Is almond butter wrecking your hormones?
Everyone went nuts over almond butter. It was suddenly the healthiest food around and we put it in everything. We over did it. Amy* came to see me with heavy periods, mood swings and acne. She had also gained 4kg’s in the last 5 months and didn’t know why.
We discussed Amy’s diet and any other changes going on in her life. 6 months ago Amy decided to change to a vegan diet to help her digestion and increase her energy. Instead, she was feeling exhausted, bloated, covered in acne and her periods had changed significantly. Having always had a regular cycle, Amy couldn’t work out what was going on. She was losing a considerable amount of blood each month and the cramps were becoming unbearable.
“So tell me what you’re eating each day?” I asked. Amy gave me the following list of foods:
- Breakfast: organic muesli with coconut flakes, dried apricots, dried figs and almond milk
- Snack: Almond butter and an apple
- Lunch: Green salad with mango, avocado, cashews, almonds and tahini dressing
- Snack: Fruit salad or some dark chocolate
- Dinner: Quinoa salad with pumpkin and avocado
Sounds fairly healthy. So what’s really going on here?
Amy is suffering from copper toxicity. That’s right, her almond butter is literally impacting her hormones and causing chaos.High copper foods are nuts and nut butters, dried fruit, tahini, muesli, chocolate and avocado. So the majority of Amy’s new diet.
Why is copper a problem?
The body needs copper, but only a small amount each day and in delicate balance with zinc. Zinc intake should always be much higher than copper intake.
Zinc is found in animal products, so those that eat a vegan or vegetarian diet absolutely must supplement with zinc. As zinc levels drop and copper levels rise, the hormonal system is affected causing heavy periods, weight gain, hormonal acne, and eventually fatigue.
I prescribed a Homeopathic Copper Detox and30mg of zinc at night after dinner,and asked Amy to come back in 4 weeks.
At her follow up consult Amy was a different person. “Since the first week of the copper detox I could feel a big difference. I’m really happy! I have so much energy, I’m not moody anymore and look at my beautiful skin!”Amy’s skin had improved drastically and had a lovely glow. “The weight is coming off and I had a period last week which wasn’t a problem at all, one medium day and two light days. It’s amazing.”
Amy’s story is really common in vegans/vegetarians who have too much copper in their tissues. If almond butter is wrecking your hormones get in touch for a consult and let’s get your spark back!