More nutrients? Choose EKO and cook responsibly

If you already apply the basic Hormone Factor nutrition tips such as eating minimally processed foods, not letting blood sugar rise too fast and eating what you can digest and carry well, choosing organic products can offer something extra. In fact, food with the EKO label meets strict European standards for ecological production methods. In addition, cook properly to preserve more nutrients!

EKO:

• No chemical pesticides. Chemical pesticides disrupt hormone balance. Furthermore, unsprayed fruits and vegetables contain more beneficial nutrients in higher levels.
• No genetically modified ingredients. We still know far too little about the effects in some cases (this also applies to intensive plant breeding, by the way).
• No fertiliser.
• No antibiotics in meat. These substances can harm your health and hormone balance.
• No chemical fragrances, colours and flavours. The long-term effects of chemical e-numbers, interaction with other substances and influence on gut flora have not been well studied.

Cook responsibly

• Do not heat plastic in the kitchen. When plastic is heated, xenoestrogens can be released and end up in your food. Therefore, do not use plastic spoons and spatulas when cooking. And never heat food in plastic containers or plastic packaging.
• Whenever possible, use a stainless steel frying pan. Residues from the aluminium and non-stick coating of the (old) frying pan may end up in your food. So use a stainless steel frying pan. Avoid scaling by frying at a low temperature.
• Bake at a low temperature. If you over-brown potatoes or other starchy products (chips, bread, cake, biscuits) at high temperatures, the carcinogen acrylamide is created. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that are potentially carcinogenic are formed in burnt meat - this happens especially during barbecuing. Therefore, always cook at low heat. Avoid black crusts!
• Fry in saturated fat. Always fry in saturated fat (coconut fat, palm oil, butter) or on low heat in extra virgin olive oil (other olive oils include sunflower oil), which hardly oxidise when heated.
• Cook briefly and use the cooking liquid. When cooking, many vitamins are lost or end up in the cooking juices. Therefore, do not overcook vegetables and use the cooking liquid in gravies and sauces.
• Cook cabbages correctly for a long time. Thyroid patients should cook cabbages (broccoli, cauliflower) just right, because too raw cabbage can negatively affect the thyroid gland. Steaming is a good alternative to boiling, less vitamins are lost with the cooking liquid.