Methylxanthines

Methylxanthines interfere with the body's ability to get rid of excessive estrogen. Cutting down on methylxanthines was the most drastic and effective change I made in my diet.

Types of methylxanthines

·         Caffeine (most commonly found in coffee)

·         Theophyllines (most commonly found in teas)

·         Theobromines (most commonly found in chocolates)

As it was difficult for me to cut chocolate completely out of my life, I have compromised by allowing myself one chocolate with less than 25mg of theobromine every couple of days, usually a candy bar or chocolate chip cookies. 

The following list of foods shows the amount of theobromine in products available for consumption. I found this information on  http://nutritiondata.self.com.

• Cocoa, dry powder, unsweetened, processed with alkali [Dutch cocoa] Theobromine: 2395mg 
• Cocoa, dry powder, unsweetened Theobromine: 1805mg 
• Cocoa, dry powder, hi-fat or breakfast, processed with alkali Theobromine: 1658mg 
• Cocoa, dry powder, hi-fat or breakfast, plain Theobromine: 1179mg 
• Baking chocolate, unsweetened, liquid Theobromine: 677mg 
• Baking chocolate, unsweetened, squares Theobromine: 518mg 
• Dairy drink mix, chocolate, reduced calorie, with aspartame, powder Theobromine: 506mg 
• Dairy drink mix, chocolate, reduced calorie, with aspartame, powder, prepared with water and ice Theobromine: 503mg 
• Tea, brewed, prepared with tap water [black tea] Theobromine: 400mg 
• Cocoa mix, with aspartame, powder, prepared with water [hot chocolate] Theobromine: 352mg 
• Cocoa mix, no sugar added, powder [hot chocolate] Theobromine: 349mg 
• Beverage, instant breakfast powder, chocolate, sugar-free, not reconstituted Theobromine: 340mg 
• Puddings, chocolate flavor, low calorie, regular, dry mix Theobromine: 327mg 
• Coffee and cocoa (mocha) powder, with whitener and low calorie sweetener Theobromine: 303mg 
• Carbonated beverage, chocolate-flavored soda [pop, soft drink] Theobromine: 300mg 
• Syrups, chocolate, HERSHEY'S Genuine Chocolate Flavored Lite Syrup Theobromine: 273mg 
• Candies, chocolate, dark, 70-85% cacao solids Theobromine: 268mg 
• Puddings, chocolate flavor, low calorie, instant, dry mix Theobromine: 266mg 
• Coffee and cocoa (mocha) powder, with whitener and low calorie sweetener, decaffeinated Theobromine: 252mg 
• Chocolate-flavor beverage mix, powder, prepared with whole milk Theobromine: 245mg 
• Desserts, rennin, chocolate, dry mix Theobromine: 234mg 
• Candies, chocolate, dark, 60-69% cacao solids Theobromine: 219mg 
• Chocolate-flavor beverage mix for milk, powder, without added nutrients Theobromine: 209mg 
• Chocolate-flavored drink, whey and milk based Theobromine: 204mg 
• Candies, semisweet chocolate, made with butter Theobromine: 204mg 
• Candies, semisweet chocolate Theobromine: 203mg 
• Puddings, chocolate, dry mix, regular Theobromine: 200mg 
• Tea, ready-to-drink, unsweetened, WENDY'S, fast food, without ice Theobromine: 200mg 
• Frozen yogurts, chocolate, nonfat milk, sweetened without sugar Theobromine: 198mg 
• Candies, chocolate, dark, not further specified Theobromine: 188mg 
• Cookies, chocolate sandwich, with creme filling, regular Theobromine: 183mg 
• Candies, chocolate, dark, 45-59% cacao solids Theobromine: 182mg 
• Malted drink mix, chocolate, with added nutrients, powder Theobromine: 177mg 
• Milk, chocolate beverage, hot cocoa, homemade Theobromine: 177mg 
• Candies, sweet chocolate Theobromine: 169mg 
• Malted drink mix, chocolate, powder Theobromine: 168mg 
• Frozen yogurts, chocolate Theobromine: 167mg 
• Cake, chocolate, dry mix, regular Theobromine: 166mg 
• Beverage, instant breakfast powder, chocolate, not reconstituted Theobromine: 162mg 
• Cocoa mix, powder [hot chocolate] Theobromine: 162mg 
• Cocoa mix, powder, prepared with water [hot chocolate] Theobromine: 160mg 
• Cookies, graham crackers, chocolate-coated Theobromine: 150mg 
• Cookies, chocolate chip, commercially prepared, regular, lower fat Theobromine: 24mg 
• Candies, REESE's Fast Break, milk chocolate, peanut butter, soft nougats, candy bar Theobromine: 24mg 
• Candies, MASTERFOODS USA, M&M's Peanut Butter Chocolate Candies Theobromine: 24mg 
• Candies, NESTLE, 100 GRAND Bar Theobromine: 24mg 
• Doughnuts, cake-type, plain, chocolate-coated or frosted Theobromine: 23mg 
• Tea, instant, unsweetened, lemon-flavored, powder Theobromine: 23mg 
• Candies, ROLO Caramels in Milk Chocolate Theobromine: 22mg 
• Cereals ready-to-eat, KELLOGG, SMORZ Theobromine: 20mg 
• Candies, NESTLE, OH HENRY! Bar Theobromine: 19mg 
• Candies, HERSHEY, REESESTICKS crispy wafers, peanut butter, milk chocolate Theobromine: 18mg 
• Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, Cocoa DYNO-BITES Theobromine: 17mg 
• Snacks, granola bars, soft, coated, milk chocolate coating, peanut butter Theobromine: 17mg 
• Candies, NESTLE, BUTTERFINGER Bar Theobromine: 16mg 
• Snacks, granola bar, with coconut, chocolate coated Theobromine: 15mg 
• Light Ice Cream, soft serve, blended with milk chocolate candies Theobromine: 15mg 
• Granola bar, soft, milk chocolate coated, peanut butter Theobromine: 15mg 
• Cocoa mix, with aspartame, low calorie, powder, with added calcium phosphorus, without added sodium or vitamin A Theobromine: 15mg 
• Tea, instant, sweetened with sodium saccharin, lemon-flavored, powder Theobromine: 14mg 
• Formulated Bar, MASTERFOODS USA, SNICKERS MARATHON Protein Performance Bar, Caramel Nut Rush Theobromine: 14mg 
• Candies, MASTERFOODS USA, MARS Almond Bar Theobromine: 12mg 
• Cereals ready-to-eat, chocolate flavored rings, presweetened, single brand Theobromine: 12mg 
• Cereals ready-to-eat, GENERAL MILLS, COCOA PUFFS Theobromine: 11mg 
• Cereals ready-to-eat, GENERAL MILLS, COOKIE CRISP Theobromine: 11mg 
• Cookies, chocolate sandwich, with creme filling, regular, chocolate-coated Theobromine: 11mg 
• Eclairs, custard-filled with chocolate glaze, prepared from recipe Theobromine: 11mg 
• Doughnuts, cake-type, chocolate, sugared or glazed Theobromine: 10mg 
• Frozen novelties, No Sugar Added, FUDGESICLE pops Theobromine: 10mg 
• Cookies, chocolate sandwich, with creme filling, special dietary Theobromine: 9mg 
• Pie, chocolate creme, commercially prepared Theobromine: 9mg 
• Tea, instant, unsweetened, powder, decaffeinated Theobromine: 7mg 
• Ice creams, chocolate, light, no sugar added Theobromine: 7mg 
• Pie, chocolate mousse, prepared from mix, no-bake type Theobromine: 6mg 
• Cake, boston cream pie, commercially prepared Theobromine: 5mg 
• Cake, cherry fudge with chocolate frosting Theobromine: 4mg 
• Tea, instant, sweetened with sodium saccharin, lemon-flavored, powder, decaffeinated Theobromine: 2mg 
• Frozen novelties, ice cream type, sundae, prepackaged Theobromine: 2mg 
• Cereals ready to eat, composite character cereals (movies, TV), brand A Theobromine: 1mg 

