The endocrine system produces and regulates hormones in the body, telling other systems of the body what to do.
From brain function to reproduction, hormones are the chemical messengers that manage metabolism, growth, heart rate, and virtually every other bodily function.
In modern North America, our endocrine systems are under attack by diet, environment, and lifestyle—with serious consequences. In addition to toxins, increasing levels of stress also contribute to endocrine disruption. The good news is that in many cases nature provides antidotes to even our self-inflicted ills.
Hormonal Imbalance is Bad for The Body.
The hormone estrogen is produced in both women and men and is essential for regulating sexual and reproductive development. Chronic or regular bouts of acute stress increase the production of estrogen.
Additionally, many synthetic estrogens—called xenoestrogens—are put into personal care products, plastic, Styrofoam, food can linings, and agricultural chemicals. By absorbing these chemicals through our skin and food, we have no control over the havoc to our hormonal systems that they invoke, resulting in (among other things): cancer (ovary, breast, and prostate), decreased libido, low energy, poor sleep, and obesity.
Dietary fads like the soy craze and alternative vegetable oils (canola, corn, sunflower, etc.) have increased the amount of estrogen we ingest in the name of better health. As nutritional therapy practitioner Lauren Geertsen states:
“Estrogen dominance is an underlying cause of PMS, menopausal symptoms, hormonal acne, infertility, and mood disorders. It doesn’t just affect women: men, and particularly pre-pubescent boys, face the threat of estrogen dominance. Lack of muscle tone, erectile dysfunction, and ‘man boobs’ all point in part to estrogen dominance.”
Carrot’s Unique Fiber Composition.
It’s the fiber in raw carrots that make this easy-to-eat, readily available solution to elevated estrogen (and other hormone) levels efficacious. The fiber increases the rate at which food passes through the intestines, thereby forestalling reabsorption of estrogen. The particular fiber that has this effect is found in carrots and bamboo shoots.
A medium-sized raw, organic, unpeeled carrot is a simple way to detoxify. Avoid packaged peeled baby carrots because: a) the peel acts as a buffer to keep out bacteria, and b) they are usually soaked in a chlorine solution.
The Gram-negative bacteria that love the baby carrots have a protective coating containing an endotoxin [also called lipopolysaccharides (LPS)] that includes salmonella, E. coli, and other food-borne bacteria (hence the chlorine wash). The peel naturally protects the carrots from the bacteria. LPS have been shown to create “leaky gut” syndrome which can lead to serious illness.
So enjoy your raw carrot—unpeeled and washed or peeled just prior to eating—between meals as a snack.
As an aside, Marilyn Monroe is held by many as an icon of feminine beauty and grace (her emotional hardships aside). She shared her diet and health regimen with Pageant magazine in 1952: raw eggs in warm milk for breakfast, raw carrots, and liver, steak, or lamb chops for dinner. She ate what she liked because it made her feel good. She probably wasn’t aware of why those foods made her feel good but we do.