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Why Cardio and Bootcamps Are Making You Fat

Tag Archives: Estrogen Dominance

Why Cardio and Bootcamps Are Making You Fat

 

I’m no stranger to struggles with weight loss. I first started dieting and exercising to change my weight when I was 16 years old, although if I had my way I likely would’ve started earlier- even though I was a slim girl, I never saw myself that way. Just because I was one or two pant sizes bigger than the other girls in my class, I thought I was huge. 

 

I also didn’t have good role models growing up- the women in my family were constantly hating on their bodies and always dieting. I thought that if I didn’t have a flat tummy, toned arms and a “thigh gap”, I was unworthy of being called “beautiful”.

 

Throughout the next several years, I dieted on an off basically all the time, usually by restricting my fat intake, lowering my calories and doing loads of cardio and attending bootcamp exercises classes at the local rec centre. 

 

It always worked temporarily, until I was in my early 20s and was diagnosed with PCOS. Calorie counting didn’t work, and when I went back to the treadmill, I gained even MORE weight. I couldn’t understand what the fuck was going on, and I felt like a failure. 

 

Although doctors and various “experts” over the last several decades have heavily promoted long cardio sessions and hardcore bootcamp classes as being the best for weight loss, this is a total MYTH, and a myth I’m super excited to BUST for you today. 

Happy Hormones Quiz | The Hormone Diva

The Bad Science

First of all, let’s talk science. 

 

The thought process behind using cardio for weight loss centres around calorie expenditure. For instance, 1 pound of fat equals 3,500 calories. So, if you want to lose 1 pound per week, you need to burn an extra 500 calories per day according to this theory. 

 

Doctors and others may suggest that doing an hour on the treadmill, elliptical or stationary bike daily with some calorie restriction on your food will get you there. But what happens at the end of the week when you’ve burned all these calories and the scale still doesn’t budge?

 

Part of this has to do with heart rate. When you do cardio, it’s at a steady pace for the entire time. Generally, this is inefficient at burning fat, as variations in heart rate (like in High-Intensity Interval Training) become more effective partly by “keeping your body guessing” and putting yourself into that fat burning zone. 

 

Also, doing long, drawn out cardio often leaves us tired and hungry. So we eat more. Or, if we have the willpower to stick with the 1,200 calories a day we’ve chosen for our weight loss diet, we aren’t giving our bodies the proper fuel to recover from this exercise, which creates a mess in your body. We’ll talk about this more in the next section. 

 

Your Body On Cardio and Bootcamps

To help you understand WHY these forms of exercise are inefficient for weight loss, you must understand HOW your body reacts when you participate in these activities. 

 

For the sake of simplicity, I’m going to use jogging as an example. 

 

You go out for a run, hoping to shed those pounds. You slowly work your way up to longer and longer distances. 

 

As you are running, a stress reaction starts in your body. Cortisol, your main stress hormone, is released. While this is a good thing if you’re literally running for your life, chronically high levels of cortisol (i.e.: from long distance running), tells your body to make and release more sugar into the blood so your body can make more energy. 

 

Higher levels of blood sugar is one of the simplest ways your body packs on the pounds. Plus, this leaves you feeling ravenous. The sugar and carb cravings will be yelling at you and guess what- you’ll likely eat and average of 100 more calories after you’re done than you burned off during the exercise!

 

Additionally, doing this type of exercise (or other cardio and bootcamps), causes your body to burn muscle instead of fat. Less lean muscle mass slows your metabolism, and it becomes even harder to burn those calories to get the weight off. Plus, you’ll become weaker, more tired and more irritable. And your hormones will start screaming at you. 

 

High levels of cortisol and imbalanced blood sugar mean hormonal hell. Your body steals building blocks (like pregnenolone and progesterone) to make more cortisol, leaving you deficient in progesterone. Low progesterone isn’t able to keep estrogen in check, so estrogen dominance can result. 

 

Estrogen dominance then starts a STORM in your body of weight gain- especially in the hips, thighs, belly and back- and moodiness, anxiety, depression and of course- bad periods. 

 

Many women with hormonal imbalances with estrogen dominance at the root (like PCOS, Endometriosis, PMS, and heavy, painful or irregular periods) feel the worst when they do cardio and bootcamps because it increases their symptoms- even if during the exercise they feel fabulous. 