Read More http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-000132000000000000000-4.html?#ixzz17osnxCeq

Favorite website to control estrogen levels-check it out!

This is by far the most informative website I've found for estrogen problems related to women's health concerns (mainly menopause but other health concerns as well). The website offers nutritional and herbal information for high estrogen, low estrogen and low progesterone levels.

http://www.estrogensource.com/estrogen-blockers.html

Some of the best tidbits from this page include:

"Avoid Plastics: Believe it or not, plastic contains estrogen. The more flexible the plastic, the more estrogen it contains. Consider storing your food in glass containers and avoiding plastic water bottles."

"Your Menstruation Cycle: The Nutshell Version" -This is a great breakdown of what are hormones are doing during the month.

"Our physical shift away from being fertile synchronizes with our mental shift away from worrying what others think of us. We begin to stand a little taller and focus our energy on leading the best life that we can."

"Excess estrogen has been found to be associated with breast, ovarian, and uterine cancer."  

"Women with a high estrogen level may be at risk for developing breast cancer. Be sure to see your doctor to have your levels checked with a urine, blood, or saliva test. "

These last two are particularly interesting. Breast cancer runs on both sides of my family-I wonder if it's related?

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

I started having ovarian cyst ruptures at the age of 16. I was told by medical professionals (ER Doctor, Family Physician) that the only thing to do for them is to take birth control. Birth control would prevent my body from ovulating and thus prevent the cysts. This worked for nine months to a year, but then my body would start ovulating again and they would switch me to a new birth control. Gradually the dosage of estrogen increased and this brought on a slew of side effects.

At the age of 25, I'd pretty much had it. We were moving from Hawaii to North Carolina and I decided to do some research online. A found a couple of sites that suggested lowering your estrogen levels through diet. I tried this, removing methylxanthines, avoiding food with added hormones, and avoiding foods naturally high in estrogen. And it worked. I was no longer having cyst ruptures, I was able to get pregnany and have my beautiful son, Bennett.

The strangest part, is that after a four or five months of the diet, I went in for a routine checkup and mentioned the new diet and how effective it was. The doctor replied, "Yes, that can work really well for a variety of reproductive health problems." WHAT??? They knew of an alternative to ineffective birth control and NEVER mentioned it. I know, I know, there is the whole boosting and abetting the pharmaceutical companies, but good lord, women are suffering. So this blog is to document some of the information that I found and to make it available to the public. I hope you enjoy and feel free to comment or mention sources that I have not yet come across.