Hormones have become a popular topic in the health and wellness world lately and for good reason! They are essential to our overall health – impacting how we feel, how we look and how women experience their monthly menses.
But how does our hormone health relate to our liver health? Simply put, clinically we’ve found that a loaded liver often leads to a hormonal imbalance. We are seeing this more and more frequently with clients at the BePure Clinic. This is also why I spent last three years developing BePure EstroClear, an active daily detoxifier scientifically formulated to support upregulating detoxification through the liver.
First, though it’s important to understand the role our liver plays in our health, how it gets overloaded in the first place and what you can do to support your liver back to optimal function.
What is liver load and why do we get it?
The liver is an incredible detoxifier, however, it requires sufficient quality nutrients to do so.
In the modern world, we are presented with many environmental toxins on a daily basis. Xenoestrogens are environmental toxins that interfere with our hormone balance. 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. They are also added to our food supply in the form of pesticides and herbicides.
Normally our bodies would process these extra toxins out through the liver. But due to nutrition choices, increased stress levels and liver-loaders such as alcohol and caffeine, our liver function is often compromised and we struggle to clear it.
On the other side of the coin, often our nutrition choices and modern-day stress levels contribute to nutrient deficiencies. Without adequate nutrients, the liver is unable to successfully detoxify toxins from the body.
Why is detoxification essential to hormone health?
There are two main phases of the liver that work to detoxify toxins and excess hormones from the body. For most people, the first phase of the liver works efficiently, it is the second phase that is commonly sluggish. This means that molecules pass through the first phase easily and are backed up in the second phase. The liver then recirculates the half detoxified molecules in the body, leading to problems. If these half detoxified molecules are hormones (which a lot of the time they are), this contributes to hormonal noise at the receptor sites, which in turn contributes to a hormone imbalance.
10 Top Tips to Support Your Liver:
1. Eat plenty of cruciferous vegetables
These include broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, swede, turnips, kale and watercress. They contain liver supporting phytochemicals that are released when chopped, chewed, fermented, cooked or digested and are especially rich in diindolylmethane (DIM), which is effective in detoxifying excess oestrogen.
2. Avoid plastics as much as possible
Plastics contain xenoestrogens that mimic oestrogen in the body, working to interfere with the balance of oestrogen in relation to your other hormones. These toxins in plastics are prone to leaching into what they come in contact with, so it’s especially important to remove plastics that come into contact with your food and drink. Time to swap out your plastic drink bottle for a glass or stainless steel one.
3. Choose natural skin care and makeup.
Our exposure to chemicals, toxins and xenoestrogens found in makeup and skincare products contributes to our liver loading. Chemicals enter the lymphatic system and our bloodstream and travel to the liver. It also affects our ability to absorb, store and use nutrients from our food that can help support healthy hormones.
4. Support your liver with the nutrients it needs
Our livers require adequate nutrients to process toxins out of the body. B-vitamins, selenium and vitamin E are key cofactors for these metabolic reactions (also add…carotenes(vitamin A), Vit C, copper, zinc, manganese, coQ10, bioflavonoids). This is a reason I’ve included the full spectrum of B vitamins in BePure One.
5. Take a break from coffee and alcohol
Coffee and alcohol are some of our biggest liver loaders and while your liver is busy detoxifying caffeine and alcohol, it won’t have the nutrients to detoxify other substances.
6. Drink green and spearmint tea
Green tea contains an EGCG molecule a powerhouse of a catechin that not only assists the liver with detoxification but also assists with weight loss and reduces inflammation. Research has also shown spearmint tea can help with symptoms of PCOS (poly-cystic ovarian syndrome), a health condition linked hormone imbalance.
7. Include plenty of rosemary and turmeric in your diet
These are fantastic for liver clearance and work to up-regulate the three phases of the liver to assist in clearance of toxins. Spiced Cauliflower Bowl includes both turmeric and cauliflower (a cruciferous vegetable); if you’re looking for an easy way to add these to your diet. The BePure Turmeric Latte recipe is also a sure favourite.
8. Eat the right protein levels for you
Most detox diets involve reducing protein, I disagree! Amino acids from protein are essential for liver function and detoxification. We’ve got no chance of balancing our hormones on a monthly level if we can’t balance our hormones on a daily level and stable blood sugar levels are one of the keys to balancing your hormones on a daily level. If you don’t yet know what the right level of protein is for you, try taking the BePure Macronutrient Profile Test to determine your macronutrient profile and get started with eating right for you.
9. Eat spray free produce
Many pesticides and herbicides are highly oestrogenic, meaning they contain xenoestrogens and mimic oestrogen in the body. Hence it is best to grow your own, otherwise get to know your local farmers, shop at farmers markets and buy organic when possible.
10. Include a nutritional support to support your liver
I’ve spent three years developing a product that specifically targets liver clearance. The ingredients in BePure EstroClear work to support upregulating the second phase of the liver (some of them I’ve already mentioned in this list; DIM, rosemary and turmeric). It is especially great for people who are suffering from oestrogen dominance. Some of the symptoms of estrogen dominance include stubborn weight around hips and thighs, bad PMS, heavy periods, bloating and mood swings.
