Oestrogen Detox

What the hell is that?

Honestly, I didn't realise how much hormones, specifically oestrogen, affect the way I feel until I really started to pay attention. I kind of just assumed my mood swings, brain fog, and weird energy dips were from stress, lack of sleep, poor nutrition or being "just one of those weeks".

Add in: fibre = berries and nut butter

The truth is, my body might just have been hanging on to way too much oestrogen and I didn't even realise this was a thing !!

Quick hormone 101...

Oestrogen is actually a group of hormones that do different jobs throughout our lives.

• Oestradiol - main one during fertile years

• Oestriol - mainly during pregnancy

• Oestrone - sticks around after menopause

Basically, when it's balanced, we feel good - mentally and physically. BUT too much or too little = chaos. Mood swings, stress, fatigue, poor sleep, weight gain, brain fog, feeling = not cute.

Oestrogen dominance... rude

If your body isn't breaking down oestrogen properly - whether that is due to stress, poor digestion, lifestyle, or just being a bit overloaded - it lingers. So may I introduce you to the oestrogen detox...

Oestrogen detox

Gals, this isn't a juice cleanse or anything dramatic. It's just some simple steps that you can take, which I found made a huge difference.

The add ins:

• More fibre: beans, berries, nuts, seeds, veg, all the goodness! Fibre helps push oestrogen through the bowels (TMI, but you'll thank me)

• Turmeric: a winner for anti-inflammatory support and hormone balance. I throw it in my scrambled eggs with some black pepper (necessary to activate the goodness), you can barely taste it but it definitely helps to ward off evil spirits

• Flax & chickpeas: these contain 'good' oestrogens that actually help to balance things out. If you haven't tried crispy chickpeas yet then THIS IS YOUR SIGN

• Sweat: my FAVOURITE HACK!!! I don't mean workouts that make you perspire. Sauna sessions have been life changing for me - your body sweats out the excess oestrogen toxins, saving your liver the job. Plus, you leave feeling zen

  
  

  

The take-aways:

• Gluten (potentially): I personally noticed gluten poorly affected my digestion which caused oestrogen to hang around a bit longer in my body. I didn't cut it out completely, just became more aware of it and limited it where I could. If you find a food group slows your digestion, I'd give this a go

• Plastics & chemicals: I ditched the plastic water bottles and stopped microwaving things in plastic containers (sorry meal prep queens). Makeup and toiletries also carry hidden chemical oestrogens but I haven't got round to checking this out yet... scary. Receipts too?! Crazy

• Alcohol: not my favourite thing to cut back on because I'm a sucker for a glass of red on a Sunday evening but it messes with your liver and this is the main route oestrogen takes to leave the body. So cutting back definitely helps if you're feeling a bit odd

I didn't realise how much it affected me until I started to feel better. Balancing oestrogen isn't about being perfect or obsessing over these things. Simply support your body in doable ways, and you might join me in feeling less crazy, more stable, and more yourself again !

If you've been feeling a bit all over the place and can't quite put your finger on it, drop me a message for some extra guidance. Let's chat about how we can use training, recovery and lifestyle to support you.