 

You can read more about Estrogen Dominance to see if this hormonal imbalance is part of your inability to lose weight and improve your emotional state by clicking here. 

Happy Hormones Quiz | The Hormone Diva

What Can Be Done Instead

So that’s all great- but what can you actually do to effectively burn fat without losing muscle and creating hormonal imbalances?

 

First, correct your hormonal imbalances with food. 

 

You cannot out-exercise a bad diet ladies.

 

It’s just not possible. No matter how long you stay on that treadmill or how many bootcamp classes you attend, if you’re scarfing down a bagel for breakfast and eating take out for dinner every night, the scale is going to climb. 

 

Second, switch your exercise to the fat-burning kind. The de-stressor kind. Think High-Intensity Interval Training for 20-30 minutes max, and some yoga to balance it out.

 
 
 

By Robyn - Check out my quiz

Estrogen Dominance: The Hidden Cause of Weight Gain, Moodiness and Heavy, Painful, and Irregular Periods

 

There are so many different reasons our bodies may be suffering, trying to figure it all out can be dizzying. Hormone imbalance is really a hot topic these days in the wellness sphere, and for good reason. 

 

Millions of women everywhere are suffering needlessly with hormonal imbalances. Busy, stressful lives, widespread toxicity, poor diet and sedentary lifestyle are contributing to these imbalances which seem to plague us. 

 

As you may be aware, I have hormonal imbalances myself. I have PCOS as well as an underactive thyroid gland. I deal with adrenal insufficiency as well. All of these issues seem to be connected, and the hormone estrogen is one of those connections. 

 

If you’re struggling with weight gain in the hips, thighs, belly and back, or are dealing with mood problems and bad periods, I urge you to read on. What you will discover may be the lightbulb moment you need to begin taking targeted and natural action to smooth your symptoms and allow you to LIVE again. 

 

What Is Estrogen Dominance?

 

First of all, let’s get this out of the way. Educating yourself about WHAT is going on in your body and WHY (this comes below) will give you the direction you need to keep going. 

 

Estrogen dominance is a term that’s become quite popular, but many don’t truly understand what it means. Often we think “dominance” must mean too much, but this is not the case.

 

Estrogen dominance is simply an imbalance in the ratio of estrogen to progesterone, in favour of estrogen. This could mean that:

 

(1) You have excessively high levels of estrogen

(2) You have normal estrogen and low progesterone

(3) You have low estrogen and extremely low progesterone

 

Therefore, it is possible for women of all ages (even through and beyond menopause) to be estrogen dominant. There are 3 main estrogens, (1) estradiol, (2) estriol and (3) estrone. For the purposes of this article, I’m talking about estradiol- the estrogen that is most important throughout our lifespan. On the flip side, estriol is highest in pregnancy, and estrone becomes the dominant estrogen post-menopause. 

Hormone Imbalance Quiz | The Hormone Diva

What Are The Symptoms of Estrogen Dominance?

 

There are so many different symptoms or complaints of estrogen dominance, and I’ll outline them below based on the 3 possible variations of estrogen dominance we discussed above. 

 

(1) Excessively high levels of estrogen and low progesterone

  • Sore, swollen and tender breasts
  • Breast growth beyond puberty
  • Swelling in the hands/fingers, legs and ankles
  • Menstrual cramps
  • Heavy menstrual flow
  • Impatience 
  • Being called “too bossy”

 

(2) Normal to high estrogen and low progesterone

  • Absent periods
  • Irregular periods
  • Menstrual flow clotting
  • Sore, tender breasts
  • Water retention/swelling
  • Fibrocystic breasts
  • Fibroids
  • Endometriosis 

 

(3) Low estrogen and extremely low progesterone

  • Memory loss
  • Depression 
  • Hot flashes or night sweats
  • Vaginal dryness
  • Low libido
  • Chronic fatigue
  • Insomnia
  • Sagging breasts
  • Quick weight gain
  • Bloating 
  • Absent or irregular periods

 

Other, more general symptoms and signs of estrogen dominance include:

  • Accelerated aging
  • Hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar) – feeling “hangry” between meals
  • Premenopausal bone loss
  • Thyroid dysfunction
  • Uterine cancer and fibroids
  • Breast cancer
  • PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome)
  • Ovarian cysts
  • Anovulation 
  • Low progesterone and/or luteal phase defect
  • Cervical dysplasia
  • Hair loss
  • infertility
  • irritability
  • Mood swings
  • PMS or PMDD
  • Sluggish metabolism
  • Fat deposition in the hips, thighs, belly and back
  • Gallbladder disease

 

How You Get Estrogen Dominance

 

So how did we get here? What happened in our lives that brought on estrogen dominance and all these bothersome symptoms?

