As my daughters and I prepare to celebrate Mother’s Day this weekend, I've been thinking about all the amazing things the female body can do.

Last year, I ran an Essential Health and Wellness Seminar for women and during the seminar, we covered various ways women can achieve optimal health, wellbeing and vitality.

I thought this was an appropriate time to revisit some of the content we covered—specifically the difference between male and female bodies and what we can all do to help our mothers, wives, friends, daughters, sisters and (if you're a female) yourself, to flourish.

WOMEN HAVE INCREDIBLY COMPLEX HORMONE STRUCTURES

Physiologically, men and women are vastly different and this becomes very apparent when looking at each of their hormonal systems. One key difference being that a women's body is capable of growing and nourishing another human!

I hope you all don't mind this analogy…

I like to say that a male body is like a Toyota Hilux. They are simple, predictable, and never break down. But when they do, it is a massive event with little to no warning. Basically, the engine blows up! Think of a heart attack, stroke or type two diabetes.

When we look back through evolution this makes sense. While bearing and raising children females, relied on the males to gather and catch food. To perform this physical task a male's body needed to be straightforward to run.

On the other hand, female bodies are like formula one race cars. They have incredibly complex hormonal structures—or engines—as they need to complete the incredible feat of reproduction.

A woman's body needs the right environment and nutrients for optimal hormone production. These optimal and balanced hormones are needed to stay healthy and a healthy female is more likely to be able to reproduce. However, it doesn’t take very much to throw these complicated engines—or hormone systems—out of kilter.

SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

Due to environmental toxins, increased stresses, the oral contraceptive pill, menopause and numerous other lifestyle factors, many women today are experiencing hormone imbalances.

I always say this, and it's very important to remember, “just because something is common, doesn’t mean it is normal!

The female body is comprised of very intricate hormone systems which work in sync to control many bodily functions. From body temperature, metabolism, reproductive organs, your stress response, muscle mass and even your sleep patterns.

As you can see, there are many areas that can cause a hormone imbalance, resulting in many different symptoms and conditions.

At the BePure Clinic we are seeing many teenagers with crippling pain and premenstrual syndrome (PMS)* and women experiencing early menopause. We're also seeing rising numbers of women, aged 28-35, who come off the contraceptive pill in the hopes of starting a family—only to find themselves with irregular cycles, PCOS*, endometriosis*, or experiencing infertility.

*You can find the definition for these conditions in the footnotes.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP BALANCE YOUR HORMONES?

When it comes to hormonal imbalances there are three key areas to consider that will help support hormonal balance.

1. LIFESTYLE FACTORS

There are several lifestyle factors that you can work on to support hormone balance:

Getting enough sleep to help your body recover and repair. Aim for 8 hours per night.

Avoid plastic bottles and containers used for food and water. Plastics contain petrochemical molecules such as BPAs, PCBs and dioxins. Removing these from your life will drastically reduce your exposure to xenoestrogens which are a huge cause of oestrogen dominance.

Avoiding plastics can be harder than you think. Here are several sources of plastic you might not have thought about

- Tinned food
Most tins these days are lined with plastic.

- Teflon
This is a plastic, so think about your non-stick frying pans.

- Wine boxes
The plastic bladder breaks down from the acidity of wine.

- Kettles
When the hot water boils plastic particles seep into your water

... and the list could go on

Use natural skincare and makeup, we really like The Herb Farm which has products for both men and women. If using sunscreen, opt for a paraben free variety like Soleo Organics.

2. DIETARY FACTORS

You can also eat foods and avoid certain foods to help support hormonal balance.

Eat plenty of cruciferous vegetables
This includes broccoli sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, collard greens, radish, bok choy, brussel sprouts and watercress. Cruciferous vegetables are especially rich in di-indolylmethane (DIM). DIM helps mop up excess oestrogens, supporting the liver. Try and eat some of these foods at least once a day.

Eat spray free produce
Many pesticides and herbicides are oestrogenic. Again meaning they mimic oestrogen in the body. This is why they are so highly associated with increases in breast cancer – as the breast tissue is highly sensitive to hormone levels. Grow your own where possible.

Reduce or eliminate soy
Soy is oestrogenic. If you still want to consume soy products, choose fermented soy such as miso, tamari sauce or natto.

Reduce liver-loaders
Such as caffeine and alcohol to help clear excess oestrogen through your liver.

3. EXTRA NUTRITIONAL SUPPORT

Because of the extra toxic load from environmental toxins and processed or non-organic foods, plus the stressors of modern day life, it's important to give our bodies extra nutritional support to keep our hormones in balance.

As well as nourishing your hormonal systems with missing nutrients, the BePure One multi-vitamin also has an incredibly powerful base of greens. Adding in this green formula supports clearing our hormonal pathways and reduces oestrogen dominance for healthy, balanced hormones.

Adding in this green formula supports clearing our hormonal pathways and reduces oestrogen dominance for healthy, balanced hormones.

The BePure One formula is comprised of chlorella, barley grass, wheatgrass, spirulina and other potent ‘greens’. These superfoods help support your body's natural detoxification pathways in your liver and kidneys.

On top of this BePure One also has lipoic acid to support the liver and Broccoli Sprout extract which specifically helps detoxify excess oestrogen.

I always recommend taking BePure One in conjunction with a high-quality, omega-3 rich fish oil, such as BePure Three. Among other things omega 3 fish oils keep your cell membranes flexible and allow good nutrients into the cell, while allowing unwanted toxins to be expelled from your cells.

If you have any questions about female hormones, please get in touch at info@bepure.co.nz.

Footnotes:

Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) – Symptoms leading up to a women's period which are not present at other times of the month.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) – A condition causing enlarged ovaries with small cysts.

Endometriosis - A painful condition whereby tissue of the uterus grows outside of these perimeters.