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Author: Dr.Lejla Kažinić Kreho
Discover the groceries rich in phytoestrogens |
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Phytoestrogens from food may relieve or eliminate numerous unpleasant menopausal symptoms.
Get to know those compounds and find out how to help yourself with food on your plate.
The largest quantities of estrogen are present in foods that are not special or expensive. Most of them are already stored in almost every kitchen.
They are: flax, chickpea, lentil, soy product, red clover and beans.
An exception is soy, which you may not have unless you are vegetarian or vegan.
Particularly useful are phytoestrogens from vegetables like celery, parsley, fennel and garlic.
The most important for menopause are isoflavones daidzein and genistein, whose chemical structure is similar to the female hormone estradiol.
Daidzein and genistein are capable of attaching themselves to the sensitive spots of the female reproductive system where the estrogen receptors are located.
In the previous text I warned they are not as strong as estrogens, but it is believed they act on the estrogen receptor in such a way that they reinforce the molecule of estrogen.
That's why regular consumption of soy and soy products, which are the main sources of daidzein and genistein, creates an estrogenic effect.
The same foods also strengthen the heart, alleviate hot flashes and have a positive effect on the bone health.
As early as 1993. British Medical Journal published that soy and the phytoestrogens from flax and red clover sprouts in an experiment reduced the FSH levels after only a couple of weeks of therapy to the same levels as before menopause.
Simply put, those superphytoestrogens took the biological clock backwards.
Which foods are the richest in phytoestrogens?
Isoflavones
- soy milk
- tofu
- miso
- lentil
- chickpea
- mung bean sprouts
Lignani
- sesame seeds and flaxseeds
- cashews
- collard greens and broccoli
- pumpkin seeds
- green cabbage and sauerkraut
- •chinese green tea
Lignani
- alfa alfa sprouts
- red clover
- soy sprouts
- peas
- garbanzo beans and small black beans
- dry mung beans
Recommended daily doses
It is still impossible to recommend exact daily doses of phytoestrogens. It is known that one should eat at least 50 to 100 g of phytoestrogen-rich foods.
However, you can see in the table that you already take sufficient quantities of estrogen sources.
Among the soy products, tofu is the richest isoflavone source so you should take 100 g tofu or 250 ml to 600 ml soy milk to satisfy your needs in menopause.
Pay attention on how much isoflavones you take because some research suggest that it's the high concentration of isoflavones in food supplements (not in food) may be responsible for the increased risk of developing breast cancer.
Be careful with phytoestrogens if you currently take antibiotics.
They interfere with phytoestrogen absorption in the body as long as several months after stopping taking them.
To improve phytoestrogen apsorption it is important to regularly eat yogurt containing Lactobacillus acidophilus.
If you aren't accustomed to eating soy and dislike its taste, start with eating more chickpea, beans and flax. Introduce soy products slowly until you get used to them.
For best effects
Don't forget that phytoestrogen-rich foods should be eaten in smaller quantities but more frequently as the Japanese women do.
The highest phytoestrogen level in the blood occurs 6 to 8 hours after eating them.
Eat only organic soy without GMO.
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