 

Toxicity 

First and foremost, we must chat about toxicity. There are infinite sources of toxicity in our environment, and we cannot escape it. This sometimes makes us feel like giving up- because if we don’t have control, what’s the point? The truth is we do have control.

 

The main sources of toxicity we can’t control are:

  • Air pollution
  • Use of chemicals in clothing, furniture, cars, etc

 

Sources of toxicity we can control:

  • Food and water
  • Household cleaning products
  • Indoor air environment
  • Makeup
  • Personal care products such as deodorant and shampoo

 

As you can see, a lot of the control is in our hands. This is really important, as toxins can disrupt proper estrogen and hormone metabolism (endocrine disruptors) contributing to any or all of the symptoms listed above. 

 

Specifically, it’s important to watch out for xenoestrogens, man-made estrogens found in many places, including:

  • Commercially-raised meat and dairy products like chicken, beef, pork, and all dairy
  • Non-organic foods with high levels of insecticides and pesticides
  • Tap water
  • Shampoos, lotions, soaps, toothpastes, cosmetics, deodorants, etc
  • Soft plastics (BPA is a popular xenoestrogen here)
  • Artificial food additives, including artificial sweeteners and MSG
  • Non-organic soy and soy derivatives like soy protein isolate
  • Dryer sheets
  • Birth control pills and hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
  • Disposable menstrual products like tampons and sanitary pads

 

The problem with these xenoestrogens is that they mimic the function of our natural estrogen, but in a much stronger or more powerful way. Beyond giving our bodies too much estrogen, they will also disrupt that delicate estrogen-progesterone ratio, the definition of estrogen dominance. 

 

Poor Diet

Diet is one of those areas where we do have control, and ignoring this is detrimental to our health. As you can see from the above list, five of the ten sources of xenoestrogens mentioned are food-based. 

 

This makes logical sense then that dietary xenoestrogens are contributing to estrogen dominance. You can also see that these foods aren’t healthy choices either, so eliminating them from your diet is the easiest way to ditch 50% of the xenoestrogens you come into contact with. 

 

Beyond dietary xenoestrogens, other dietary problems can contribute. For example, if you eat a diet high in refined carbs (think bagels, bread, muffins, noodles, donuts, crackers, etc), your blood sugar and insulin balance will be upset. 

 

When this happens, insulin messes with your ovaries, changing up estrogen and progesterone balance. Additionally, insulin resistance and blood sugar imbalance create more opportunity for your body to store extra fat and to be anxious, depressed, irritable or down right moody. 

 

Birth Control and Hormone Replacement Therapy

Medications are another branch of toxicity worth it’s own section. Many women today are on some form of hormones birth control, like the pill, shot, IUD or patch. Other peri- and post-menopausal women are given synthetic hormone replacement therapy (HRT). 

 

All of these drugs push high amounts of synthetic estrogen into your body. Because the lab-made estrogen doesn’t look or at the exact way our natural estrogen does, it often binds to receptors first and has the same powerful and harmful action as other xenoestrogens. When women using hormonal birth control pee, the hormones are left in the water system, ending up in tap water. Local filtration systems just aren’t enough to remove the hormones from the water. 

 

The good news is that there are many non-drug ways to have contraception, or hormone support, depending on your needs. For example, the Fertility Awareness Method (FAM) can be used to prevent pregnancy or enhance fertility, depending on your goals. 

Hormone Imbalance Quiz | The Hormone Diva

Estrogen Dominance and Weight Gain

So what’s the connection between having estrogen dominance and weight gain? It’s pretty simple. 

