Methylxanthines

2011-04-26T06:42:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-04-18T05:04:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-17T09:11:00.000-07:00

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.

Nutrition for Women

Methylxanthines

Favorite website to control estrogen levels-check it out!

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome