Nutritionist Blames Estrogenic Foods For 'Over-Feminizing' Humans

LOS ANGELES (TNA) -- Estrogenic chemicals are everywhere—in our sunscreen, our deodorants, our foods—and they’re killing us. Ori Hofmekler, nutritionist and author says as much in his new book, "The Anti-Estrogenic Diet" (North Atlantic Books).

"The human race is already showing signs of extinction," Hofmekler warned in a recent interview. "The over-feminization of the world is the largest problem in the world today."

According to Hofmekler, the more that humans have progressed technologically, the more we have strayed from the environment and diet that we are best suited for. He cites research indicating that the human race reached its evolutionary peak 10,000 years ago, when humans lived a vastly different lifestyle than the one most of us live today.

During the Paleolithic era, our forebear’s diet consisted of foods nearly devoid of estrogenic chemicals. The bulk of their nutritional intake came from foods existing at the bottom of the food chain, such as nuts, roots, seeds, and fruits.

The new foods that we eat, however, even the ones considered "healthy," don’t meet our biological needs. "We live in the body of a caveman," Hofmekler stated, "and that doesn’t suit the world we live in today."

According to Hofmekler, signs that humans suffer from an excess of estrogen are everywhere. Obesity is the most prevalent and conspicuous indicator, with 66 percent of Americans currently characterized as overweight.

In "The Anti-Estrogenic Diet," Hofmekler explains the connection between obesity and estrogen. Estrogen-sensitive fatty tissue, such as the type found around one’s belly, typically resists fat burning, and instead promotes estrogen production.

"This causes a vicious cycle of fat gain," he asserts, "in which excess estrogen promotes fat gain and the enlarged fatty tissue produces even more estrogen that further accelerates fat gain, and so forth."

Other symptoms of estrogen excess are less evident. For example, the average sperm count in males worldwide, Hofmekler contends, is half of what it was 50 years ago, and menopause hits women "too early and too hard."

Hofmekler says that while experts acknowledge the problem of excess estrogen in our lives, very few offer a solution. "The Anti-Estrogenic Diet," however, provides a daily dietary guideline to go along with a list of foods to flock to and flee from.

While many offending foods are the usual suspects, such as processed foods, some are surprising. For example, Hofmekler warns against hops, soy, and licorice. He cites anecdotal evidence that women who harvest hops often begin menstruation within two days of the harvest.

While soy has been a vaunted staple of East Asian cultures, Hofmekler says that soy contains estrogenic properties that may (or may not) impede infant development, impair cognitive function, and contribute to cancer and heart problems.

At the other end of the spectrum are the anti-estrogenic foods, such as cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts), seeds and nuts (raw almonds, in particular), as well as a host of other items, such as avocados, olives, oranges, and grapefruits.

Though modern science has given humans the ability to produce and access a dizzying variety of foods, most of which contain estrogenic properties, Hofmekler refrains from blaming technology.

"Technology is great," Hofmekler said. "Ignorance is the culprit."