 

Estrogen is partly responsible for keeping our metabolisms in good shape. It also helps to maintain fat loss in proper levels. Having too much can slow metabolism, as can having too little. So, you’re more apt to gain weight, especially in the hips, thighs and back, as well as the belly. You might notice you started out as a pear shape, and have gained weight and now have an apple shape, with much of your weight in the belly area as time goes on. 

 

Beyond this, estrogen dominance negatively interferes with thyroid hormone. The thyroid is the main controller of our metabolism, and of estrogen dominance is slowing our thyroid, our metabolism will slow and we will gain weight. 

 

Many women with estrogen dominance also have some level of thyroid dysfunction. 

 

Estrogen Dominance and Mood Problems

Beyond weight gain, mood disturbances are a big light bulb that estrogen dominance may be contributing to your issues. 

 

When estrogen is in balance, we feel sexy, strong, confident and ready to take on the world. We are uplifted and pleasant to be around. 

 

When estrogen dominates over progesterone, this can lead to anxiety (progesterone is a calming hormones) and depression, which may be seen even with low estrogen levels. 

 

Additionally, excess estrogen may have you feeling super irritable, or people may begin calling you bossy because of the way you act. 

 

These things don’t have to be cause for using anti-depressants, but rather are a signal to bring estrogen and progesterone into balance naturally to restore your moods. 

 

Estrogen Dominance and Painful, Heavy and Irregular Periods

Another big sign of estrogen dominance is period issues. Specifically, heavy, painful and/or irregular periods.

 

Having too much estrogen in relation to progesterone can stall or halt ovulation altogether. No ovulation = no period. 

 

Excessive estrogen also builds up the lining of the uterus more than normal, and often results in heavy periods accompanied by clotting. Pain and menstrual cramping may also be severe with estrogen dominance.
 
 Hormone Imbalance Quiz | The Hormone Diva

By Robyn - Check out my quiz

5 Natural Ways to Reduce Hip, Thigh and Under-the-Bra Back Fat

 

As a Holistic Nutritionist and Women’s Health and Nutrition Coach, I get a lot of complaints from women dealing with stubborn fat that won’t budge- especially in the hips, thighs, and on the back in the bra strap area. They try to eat healthfully and spend time at the gym to no avail.

 

Maybe this is you as well, and you’re wondering if there is any solution to this stubborn problem. 

 

I myself tend to carry weight in my hips and thighs, although never on the back. In my clinical experience, there is one major hormonal imbalance preventing the loss of fat in these areas- and it may even be causing your PMS!

Happy Hormones Quiz | The Hormone Diva

Why Do I Have Excess Hip, Thigh and Under-the-Bra Back Fat?

 

The major hormone involved in keeping fat on these areas is estrogen. Estrogen often gets a bad name as it’s been linked to things like estrogen-responsive cancers, cysts, fibroids, and blood clot risk. However, estrogen isn’t “bad” at all, but rather a really important hormone for women (and men, to a lesser extent). 

 

There are several different estrogens, including those below. Note that I’m mostly referring to Estradiol in this article:

  • Estradiol
  • Estriol (the pregnancy estrogen)
  • Estrone (the menopause estrogen)

 

In women, estrogen is responsible for:

  • Being highest during the first half of your menstrual cycle (menstrual flow to ovulation)
  • Breast growth and development
  • Maturing follicles (aka immature eggs) for one to be released at ovulation
  • Increasing metabolism slightly
  • Keeping us lubricated- in our joints, muscles and vagina
  • Increasing libido
  • Increasing confidence
  • Uplifting mood
  • Bone growth and protection
  • Improving skin by increasing collagen and blood supply

 

So if estrogen is so good, how could it be causing all this fat on your body?

 

The answer is estrogen dominance. Estrogen dominance doesn’t necessarily mean having too much estrogen, but rather that the estrogen to progesterone ratio is off in the body. These two hormones (like all hormones) communicate with each other and have a very delicate balance. 

