You may have heard the term “xenoestrogen” and wondered what it is exactly. Xenoestrogens are endocrine-disrupting chemicals that mimic estrogen in our bodies. They are found in conventional personal care products (e.g., toothpaste, deodorant, sunscreen), cosmetics, and household cleaning products, in plastic food packaging such as water bottles and coffee cup lids (Bisphenol A or BPA), phthalates (nail polish, shampoos, shower curtains, baby toys, etc.), and pesticides and herbicides.
Exposure to xenoestrogens in our food and environment can lead to symptoms of excess estrogen such as PMS symptoms, hot flashes, night sweats, heavy bleeding, breast tenderness, insomnia, foggy brain, weight gain, mood swings and depression. And while estrogen during perimenopause and menopause is declining (or fluctuating), it is possible to have symptoms of excess estrogen due to the ratio of estrogen to progesterone (as progesterone levels are also declining).
To try to reduce your exposure to xenoestrogens, you can:
buy organic produce where possible. At the very least, try to buy the following products in organic form, because they contain the most pesticide residue: Environmental Working Group’s (EWG's) List of Dirty Dozen.
use natural cleaning products (e.g., vinegar and baking soda)
use “cleaner” beauty and personal care products. Some ingredients to avoid in your beauty products include sodium lauryl sulfate, parabens, formaldehyde, fragrance and hydroquinone.
use glass containers, stainless steel or ceramic instead of plastic
store your dry goods in glass jars (I save old jam jars for this purpose)
buy canned goods without the BPA lining or in glass jars (e.g., strained tomatoes)
If you’d like to learn more about how to reduce your exposure to xenoestrogens and foods to help support your body, feel free to book a free 15-minute discovery call with me.
Additional resources:
search for the products on the EWG's Skin Deep website to help you choose personal care products and for cleaning products, refer to EWG's Guide to Healthy Cleaning
shop at your local health food store for cleaning and beauty products. Locally, I like Terra20, Nugrocery (zero waste store), Natural Food Pantry, and Green Beaver.
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