Endocrine Disrupters. It means a substance that ‘mimics’ our hormones. This means it can block them, cause an under or overactive response.
Read more about it: https://www.epa.gov/endocrine-disruption/what-endocrine-disruption
People talk about metabolism a lot with weight loss. This book is a few years old but had a lasting impact on my food choices. This is where I first learned about plastics, and the effect those may have on metabolism and alternative options. I thought it was an easy switch to stop drinking from plastic water bottles, (plus benefits for the growing garbage dump) eating out of plastic, and never microwaving plastic again. If I remember right, some things that we smell, like sprays and room fresheners, are also some options to consider.
When you are trying to maintain or lose weight, it is a nice shift to focus on some factors around food and what we eat to support healthy eating. If our body is functioning well, shouldn’t we feel full after eating? Getting endocrine disruptors out of your life will give you hope.
There is nothing better than eating something and hitting a satisfaction trigger. I have had enough peanut butter… for today at least.
Understanding how hormones effect weight and appetite is very helpful for motivation, especially if you learn how to use your body to your advantage. Years later, this book is still relevant. Give it a read to understand your hormones better and those environmental factors that can effect our appetite, hormones and weight.
Master Your Metabolism by Jillian Michaels
Tips:
Eat unprocessed, Whole Foods. This is a must.
Use a glass or stainless steel reusable water bottle.
Use glass for the microwave or microwave safe container.
I don’t have a microwave. (This decision came out of trying to save space when moving to a smaller apartment.) After learning to heat and reheat food on the stove. My great joy is popcorn. I just use a popcorn maker. (It is possible to pop on a stove, it just takes a little more skill.)
Check out the NIH website National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. They give a brief description of risk on a number of endocrine disruptors including BPA, arsenic, cosmetics and climate change.
Environment matters:
- Arsenic is a human carcinogen. Is it in your backyard? As the great Salt Lake dries up, the sand exposed has arsenic in it. This could be kicked up in the air.
I collected a few sources that are pretty fascinating:
https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/endocrine/index.cfm
https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/sya-bpa/index.cfm
https://www.epa.gov/endocrine-disruption/what-endocrine-disruption