 

If your estrogen levels are high (or low) and your progesterone is way too low, estrogen dominance results. Besides layering fat on your hips, thighs and under-the-bra, estrogen dominance is implicated in:

  • PMS
  • Infertility
  • Thyroid nodules and cancer
  • Ovarian, breast and endometrial cancers
  • Endometriosis
  • Uterine Fibroids
  • Ovarian Cysts
  • Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
  • Fibrocystic Breasts
  • Breast tenderness and swelling
  • Bloating, water retention
  • Depression and anxiety
  • Hair Loss
  • Painful and/or heavy menstrual flow

 

The specific mechanism that leads to the extra fat deposition has to do with estrogen receptors. Your legs happen to have a lot of these receptors, so estrogen will deposit here. If your liver isn’t metabolizing and detoxifying estrogen optimally, loads of estrogen can be recirculated and deposited on your hips and thighs. 

 

As this continues to happen over time, fat cells can begin to produce their own estrogen- no ovaries needed- adding to the estrogen dominance situation and the storage of fat on your body.

 

Rectifying estrogen dominance is one of the best ways to slim these areas down and generally feel a whole lot better.

 

Wondering if estrogen dominance or other hormonal imbalances are contributing to your symptoms? Check out my Hormone Imbalance Quiz to find out!

Happy Hormones Quiz | The Hormone Diva

5 Natural Ways to Reduce Hip, Thigh and Under-the-Bra Back Fat

 

#1 Cruciferous Veggies

 

Cruciferous vegetables are powerhouses of nutrition- superfoods easily accessible in any grocery store.  These vegetables contain sulphur, an important mineral which is needed for healthy skin. The DIM and sulphur contained in these vegetables helps the body to detoxify excess estrogen, which can cause fat storage and contribute to other hormonal issues like the ones mentioned previously. 

 

Cruciferous vegetables also contain high levels of fibre- creating amazing poops which allow you to excrete built up hormones like estrogen, as well as move your bowels to reduce the weight of a GI system full of stool. The fibre in these vegetables also balances insulin and blood sugar- something that is 100% KEY to releasing excess weight and managing estrogen dominance- keeping you full longer and not running to the vending machine.

 

Here are some examples of cruciferous vegetables:

 

  • broccoli
  • cauliflower
  • cabbage
  • bok choy
  • turnip
  • radishes
  • kale
  • collard greens
  • brussels sprouts
  • mustard greens
  • napa cabbage
  • kohlrabi
  • rutabaga
  • rapini
  • arugula
  • daikon radish
  • mizuna
  • horseradish
  • watercress
  • wasabi
  • romanesco 

 

My recommendation is to get 2 to 4 cups of these vegetables daily to balance estrogen levels, and mostly cooked so they don’t interfere with iodine absorption. 

 

#2 Liver Detoxification

 

Your liver is a major detoxification organ in your body. Everything that comes into your body must be detoxified through your liver before it can be excreted, and estrogen is no exception. If you liver isn’t working optimally, due to the lifestyle factors listed above or due to hormonal birth control use, estrogen isn’t going to be detoxified well. Some of it may end up being recirculated in the body, possibly being deposited in fat cells in the hips, thighs and back. 

 

Optimizing liver function takes time and patience, but the results are totally worth it. There are many ways to detoxify the liver, and chances are you don’t need 20 supplements a day to do so- a few supportive herbs along with a liver cleansing diet can do wonders for estrogen dominance, fat storage, mood and more. 

 

  1. Cruciferous vegetables: As you’ve just learned, cruciferous veg are fantastic for helping with liver and estrogen detoxification. Aim for 2 to 4 cups daily.
  2. Medicinal herbs for the liver: Herbs such as dandelion root, burdock root, yellow dock, turmeric, milk thistle and artichoke all support the liver to detoxify and regenerate. Choosing a capsule, tincture or tea formula like my Detox Tea will make it easy to get these herbs. Follow supplement bottle directions or aim for 2-4 cups of Detox Tea daily.
  3. Green Tea: This unfermented tea contains incredible amounts of antioxidants and compounds including EGCG or epigallocatechin gallate. Antioxidants are needed in large amounts to optimize both Phase I and Phase II liver detoxification. Green tea helps the liver to detoxify by improving general liver function, and increasing those antioxidants. It’s possible (although not really studied in detail) that green tea could interfere with fat absorption, and block fat synthesis in the liver. Aim for 2 to 4 cups green tea or 1 cup matcha green tea daily, or use a supplement as directed on the bottle. 

#3 Increase Progesterone

 

As you’ve discovered, estrogen dominance generally means low or inadequate progesterone levels as well. 

