Chicken Enchiladas and The SEA of Estrogen

Are you drinking half you body weight in ounces, taking the right probiotics, a proper dose of magnesium citrate and still not going #2 everyday? Has your doctor told you that it is fine and that is just how your body is? Well, your doctor is wrong. Everyone should go #2 everyday...it is more important than you think. We are living in a sea of estrogens. When we aren't properly excreting those toxic levels of estrogens, they get stored in our fat cells which is detrimental for weight gain. Fat cells make estrogen and estrogen causes fatty tissue growth. This is a vicious cycle we?d like to avoid. Excess estrogen is excreted in the bowel. When stool remains in the bowel for a longer time, as in constipation, the estrogen is reabsorbed. Click HERE to find my suggestions for eliminating constipation.

If an imbalance between certain hormones develops, the result if often discomfort or cramping during the menstrual cycle. Nutrition plays an important role in maintaining proper hormone balance. For example, carbohydrates and alcohol can make the monthly menstrual cycle much more uncomfortable.



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. 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.

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 diet and consuming excess fructose, drinking alcohol, having a "Tired-Toxic Liver (see chapter in Secrets to a Healthy Metabolism), 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. If your liver is tired and toxic, a special diet plan would be in order to help.

Estrogen is produced not only internally but also produced in reaction to chemicals and other substances in our food. When it is not broken down adequately, higher levels of estrogen build up. This is true for both men and women, although the effects are more easily recognized in men. Alcoholic men with impaired liver function develop a condition called gynecomastia, with estrogenic characteristics including enlarged breasts, loss of male pubic hair, and belly fat.

Some signs of excess estrogen in MEN and WOMEN:
-Migraines
-Low back pain
-Weight gain secondary to insulin resistance
-Belly Fat Accumulation (A "Beer Belly" is really an "Estrogen Belly")
-Fibrocystic breast disease
-Excessive PMS
-Menstrual disturbances--irregular and heavy bleeding
-Endometriosis
-Fibroids
-Ovarian cysts
-Breast Cancer


Correcting Estrogen Dominance involves more than just correcting the estrogen-progesterone balance and supporting the adrenals. It is important to eliminate the factors as much as possible. Exposure to xenoestrogens , insufficient sleep, toxic exposure, poor nutrition (high carbohydrates, low fat/protein intake, low nutrient value), and stress are some common causes. I also have suggestions for supplements to help speed the process of healing.

So, do you feel like you are eating the right way, taking the right supplements and STILL aren't going #2? It is most likely a food allergy! Contact me if you need some individualized meal plans and supplement suggestions.

FYI: Even bar soaps leach estrogen's into our bloodstream. Click HERE to find one that doesn't!

Click HERE to find water bottles that don't leach estrogens.

"HEALTHIFIED" ENCHILADA
16 oz. raw boneless skinless chicken breast
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup freshly shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 cup plus 4 TBS enchilada sauce, divided
4 large cabbage leaves
Optional toppings: sour cream, chopped scallions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a pot, boil water and place large leaves of cabbage in the water. Boil for 5-7 minutes or until tender.

Bring a skillet (with a little coconut oil) to medium-high heat. Add onions and chicken and cook for 4 minutes per side. Cook until chicken is cooked through and onion begins to brown, about 2 more minutes. Set aside. (Option: place frozen chicken breasts and onions in a crockpot before you leave work...they will be tender and cooked when you get home).

Once chicken is cool enough to handle, place in a bowl and shred using two forks; one to hold the chicken in place and the other to scrape across the meat. Add onion, 1/2 cup cheese, and 4 TBS enchilada sauce to the bowl with the chicken. Mix well and set aside.

Lay cabbage tortillas out flat, and evenly distribute chicken mixture between the centers. Wrap the cabbage tortillas up tightly, and place them in the baking pan with the seam sides down. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the enchiladas. Bake in the oven until hot, about 10 minutes.

Evenly sprinkle remaining cheese over the enchiladas. Bake in the oven until cheese has melted, about 2 more minutes. Plate and top with sour cream and scallions. Serves 4.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving):
USING CORN TORTILLA = 430 calories, 17g fat, 40g protein, 22g carbs, 2.25g fiber
USING CABBAGE TORTILLA = 350 calories, 17g fat, 40g protein, 5.7 carbs, 2g fiber

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