What Foods to Avoid To Ward Off Early Puberty In Your Child

Nothing strikes fear into a mother's heart more than the term "early puberty".  

Have I gotten your attention?  I hope so because it's become a big problem.  Back in the good ol' days, kids didn't hit puberty until around 14. Now more are hitting puberty between the ages of 8-10..YIKES!

If this is a concern in your home, then you must think FOOD FIRST.   No, I am serious. It's one of those things we don't often consider, but when 70% of your immune system is linked to your gut – which is linked to your endocrine system – it's important to be mindful of what we're putting into our bodies and what will have an impact on our hormonal balance.

Click Here to get Leann's FREE "Hormone Balance Strategies"

Endocrine disrupters are chemicals that interfere with our body's hormone system, causing things like cancer (mainly breast, prostate and thyroid cancer), birth defects, and other developmental disorders, including early puberty. And these endocrine, or hormone disruptors are found in the food we eat.

Our hormone system is a network of chemical messengers that circulate through the body transferring these "messages" to specific organs. This allows our organs to properly develop and function. And hormone disruptors often send the wrong message to our organs. 

There is no end to the tricks that endocrine disrupters can play on our bodies: increasing production of certain hormones; decreasing production of others; imitating hormones; turning one hormone into another; interfering with hormone signaling; telling cells to die prematurely; competing with essential nutrients; binding to essential hormones; accumulating in organs that produce hormones. (Environmental Working Group)

Studies have also shown that problems with the hormonal system can be associated with learning disabilities,ADHD, and cognitive problems. So it's not only an issue of your – or your child's – physical health, but mental health as well. Not to mention that early puberty has been linked to lower self-esteem, depression, eating disorders, and earlier loss of virginity.

So what foods are considered hormone disruptors? 

• Dairy – the hormones the cows are given to produce more milk (bGH) can actually confuse your hormonal system. 
• Sugar – after eating too much sugar, it can disrupt your body's insulin and your body's blood sugar levels.  Insulin itself is a hormone that is closely connected to other hormones, including estrogen and testosterone.
• Soy – soy contains phytoestrogens, which mimic estrogen in the body. This can lead to weight gain, infertility, mood swings and sexual dysfunction.
• Processed foods – these are often high in health-harming sugars, which goes back to the insulin problem. Processed foods also contain many refined carbohydrates, which also greatly affect insulin levels.
• Pesticides – studies have shown that many pesticides act as endocrine disrupting chemicals and they bind to hormone receptors and then mimic the natural hormone's action. This can affect reproductive and sexual development (ie: early puberty).

If you would like to learn more about what you can do NOW to protect your kid's future health, check out my 30 Day Family Health Makeover at www.GroovyBeets.com.

Ok, I'm just going to come out and say it – I'm not a fan of soy products. I've actually spoken about this before when I listed foods that are often mistaken as being healthy. But it's worth saying again and also emphasizing that soy is especially dangerous in children.

"But Leann, I love edamame and my kids drink soy milk instead of cow's milk."

See, the thing is that the FDA has pushed – along with the soybean industry – the health claims about soy.  What many people don't realize, is that soy is 93% genetically modified. And I have already spoken about the many ways GMOs can affect your health (and how you can avoid them).

GMO foods are created by taking a specific gene from one species and putting it into the DNA of another with the hope that it will produce a desired trait. In the case of soy, genetic engineers created something called 'BT Toxin' to make it easier for farmers to control pests in the crops,   They took a gene from a bacteria that grows naturally and engineered it into the soy crops so the plants would fight off the insects themselves. The BT Toxin essentially makes the insects stomach explode!   GMO's were thought to be safe for humans, but guess what…we have since discovered that GMO's cause gut inflammation and poke holes in our gut lining.   Why is that important?  Because your immune system is 70% in your gut.  Gut inflammation is linked to 95% of diseases.

But Leann, what if I buy Non-GMO soy products?

This is where it gets iffy. Soy is a phytoestrogen (if that word sounds familiar, it's because I just spoke about it in relation to estrogen and menopause). Phytoestrogens are plant-based foods that mimic estrogen in the body. This is why I don't suggest giving soy milk to children; phytoestrogens will pump unnecessary hormones into those little bodies. It's one of those better safe than sorry parenting moments – you're better off sticking with coconut or cashew milk.

We have to remember that your child's diet affects their behavior. Want more information? Check out my webinar, The Food Connection to Your Child's Behavior. Learn how the foods your children eat – especially GMOs – can be linked to allergies, asthma, ADHD, and autism.