 

  • Like estrogen, progesterone has really important functions in our female bodies:
  • Being highest during the second half of your menstrual cycle (ovulation to menstrual flow) 
  • Reducing anxiety
  • Aiding good quality sleep
  • Having a successful pregnancy (it’s the pregnancy hormone!)
  • Thickening the uterine lining for potential implantation of a fertilized egg
  • Regulating water and sodium balance to reduce swelling, water retention, sore breasts, etc

 

Increasing progesterone levels can be tricky when you’re chronically stressed, as your body will ‘steal’ the hormone building blocks to make cortisol rather than progesterone, so check out #5 Manage Stress below for more info on that.

 

There are a few easy ways to begin increasing progesterone production (in addition to managing stress as outlined below):

 

  1. Increase Vitamin C: Vitamin C has been shown in studies to increase progesterone, especially in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. Research suggests a daily dose of between 400mg to 750mg over a period of several months could help with progesterone levels, length of luteal phase and fertility. 
  2. Use Cinnamon: I have written and spoken a lot about cinnamon for women’s health. Research suggests using about 1.5g daily of cassia cinnamon can help to regulate menstrual cycles by increasing progesterone. As a bonus, it also helps to balance blood sugar, a major underlying contributor to many hormonal imbalances (including estrogen dominance) and fat storage. 

Happy Hormones Quiz | The Hormone Diva

#4 Xenoestrogens/Environmental Toxins

 

Toxins like xenoestrogens (man-made estrogen-like chemicals) found in plastics, BPA, household and personal care products (that includes your makeup too!) are a major contributor to estrogen dominance in our wasteful society. It even causes men to have high levels of estrogen, leading to infertility and other problems (like excess body fat) in both sexes. 

 

This is an important component in regulating estrogen that is often overlooked! I recommend starting by looking at the Environmental Working Group’s Consumer Guides  to see what to watch out for, and which products are safe.

 

#5 Manage Stress

Stress messes with your hormones. I experience this as one of the major disturbances to my own menstrual cycle- if I’m stressed, I’m likely to ovulate later and experience more PMS symptoms before Aunt Flo arrives. Maybe this is you as well!

 

When we’re stressed chronically, our bodies put out loads of the stress hormone cortisol to help keep us going. When cortisol needs to be high a lot of the time due to stress, our bodies will take the cortisol building blocks from other hormones- usually progesterone. It’s sometimes referred to as the progesterone steal or the pregnenolone steal. 

 

You’re left with high cortisol levels, and low progesterone- a recipe for estrogen dominance and hip, thigh and back fat. 

 

Beyond this, stress messes with blood sugar balance, and elevated insulin can contribute to estrogen dominance and weight gain as well. 

 

There’s infinite ways to manage stress, and the important thing to take away here is that it’s necessary to manage your stress like it’s your job. Techniques and activities must be done daily to see cortisol and progesterone levels even out, so that you can reduce estrogen dominance and hip, thigh and back fat. 

 

My recommendation is to try a whole bunch of stuff if you’re not sure yet what helps you become more resilient to stress (because we can’t get rid of stress entirely), and settle on a few things that can be done regularly. 

 

For example, I meditate, do yoga, walk and limit screen time daily for my stress. 

 

Your might look different, and that’s okay.

 

Try any or all of the following suggestions:

 

  • Yoga
  • Meditation and/or Deep Breathing
  • Walking
  • Spending time in nature
  • Reading a good book
  • Watching a funny TV show or movie
  • Having a hot bath
  • Giving yourself a face mask or body scrub
  • Having a quick 20 minute nap
  • Stretching
  • Implement a laptop curfew
  • Adult colouring books
  • Take time for yourself- no screens, no kids, no work, etc
  • Get to bed earlier
  • Use some essential oils and/or medicinal herbs like this Stress Tea 

Happy Hormones Quiz | The Hormone Diva

By Robyn - Check out my quiz

How to Use More Cruciferous Vegetables for Happy Hormones

 

How to Use More Cruciferous Vegetables for Happy Hormones | The Hormone Diva
 
The vegetables I grew up with were pretty sad. Frozen vegetables like corn, carrots, peas and greens beans were the name of the game. If I did get fresh vegetables, it was a sad iceberg lettuce salad with carrots, cucumber and store-bought french dressing (STILL my favourite salad dressing of all time). Super crappy. 
 
