This post was most recently updated on March 8th, 2019
PMS can’t be a normal occurrence. It can’t be part of what nature intended…and now I know from personal experience that our toxic world is causing it (just like cancer, alzheimers, dementia, diabetes, and other “chronic” diseases). For years I’ve looked for a way to cure my PMS, trying acupuncture, surfing the Internet for ideas and trying them, vitamins and herbs, with no lasting success. Finally, I’ve found the single most significant contributor for me: hormone-mimicking chemicals in our food coming from the food packaging (especially cans and cardboard containers with liquids in them). BPA or bisphenol-A is a lining widely used in food packaging, and it mimicks the hormone estrogen (which is a hormone that affects our menstrual cycles). (BPA’s and PMS, Is there A Connection?, Pacific Herbs)
I have RAGED at my family in the past only to discover my hormones were out of whack… now I no longer have PMS by following these simple guidelines. Simply avoid certain types of food packaging to reduce your exposure to “hormone-mimicking” chemicals and get rid of your PMS. The healthiest choice is to eat only home-made meals, but in our working world that rarely happens. And even home-made meals include store-bought ingredients that come in consumer packaging lined with chemical products. We need to know how to shop so that we reduce our exposure to toxins. Here’s what to avoid:
1. Avoid Canned Products, Especially with Tomatoes
In order to keep the metal from corroding, cans are lined with BPA (bisphenol-A) which mimics the structure and function of the hormone estrogen. BPA leaches into your food from the lining of the cans. You are essentially taking hormone supplements and disrupting your body’s natural hormone balance. (BPA Lurks in Canned Soups and Drinks, New York Times)
Canned tomato products like tomato sauce and ravioli have the most BPA per serving because the acid in the tomatoes and the high heat used to process the food causes the most BPA to leach into the food from the lining of the can. To avoid BPA, look for tomato products in jars. You can find tomato puree, stewed tomatoes, and spaghetti sauce in jars. And some canned products have “BPA-free lining.”
2. Avoid Cardboard Containers That Hold Liquids
These containers are becoming quite common now. Anything that you think of as cardboard, which has a liquid in it will have a chemical lining that leaches into the food and messes with your hormones. You can buy milk, juice, soups, all manner of liquid food products in these cardboard containers. (These containers can also have aluminum which is extremely harmful to our health).
Glass containers are ideal for avoiding hormone-mimicking chemicals. Hard plastic containers (like the gallon milk jug) come in second place. Cardboard containing liquids is to be avoided at all costs. Remember the milk cartons from school? These are liquid cardboard containers that will give you PMS. Also the cardboard boxes that contain soups, soy milk, almond milk, orange juice, 1/2 gallon jugs of milk…their use is widespread.
In order to make cardboard waterproof and air-proof, the insides are coated with a polymer (plastic) and aluminum! The lining may not contain BPA but it does contain chemicals that mimic the hormone estrogen and possibly other hormones. Plus, if the products are hot when they are put into the container (like soup) or acidic, it only makes sense that more of the chemicals in the lining will leach into the food. (Green Cradle: Are Tetra-Paks A Healthier Or Greener Container For Organic Foods?)
3. Avoid plastic water bottles
To get rid of PMS, first avoid all canned foods and liquid cardboard containers and then all plastic containers including plastic water bottles; bottles with “2” and “7” for recycle numbers have BPA and when plastic containers heat up during storage their toxic ingredients leach into the liquids. Then eat lots of green leafy vegetables to get the magnesium, calcium and other nutrients that your body needs for a normal cycle.
Think about your water bottles getting warmed up in your car; the chemicals from the plastic leach into the water. (Plastic Bottles Release Potentially Harmful Chemicals (Bisphenol A) After Contact With Hot Liquids, Science Daily)
4. Avoid handling receipts
To eliminate PMS, avoid handling receipts. Receipts are loaded with BPA and you absorb it directly through your skin. If you handle a lot of receipts for your job, be sure to wear nitrile gloves. The clear plastic gloves also have BPA in them, but nitrile gloves (usually blue or black) do not have BPA.
If you use disposable gloves for your job, avoid the clear plastic gloves and opt for the blue or black gloves. The clear plastic gloves also have BPA in them, but nitrile gloves (usually blue or black) do not have BPA. Interestingly, you can wash your nitrile gloves in the washer and dryer and reuse them for a while.
Please share this information with every woman that you know so that we can all make informed buying decisions. There are other sources of toxins in our environment, but from personal experience I can vouch that avoiding BPA and liquid cardboard containers alone has made the difference for me between PMS and no PMS.
More Information and Supporting Articles:
- What does bisphenol-A have to do with PMS?
- Estrogen mimicking substances in liquid cardboard containers called “tetra paks”
- The Washington Post: Toxins in plastic food packaging and processed foods
References pertaining to children and BPA exposure:
How I Got Rid of PMS — My Story
I started having the WORST cases of PMS of my life. Every month I was experiencing out of control inner tension and emotional rollercoasters. (Sadly, it’s not until a day or two later that you realize PMS is behind the severe overreactions and then later, guilt over my behavior.) Because my PMS was so much worse than normal (I was experiencing the worst PMS I had ever had), I began searching for possible causes.
I began to suspect the rice-milk containers
Around the same time, I was exhibiting allergies to nickel which is a component of almost all foods. The nickel allergy caused a constant post-nasal drip, and I was coughing all the time from it. To combat the allergy, I eliminated all foods from my diet except rice. I ate steamed rice, rice cereal and rice milk, and nothing else(!) for several months. Because my diet was so limited, it became very easy to pinpoint possible sources of toxins in my food that might contribute to PMS. I began to suspect the cardboard containers that rice milk is sold in.
Cardboard containers are lined with BPA to help make them waterproof
I quickly found that scientific research substantiated my suspicions. Liquid cardboard containers (also known as tetra-paks) are lined with chemicals that mimic our hormones — in order to make them waterproof. Our bodies use hormones to manage all sorts of processes. Apparently giving your body fake hormones can cause your levels to become unbalanced, or at the very least, it has an unnatural effect on our bodies. As soon I identified and eliminated the worst sources of BPA and other hormone-mimicking substances in my life, my PMS went away COMPLETELY!
Canned foods also have BPA in their linings
The rice-milk containers were the worst source of hormone-mimicking chemicals in my diet at that time. I also found that canned foods are a source of high levels of BPA and especially canned tomato products including tomato soup, stewed tomatoes, and tomato sauce. You might like to read this New York Times article in which they found that eating food from a can causes a 10-fold increase in BPA levels in the body for several days. Learn more here about BPA levels in canned foods from the New York Times.
Eliminate the worst sources of BPA and hormone-mimicking chemicals
Ideally, we would eat all home-made meals from home-grown or locally sourced organic raw goods or from our own canned products. Since that’s practically an unattainable utopian ideal, we need practical guidelines for real lives. So I came up with a few simple steps to get rid of PMS in my life: 1. Avoid containers made of cardboard that contain liquids 2. Avoid canned foods 3. Avoid handling receipts and 4. Avoid plastic drink containers, especially water bottles.
As consumers stick together and vote with our dollars, manufacturers will come up with safer alternatives for us as buyers. Happy shopping!