How to avoid endocrine (hormone) disrupting chemicals & why it matters
Hormone disrupting chemicals are everywhere in our modern world. I certainly believe everyone should take proactive steps to reducing their exposure to EDCs. However like everything I believe balance is important; so use my below tips to reduce your overall load!
What are endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs)?
EDC's are external chemicals that disrupt normal hormone balance by changing the way your hormones function in your body.
EDC's contribute to:
Painful periods
Irregular cycles
PCOS
Endometrosis
Adenomyosis
Thyroid disorders
Exacerbate perimenopause symptoms
Cognitive decline
Obesity
Cancer
Oestrogen excess
Mirgraines
and more
Who needs to be concerned about EDCs?
This is an issue every woman, including girls who haven't reached menarche (their first period) right through to post-menopause. This is also important for men as men have oestrogen too and a high exposure can disrupt their hormone balance too.
Where are EDCs?
EDCs are present in cleaning products, beauty products, plastics, plastic water bottles canned products etc.
The good news; you can take simple steps to reduce your overall load.
Some tips to get started
Crowd out plastic with glass or stainless steel options, or buy products that say 'BPA and phthalate-free'. Think water bottles, tupperware, baby bottles.
Don't heat/reheat meals or liquids in plastic. Think reheating leftovers in plastic (use glass), steaming vegetables in plastic, milk for babies (buy a glass bottle).
Replace non-stick cookware with cast iron or stainless steel options
Choose your beauty products carefully; this includes skincare, makeup, nail polish, hair dye, it is everywhere. The good news is there are a lot of great options now.
Slowly transition your cleaning products to natural options. Visit your local health food shop and look at their range.
Some of my favourite low-tox brands
This is a list of some ways you can easily get started and make a big impact! I have included some links to my favourite low-tox products
Water bottle: swap your water bottle for a glass or stainless steel option. If your bottle has a straw, make sure its not plastic. Don’t buy crates of plastic water bottles to drink every day
Tupperware: Kmart has great, affordable glass options OR buy stainless steel
Cookware: Solidteknics
Canned food - buy the organic option OR look for the cans that say BPA-free
Cleaning products: Koala, Kin Kin and Envirocare
Deodorant - ditch the antiperspirant for a natural deodorant paste (I promise they work); I love the Twig and WooHoo brands
Makeup: Inika or Jane Ardale
If you are from Newcastle, there are some great options at Vitality Junction; this includes cleaning products, personal care products like moisturiser and deodorant and my favourite, the Inika makeup.