I never knew there was a whole other world of delicious vegetation that I could eat and experiment with. As a teenager, I began to bring more fresh food into my life- like spinach, broccoli and those containers of baby mixed greens. I also ate bell peppers and began my love affair with onions. 
 
The more I learned, the more I realized that certain vegetables can have some pretty profound effects on my health. The biggest contenders in this area are the cruciferous vegetables. Now I eat them fresh, steamed, roasted or any way I can on a daily basis. I can say that they have helped me in numerous ways, like reducing my digestive difficulty, balancing my blood sugar and helping my liver detoxify hormones. 
 

Detox Tea | The Hormone Diva

 

What Are Cruciferous Vegetables

 
Cruciferous vegetables are vegetables in the Brassica family of plants. 
 

Here’s the list of delicious morsels in this group: 

  • broccoli
  • cauliflower
  • cabbage
  • bok choy
  • turnip
  • radishes
  • kale
  • collard greens
  • brussels sprouts
  • mustard greens
  • napa cabbage
  • kohlrabi
  • rutabaga
  • rapini
  • arugula
  • daikon radish
  • mizuna
  • horseradish
  • watercress
  • wasabi
  • romanesco
 

Why Cruciferous Vegetables for Happy Hormones 

 
As you can see, there are numerous vegetables in that list- all delicious. There’s so much variety it’s impossible to get sick of these Happy Hormones vegetables. 
 
Here’s why we all need more of these beauties: 
 

Glow: Skin + Hair Health

  • These vegetables contain sulphur, an important mineral which is needed for healthy skin
  • Brassicas contain Sulforaphane, an anti-oxidant and anti-aging compound which can reduce skin damage
  • The DIM contained in these vegetables helps the body to detoxify excess estrogen, which can cause acne and contribute to other hormonal issues like PCOS, where hair loss and skin issues are common
 

Vivacity: Healthy Weight

  • The sulfur compounds in cruciferous vegetables help to detoxify the liver- which when sluggish causes weight gain, bloating, gas and constipation
  • The veg also contains high levels of fibre- which will create amazing poops which allow you to excrete built up hormones like estrogen, as well as move your bowels to reduce the weight of a GI system full of stool
  • The fibre in these vegetables also balances insulin and blood sugar- something that is 100% KEY to releasing excess weight- keeping you full longer and not running to the vending machine
 
 

JOY: Positive Moods + Stable Relationships

  • When your blood sugar is balanced, you don’t get ‘Hangry’ between meals- so you and the other humans in your path won’t see the monster
  • As they help to detoxify excess estrogen- the common symptoms of mood swings, anxiety and depression that can result from estrogen dominance disappear

Detox Tea | The Hormone Diva

 

How to Use More Cruciferous Vegetables

(Beyond sad soggy boiled broccoli)

 
  • Steam a bunch of these veg, add just enough bone broth to cover and blend into a healthy, nourishing soup
  • Cut broccoli and cauliflower into tiny pieces and mix with your favourite homemade dressing, some shredded carrots and maybe a few juice-sweetened dried cranberries for a great salad
  • Put some of those greens like kale or collards into your next smoothie for an antioxidant and fibre boost
  • Shred Brussels sprouts and saute lightly with nitrate-free bacon and chopped onions
  • Make a stir fry with asian vegetables like daikon radish and bok choy
  • Put the daintier leafies like arugula, watercress and cabbage into a big green salad, topped with other veggies like peppers
  • Steam a bunch of cauliflower and broccoli and top with melted ghee, lemon juice and salt and pepper
  • Roast some rutabaga and mash as you would mashed potatoes, and use as a healthier and lower carb potato substitute
  • Use horseradish to flavour your foods- it’s great with all types of meats and many fish
 
As you can see there is no shortage of ways to increase the amount of these tasty delights beyond just boiling and choking them down. Dress them up, dress them down. Enjoy them to detox daily for Happy Hormones!
 

Which of these vegetables is your fav? How do you love to consume them? Please share in the comments!

 
By Robyn - Check out my quiz

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