The Anti-Estrogenic Diet: How Estrogenic Foods and Chemicals are Making You Fat and Sick

Ori Hofmekler
North Atlantic Books (2007)
ISBN 9781556436840
Reviewed by Juanita Watson for Reader Views (1/09)


This book certainly fills a void in current natural health literature.  The effects of excess estrogen-mimicking substances to men, women and children are staggering, and it is an issue that is not going away anytime soon. These chemicals are found in the air we breathe, foods we eat, lotions we use, and a myriad of other products we encounter on a daily basis.  Whether we are aware of them or not, they are causing an imbalance to the fragile hormonal system in the human body.  These chemicals – called xenoestrogens in their synthetic form, and phytoestrogens in their plant- based form – act like the female hormone estrogen, and can be linked to excess estrogen disorders in women, feminization and sterilization of men, and according to Hofmekler, “some of the deadliest cancers in humankind.”

Through a carefully laid 3-Phase protocol, this diet is designed to clean-up detox pathways, eliminate estrogenic foods and chemicals, and then incorporate anti-estrogenic foods for a long-term lifestyle change.  Hofmekler still manages to allow many favorite foods but shows how to balance them with an overall anti-estrogenic way of life.

In Phase 1, focus is on liver detoxification through specific foods and supplements to help enhance liver function which is the site for estrogen metabolism.  A healthy liver is the key to the body’s proper neutralization of estrogenic toxins.  Phase 2 boosts fat intake which may be counterintuitive but is actually training the body to burn fat fuel rather than carbohydrate fuel.  It also includes maximum consumption of foods that promote anti-estrogenic hormones.  Phase 3 reintroduces foods that were eliminated the previous two weeks with careful consideration made to proper food combining principles.  And the Final Follow-Up Phase assists in building a lifestyle strategy to incorporate a personalized dietary plan for continued results.

Throughout “The Anti-Estrogenic Diet,” Hofmekler also gives suggestions for active individuals and athletes, for eating away from home, information on soy products, and many other useful tidbits that support the anti-estrogenic diet theory. Overall, this would be a beneficial diet for anyone living in today’s toxic environment, and especially those suffering from high estrogen related disorders.  Though the book it is certainly not a definitive study on the near epidemic amount of issues relating to estrogen mimicking substances, nor a complete resource on all the places these chemicals can be found, it does offer some good information, and a diet that makes practical sense.

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