ESTROGEN DOMINANCE
Do you suffer from migraines? PMS? Mood swings? Nutrition plays an important role in maintaining proper hormone balance. For example, things that increase estrogen make the monthly menstrual cycle much more uncomfortable and can cause migraines. Alcohol, carbohydrates and synthetic hormones in our food supply are some of the main culprits of these extreme hormone fluctuations.
Our body produces 3 types of estrogen:
1. Ovaries produce healthy estrogen: Estradiol
2. Fat Cells store and form unhealthy estrogen: Estrone
3. 3rd type is produced only when pregnant: Estriol
Healthy estrogen from our ovaries gives women ample curves, attractive breasts and youthful skin. However, estrogen from our fat cells and external sources causes too many curves…or you might say ‘bulges,’ mainly in the belly area (MEN THIS CAN HAPPEN TO YOU TOO). Farmers have known this for years. They use a little synthetic estrogen to fatten their cattle. But women say to themselves: “I don’t take any form of estrogen. Why do I have too much?” The sad truth is that estrogen comes from our food choices. Our bodies make more estrogen when we eat too many processed carbohydrates. Insulin, the master hormone, is secreted from the pancreas in response to sugar and processed carbohydrates. Insulin stores fat and also causes our bodies to make more estrogen.
I write a chapter in my book: Secrets to a Healthy Metabolism on “Alcohol, It’s NOT Just the Calories.” When you consume alcohol, it increases estrogen by 300% and decreases testosterone for up to 24 hours. This is why men have a “beer belly” or should I say an “estrogen belly.”
Some ways we get too much estrogen is exposure to chemicals that mimic estrogen such as many plastics (microwaving food in plastic dishes or using plastic wraps and containers…like they did in the schools on JAMIE OLIVER’s FOOD REVOLUTION) or eating non-organic food. Beef and chickens are typically given potent estrogenic substances (‘super-estrogens’) to make them more productive. Our produce is often laced with these substances.
People develop estrogen dominance as a result of a high-carb low-fiber diet, consuming excess fructose, drinking alcohol, having a “Tired-Toxic Liver”, or environmental factors…all of which we have some power to control. The liver is a filter of sorts. It detoxifies our body, protecting us from the harmful effects of chemicals, elements in food, environmental toxins, and even natural products of our metabolism, including excess estrogen. Anything that impairs liver function or ties up the detoxifying function will result in excess estrogen levels. Migraines are a common problem with excess estrogen. Click HERE to find supplements to help with hormone balance.
Clam Chowder in a Protein Sparing Bread Bowl
When Craig and I first married, he had to work in the San Francisco area. I was still in college, so on the weekends, I loved coming to visit him. I’m a quiet, country girl, but I really LOVED San Francisco and the whole coastal area. During one visit to Monterey, I ordered a HUGE bowl of clam chowder that was served in a bread bowl. Boy, it was so tasty, but I sure wasn’t the person I am today! I didn’t look healthy OR FEEL healthy. I don’t know when my will power was strong enough to not order junk off of restaurant menus, it took years…but now there’s no way I would sacrifice how good and strong I feel. I love the food I eat. I don’t need wheat to satisfy my cravings.
BREAD BOWL:
1 cup unflavored whey protein (or egg white protein)
6 tsp coconut oil OR butter, melted (plus extra for greasing)
1 cup unflavored almond milk
1 cup chicken broth (or 1 more cup almond milk)
4 eggs
1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt
Preheat the oven to 425 degree F. Grease 6 soup bowls with butter or coconut oil spray. (Click HERE to find cute soup bowls). Place the bowls in the hot oven for about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium sized bowl blend together the whey, almond milk, broth eggs and salt. NOTE: If dairy allergy, you could use EGG WHITE protein. Click HERE to find.
Carefully remove hot soup bowls from oven. Dollop 1 tsp of butter or coconut oil into each hot bowl and pour the batter in until 2/3 full. Bake for 15 minutes at 425 degree F. Leave the oven closed and reduce heat to 325 degree F to bake for an additional 10-12 minutes. Makes 6 servings. Set aside. Once totally cool, cut the top of the bread bowl off to fill with soup.
CHOWDER:
4 slices bacon, diced
1/2 cup minced onion
1/2 cup diced celery
1 cup cauliflower, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp fish sauce (optional Umami flavor:)
1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
3 (6.5 ounce) cans minced clams
1 1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
Garnish: avocado oil or olive oil and fresh thyme leaves
In a large skillet, fry the bacon until bacon is crisp, about 4 minutes. Remove the bacon and set aside while leaving drippings in the skillet. Add the onion, celery, and cauliflower pieces to the skillet. Sauté for 5 minutes or until onion is translucent.
Drain juice from clams over the onions, celery, and cauliflower. Add chicken broth to cover, and cook over medium heat until veggies are tender, about 10 minutes. Place ½ cup of the cooked cauliflower and the cream cheese into a food processor and puree until smooth (this will help thicken the soup).
Place puree into the pot with the vegetables. Heat through, but do not boil. Stir in clams just before serving. If they cook too much they get tough. When clams are heated through season with salt and pepper.
NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving)
Traditional Clam Chowder in a bread bowl = 611 calories, 23g fat, 16g protein, 81g carbs, 4g fiber (77g effective carbs)
“Healthified” Chowder = 382 calories, 24.2g fat, 36g protein, 5g carbs, 1g fiber (4 effective carbs)
TESTIMONY OF THE DAY
“Hello Craig, Maria, Kai and Micah!
My journey to a healthy sized body has been a long one. Always the fattest kid in grade school, high school, and college, my life was typically an unhappy one as a young adult.
I ate the standard American diet my whole life with bouts of diet struggles until I learned about 5 years ago that I was a sugar addict. My weight topped out at 260 lbs and at only 5’4” I was unhealthy to say the least.
Enter Maria, Craig and PSMF (protein sparing modified fasting)!
I feel better now at 71 than I have my whole life! I have energy & stamina that I never knew possible and cannot accurately express my gratitude! Thank you so much Maria and Craig Emmerich!” Janet
Most people I consult are doing keto totally wrong. Get fast results with the my Mind-blowing Keto School!
Click HERE to check out my supplement plans!
Probably a silly question but, the bread bowls are made in 4 containers but it says 6 servings. Is that a misprint?
Yes, that was a mistake. It should say 6 bowls. I corrected it. Thanks!
Forgot to mention, it looks delicious and the baby looks precious and healthy, is that Kai?
Thanks! Yes, that is our baby Kai. 🙂
It looks amazing…does that really taste like bread?
Yes it does! 🙂
Not sure what I like better, the picture or recipe, thanks for sharing both!!!
Thanks!
This looks wonderful. What other meat could you besides clams (not a fan of them)? Thanks,
You could use some shredded chicken for a chicken chowder. 🙂
I voted! Post on FB so I remember to vote daily. I just put a link to vote for a contest I’m in too. It’s on my wall, if you get a chance.
I hope he wins – truly the cutest little boy!!
Thanks! I will!
Thank you soooo much!!! I have missed bread bowls!
Looks wonderful! I can’t do casein, soy or gluten- let’s out the cream cheese or the tofutti cream cheese. Any substitutions you can reccommend?
I would add yolks instead. Tofutti has trans fat in it. Good luck! 🙂
Would yolks thicken the soup? I do not need to cut out dairy, but your suggestions just sounds intriguing.
I think they would. You would need need to make sure the soup cooled a little before adding them. If it is simmering the yolk might cook before it’s mixed in. Worth a try! 🙂
Thank you for the recipe! Is egg white protein the same thing as powdered egg whites? Is it available in grocery stores? Thanks!
They are different. You could try powdered egg whites, they might work. I get my egg white protein powder here: http://astore.amazon.com/marisnutran05-20/detail/B000ICNS72
P.S. Whenever there is an underline on an ingredient you can click on it to see what I use in my astore. 🙂
Ok, thanks! One more question. Can egg white protein be used instead of flour in recipes? Maybe for cookies? I just can’t get used to the taste/texture of almond and coconut flours. But I need something low carb. Thank you for your time!
I don’t think that would work. Probably come out pastey instead of cakey or doughy. Let me know if you try it and what it turns out like. 🙂
ok,, I made this for my family tonight!! I love it!! was so filling! I dont like clams so I added clams to only my hubby’s bowl. I just used a little left over beef for me and my daughters bowl!! Its a winner! My hubby said I can make it again! LOL
Yay! Love it when the whole family likes it. 🙂
Do you know anything about hypotonia? My son has it, it is low muscle tone. He has a very hard time putting on and keeping muscle. Just wondering if perhaps a hormone balance is to blame and what can be done for a kid to encourage that muscle. It is hard on a 8 year old boy to be so much weaker than his peers. He does love Jay Robb Whey, we mix it with almond milk almost every morning. And he is allergic to gluten and has been gluten free for 6 months, and we eat mostly organic now. Just wondering if you had any other info.
I would supplement with things like L-Glutamine to heal his intestines (gluten allergy caused damage to the villi and intestinal wall, which would cause him to not be able to absorb the amino acids for muscle building). I also would add in magnesium glycinate at bedtime to help with muscle repair/building while he sleeps.
Please contact me for a consult if you are interested:))) This is a pretty in-depth topic…
Hi Maria, I don’t know what happened to my question regarding the butter.
I wrote:
My daughter is making the bread bowls right now and can’t seem to find what to do with the 4 T of butter. 1 tsp of butter in the 6 cups equal just 2 T. What are we missing? Thanks (baby Kai is sooooooooo precious!)
Hi Lucy,
That was a typo. I changed it above.
Thank you! 🙂
Maria, don’t forget to let us know how you did in the photo contest! I voted! Lots! hehehe!!!!!
It says the winner will be notified June 29th so I will let you know if it is us. 🙂
I made the bread bowls tonight, and they were not bready at all, they were very eggy. Did I miss something? I wondered if maybe there was supposed to be some coconut flour or almond flour or something to give it the bread texture?
Nancy
If you are looking for something with more bread texture, try this. 🙂 http://mariahealth.blogspot.com/2012/07/toasted-sub-sandwich-and-panini.html
I’ll try it Maria 🙂
You are so knowledgable and awesome!! Thank you for all you do!!!
Thanks!