DIM is not a plant estrogen, which mimics estrogen in the body, rather it helps to regulate and balance estrogen metabolites. Metabolites are products of metabolism. Metabolism is simply the chemical reactions that occur in living organisms to maintain life. Estrogen is broken down in the body into estrogen metabolites. Some of these metabolites are not so good. Women with breast cancer have very high level of certain metabolites. However, some of the metabolites are very beneficial and can help to protect you against certain cancers. DIM helps to convert estrogen into these good metabolites. Most people are estrogen dominant (including men) so that is why you do not necessarily want to ingest things that mimic estrogen (including a lot of plant estrogens). An example of a plant estrogen would be soy.

Why are we so estrogen dominant? There are numerous contributing factors including hormones in meat and dairy products, the use of plastics including storing and microwaving food in plastic containers and drinking bottled water. Plastic contains Bisphenol-A which mimics estrogen. Dry cleaning and pesticides also have chemicals that have estrogen like properties. Estrogen imbalances in men cause weight gain, hair loss and prostate enlargement. Breast cancer in men is also on the rise. Both men and women produce estrogen, progesterone and testosterone just in different amounts. DIM helps to balance and regulate all three either directly or indirectly. Hormone imbalances are linked to all sorts of health problems to everything from weight gain to cancer.

The DIM supplement that I take is from a company called BioResponse. You can order it at www.bioresponse.com  They have several products but I just take the plain DIM. This is also the brand that the National Cancer Institute uses in their studies. Unless you can eat about 3 lbs of cruciferous vegetables a day then you might want to consider a DIM supplement. Even if you could eat that much broccoli the people around you might not be able to tolerate the effects it has on your digestive system!

See my post on the Top 10 Killer Household Chemicals to learn more about keeping toxins out of your home. Go through your home and gather up all the toxic cleaners, bug sprays, etc and dispose of properly. You cannot throw these in the regular trash. You will have to call your local sanitation department and ask them where to take them so they are disposed of properly. Most cities have a location where you can drop them off. I suggest gathering them all so you only have to make one trip.

The big four are corn, soy, canola and wheat. Your body doesn't know what to do with these funny proteins or funny sugars (this is from an article called Ignorance Breeds Autism). To read the full article go to www.gobeyondorganic.com and type GMO in the search field. You can also sign up for the free newsletter which is very good.

So how do you know if your fruits and vegetables are genetically modified? The PLU codes (PLU-stands for price look up) on produce are based on four digit numbers for conventional produce, to which an extra digit is added to indicate organic or GM status. If the number is five digits beginning with a nine, then the item is organic. If the number is 5 digits beginning with an eight then it is a genetically modified variety. For example, the code for bananas is 4011. If the sticker on the banana bunch reads 94011, then they are organic bananas. If the sticker reads 84011, then the bananas are genetically modified. If the PLU is simply 4011 they are conventional (not genetically modified but may be grown with pesticides*) As of now there is no genetically modified meat however most animals are fed GMO products and are injected with hormones and fed antibiotics.

You should buy meat, dairy and eggs that are as close to natural as possible. The label should specifically state that the animal has not been given antibiotics or hormones. Just because it says "all natural" or "minimally processed" does not mean anything really. It needs to be stated on the label or carton (for dairy and eggs) that no hormones or antibiotics were used. You can buy organic cage free eggs. 

We as consumers need to speak out. You can go to http://www.naturalnews.com/024865_GMO_GMOs_food.html  to see how you as a consumer can help to fight against GMO food. It gives some very practical advice.  

*See my post on Pesticides in Food; The Dirty Dozen

The Dirty Dozen

• Apples
• Bell Pepper
• Celery
• Cherries
• Imported grapes
• Nectarine
• Peaches
• Pears
• Potatoes
• Red raspberries
• Spinach
• Strawberries

Dr. Fuhrman says if you buy the above things organic, you can cut down on 90% of your pesticide exposure. Now here is the list of the foods with the least pesticides that you don't have to buy organic:

• Asparagus
• Avocados
• Bananas
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Corn
• Kiwis
• Mangoes
• Onions
• Papaya
• Pineapple
• Peas

One other thing that you need to make sure when buying your fruits and vegetables or any food for that matter is that you're not buying genetically modified foods. See my post on Genetically Modified Foods.