormone progesterone) have been implanted to virtually all feedlot cattle. The least hazardous way to administer hormones to animals is through an implant near the animal’s ear. Unfortunately, many farmers inject hormones directly into the muscle tissue that will be later used to make meat products. The only USDA-imposed requirement is that residue levels in meat must be less than one percent of the daily hormone production of children. This requirement is unenforceable because there is no USDA testing for hormone residues in meat. Furthermore, hormonal residues are not practically differentiable from natural hormones created by the cow’s body. As a result, the use of hormones to boost meat production is completely unregulated.

Eighty percent of U.S. cows are injected with hormones to increase their size, lean meat production and feed use efficacy. Although the European Union stopped buying U.S. meat in 1985 due to hormone use, the public opinion on its safety remains torn. U.S. cattle and sheep are fed, implanted or injected with hormones. Unless store-purchased meat is marked with USDA Organic Certified, there is a chance it contains residual hormones.

www.livestrong.com

www.gbb.org/news/artificial-growth-hormone-a-danger-to-your-family-and-your-customers

On xenoestrogens:

www.energeticnutrition.com/vitalzym/xeno_phyto_estrogens.html

www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenoestrogen (a bit on the technical side)

My Story

I for one had been on a few bio-identical hormones at very low dosages. My labs drastically changed after being on paleo. I feel terrific!

With less carbs and sugars, your cortisol levels will possibly change. It really will depend on what type of diet and lifestyle you had previously. You may sleep better, have more energy at the right times (not late at night), your body may change, etc. What is there to lose?

Do you have more questions about the paleo diet and hormones? Please contact me and I’ll see if I can help get you the information you need!

Here’s to a high-quality, long and healthy Life!

I hope this page has been helpful. If you have any questions or suggestions just email me at Tina (at) Paleomazing.com.

Tina Turbin