And if you want more information about GMOs and the fight to have them reglulated and labeled? The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is a great place to start. They are currently petitioning the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to require GMO labeling. 

Author Leann Forst Launches “How to Get Your Kids to Beg for Veggies" Hidden Veggie Cookbook on Amazon.

Board certified holistic health practitioner Leann Forst announces the launch of her new cookbook centered on hidden veggie recipes for picky eaters.

DALLAS, April 30, 2015—Author and nutrition expert Leann Forst has launched her new cookbook “How to Get Your Kids to Beg for Veggies: Quick & Easy Hidden Veggie Recipes the Whole Family Will Love” on Amazon.com. Forst, a board certified holistic health practitioner, developed the book to help parents find healthy, sensible and easy-to-prepare meals and snacks that their families will actually enjoy.

According to Forst, the 21^st century standard American diet has become a major offender in a variety of chronic childhood illnesses. Processed, high sugar and fatty foods have led to an epidemic of childhood obesity and increased risk for developing heart disease, diabetes and hypertension, to name just a few ill effects of unhealthy eating habits.

Forst says children’s bodies need a foundation of health that comes from the nutrients gained from vegetables. Unfortunately, many parents face obstacles to putting healthy meals on the table every day, or finding healthy foods that will please the family’s picky eaters. With her “Quick and Easy” cookbook, she lifts the burden off parents who want to feed their family nutritiously, without the hassle of complicated and time-consuming preparation.

Forst’s book addresses important discoveries regarding the impact of today’s standard American diet (S.A.D.) and the proven increase in risk factors that diet can play in many serious health issues: asthma, ADHD, obesity, cancer, heart disease, stroke, digestive disorders, autism and more. According to Forst, many childhood illnesses have a distinct dietary common denominator: meals based on processed foods, high in saturated and hydrogenated fats and low in fiber.

Americans have depended on the convenience of processed foods for decades, so it takes a concerted effort to exchange S.A.D. eating habits for healthy and nutritious alternatives.

“There is a connection between diet and the rising numbers of childhood illnesses such as ADHD, autism, allergies and asthma,” Forst says. “This book offers quick and easy solutions to the challenge of increasing dietary nutrients in the foods you serve to help boost children’s immunities to disease.”

The colorful and fun cookbook provides a variety of eye-opening “tricks” for disguising healthy ingredients in the foods children enjoy. By hiding vegetable baby food, mixing in organic fruit and vegetable powders, and mastering other nutritional sleights of hand, Forst teaches parents how to create recipes that are healthy and can please the whole family—even the pickiest eaters.

Some of the mouth-watering recipes included in Forst’s cookbook are: Creamy Pumpkin Oatmeal; the Best Beet Gingerbread Muffins; Easy Pumpkin Pasta Casserole; Savory Turkey Veggie Meatballs; Secret Ingredient Mac & Cheese Cups; Super Sloppy Joes; Sweet Potato Brownies; Banana Lime Cream Pie and more.

Forst became a nutrition expert in response to her 2-year-old son’s battle with chronic asthma. Feeling helpless after a revolving door of physicians and medications failed to improve his condition, she became determined to find answers to her little boy’s health problems on her own.

Forst eventually discovered that his weakened immune system was unable to heal because of the foods the family was eating. She learned about the toxic nature of processed foods and how antioxidants, natural nutrients and phytochemicals work to help the body’s immune system heal and maintain a healthy balance. Armed with this new understanding of diet and nutrition, Forst set about making major changes in planning her family’s meals.

One obstacle she hadn’t planned on was the challenge of addressing the picky eating habits her son had developed. Forst had to get creative to include vegetables and other nutrient sources into her son’s meals. By camouflaging nutrients in his favorite foods, she succeeded in helping her son shed his asthma and become a healthy, happy active youngster.

To learn more about how to get kids to beg for veggies, visit the author’s website at www.groovybeets.com, visit the book’s Amazon.com page, email Leann@GroovyBeets.com or call (214) 673-4788.

About the Author:

Leann Forst, MBA, CHHP, is a board certified holistic health practitioner. Forst received a Bachelor of Science degree from Upper Iowa University and a Master’s degree from Drake University then went on to study over 100 dietary healing theories at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, the world’s largest nutrition school.  In 2014, she authored “100 Ways To Lose Weight: Proven Methods From Worldwide Experts,” available at Amazon.com.  In the fall of 2015, Leann will speak at Medical City Hospital Dallas to teach school nurses how to support families dealing with ADHD, asthma, allergies and autism.  Forst is a principal in Groovy Beets Natural Family Health, providing wellness programs to individuals and organizations.