By now, we all know the myriad of health issues introduced by toxins. But, what has started to become one of the most motivating? It’s not the risk of infertility, autoimmune disorders, or even cancer. It’s weight gain.

Many health experts have reframed the issue for women and medical researchers have adopted the term “obesogen” as another way to talk about “endocrine disrupting chemicals,” A.K.A EDCs.

As a society, we’re generally more concerned with body image than actual health. But, in my opinion, anything that can motivate you to move towards a toxin free lifestyle is a good thing. Even if your initial motivating factor for detoxing your home was body image, you’ll soon get hooked on this lifestyle for the way you feel afterwards and your improved health is just a bonus.

Let’s explore the topic of Obesogens, what they are, how they work and how you can minimize your exposure to support your weight loss goals.

What Are Obesogens?

Obesgogens are another name for endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). In simpler terms, they’re the sneaky toxins that mess around with our endocrine system, throwing our homes and our metobolic systems out of whack. Your hormones are like the body’s messengers, ensuring everything runs smoothly. When obesogens enter the picture, they start messing with the messages!

And here’s a jaw-dropper for you: out of all the chemicals buzzing around in commerce, around 1,000 types can be tagged as EDCs. Yep, you heard that right.

Our endocrine system, with all its glands and hormones, is the maestro directing the symphony of our metabolism, energy balance, and fat storage. It’s like the control center, ensuring our bodies store and burn calories effectively.

How Do Obesogens Work?

Obesogens toss a wrench into the entire system by:

• Boosting the production of fat cells (and we all know where that leads)

• Ramping up fat storage in existing cells (more unwelcome visitors to the party)

• Monkeying with the balance of fat cell production and demolition (uh-oh, imbalance alert!)

• Tilting the energy balance scale to favor calorie hoarding (nope, not what we want)

• Tweaking our basal metabolic rate (BMR), which is the calorie quota our bodies need for basic ops

• Altering our gut buddies (microbiota) to push towards storing food

• Fiddling with our hormonal appetite and satiety controls (messing with our hunger and fullness signals)

In essence, obesogens are like the uninvited guests who crash our hormonal party, mixing up the signals and leading us towards a potential gain in weight and a mess in metabolic functions.

How to Minimize Exposure to Obesogens

The world of toxins can be super confusing, but it doesn’t have to be. While there may be thousands of EDCs out there, there is a short list of those that you are most likely to find in your home, your drinking water and your personal care products. Let’s explore the ones that make the biggest difference for health and also the easiest to avoid with simple tweaks to your daily habits.

Ditch Synthetic Fragrance

We all love a home that smells divine, don’t we? I, for one, was totally hooked on all things fragrance, be it candles or room sprays (umm, hello, I grew up in the Victoria Secret body spray era). But here’s the deal—most of those scents are full of phthalates, which are the most common Obesogens. They can disrupt our hormones and lead to weight gain. I’ve found that switching to products that use real essential oils or botanical fragrances, like those from ESAS beauty, can make a huge difference. Trust me; you can still smell amazing without those harmful chemicals! Want some options, there are so many clean fragrance brands out there doing it RIGHT.

Swap to PFAS Free Cookware

Ever thought about what our non-stick pans and plastic containers might be doing to our bodies? The more I learned, the more I realized how these everyday items can leach chemicals into our food. I’ve switched to PFAS free cookware, like stainless steel and cast iron for cooking, and glass or stainless steel containers for storage. And oh, avoid buying food, especially hot food, stored in plastic containers. It’s like slow-cooking your food in harmful chemicals all day long! (yep.. I am talking about that hot food section in your grocery store. Looking at you rotisserie chicken!)

Choose Organic When You Can

We all know that consuming fruits and vegetables is key to a healthy lifestyle. But what about the pesticides lurking in them? Atrazine, a common pesticide in American (and banned in Europe) is a well known obesogen. Choosing organic produce is a great way to sidestep these nasties. And if you’re on a budget and can’t buy all organic produce, try to prioritize organic when you are going to eat the skin, like berries and apples. Buying frozen organic fruit is a great money saver. Also, make sure to wash non-organic produce really well. A good wash with baking soda can get rid of most residues!

Filter Your Drinking Water

We drink water to stay healthy, but what if it’s packed with unseen, unregulated chemicals? I was shocked to learn that my tap water wasn’t as clean as I thought, so I decided to invest in a quality water filter. PFAS chemicals are in pretty much every single water system in America. PFAS aren’t just know Obesogens. A recent study found that the amount of PFAS in your blood was directly associated with regaining weight after losing it. They concluded that the amount of PFAS in your blood may even matter more than your diet. If that isn’t your cue to buy a drinking water filter that is certified to remove PFAS, I don’t know what is. It’s a small change, but it goes a long way in reducing our intake of obesogens and other harmful compounds.

Read Labels to Spot Toxins

Reading labels can be confusing, but it’s vital. Lots of our everyday products, including shampoos and skin-care items, are loaded with chemicals that can disrupt our endocrine system. I’ve learned to stay away from products with undisclosed fragrances and those containing parabens and Japanese Honeysuckle. Remember, being informed is being empowered! If you don’t know where to start learning how to read labels, download the free Tossing the Toxins Guide and get the list of the 25 Toxins to Avoid.

Bottom Line

Embarking on a healthier lifestyle might seem daunting, but by making these small, informed adjustments, we can shield ourselves from the silent impact of endocrine disruptors. Choose products wisely, store food correctly, filter your water and avoid synthetic fragrances. It’s all about nurturing a life that’s in harmony with our bodies and the environment. Let’s embrace this knowledge, stay alert, and journey together toward healthier, happier living!

Related Episodes

• Episode 24: What are PFAS “Forever Chemicals”? Here is Everything You Need to Know

• Episode 1: What the F*ck is an Endocrine Disruptor, Anyway?

• Episode 2: The Fragrance Dilemma: How an Entire Industry Hijacked Your Hormones

References:

Obesity II: Establishing a Causal Link Between Chemical Exposures and Obesity

Exposure to EDCs Associated with Risk of Obesity

Metabolism Disrupting Chemicals