I have heard the word
"thyroid" being tossed around lately. I work at a health and wellness
company so naturally everyone seems to have two things on their mind: health
and wellness. That and money...
When I was first married I went to
the doctor with complaints of weight gain, exhaustion, and all around hormonal
discomfort. I cannot tell you how many times I have told my husband: "I
didn't used to have mood swings like this." or "I just feel off, I don’t
know what is wrong with me."
The first thing my doctor checked
for was pregnancy. Naturally. I was a 20 year old in Utah County who pretty
much OD'ed on birth control not wanting to get pregnant. But what the heck? Draw
more blood than necessary AND make me pee in cup. That’s cool.
Luckily I wasn’t pregnant! But after
several tubes of blood and a long week later, the nurse called and said I had
hypothyroidism. Cool? I asked what I should do about it and she said the doctor
would call me in a few days. Great.
I ended up having to follow through
with the doctor but she seemed less than concerned about this new long word
that was clearly messing up my body. After all, she felt fine...why would she
care if I was exhausted and a moody brooding mess? She said she wouldn't be too
worried about it and that it is a common thing in women. Yeah...cancer is
common too but I don't want that, either.
So it was whatever. I went along
with life getting fat and feeling tired. Crying a lot. Testing high for
cholesterol despite my mainly plant based diet, all of the sudden being
effected by gluten, being stressed, and just feeling gross.
now, fast forward two years, eating
1200 calories a day, eating real foods, eating healthier than ever and still
staying the exact same weight I was two years ago. It all started while I was
sitting behind a desk talking to a lady who was talking about how she gained a
lot of weight when her thyroid slowed down. I had a "that's so raven"
moment but I wasn't seeing the future, I was remembering the past... "Your
blood results showed positive for hypothyroidism..."
DUH!!!!!
No wonder I haven't been losing
weight despite eating like a rabbit. No wonder I’ve been at a plateau since
April. My stupid hormones are making it impossible for me to do so.
Dumb doctor...why didn’t you drug me
up while you had the chance...now you couldn't pay me enough to swallow a
synthesized pill.
So, what do I do? I heal with food.
:)
Common
reasons for a sluggish thyroid
There are so many reasons we could
have issues with our thyroids. Some are common knowledge and some were really
surprising.
- Auto immune diseases.
Our thyroids don't know how to respond to chronic inflammation in our
systems. Because our bodies are so complex and ready to solve its problems
as quickly as possible, it takes everything in us to calm the
inflammation, not leaving much power for the thyroid to function.
- Gluten.
Gluten intolerance has become more and more prominent among Americans. My
personal belief is it is from the lack of quality control in non-organic
fields, but whatever the reason, it causes the body to inflame...making #1
a big a problem.
- Heavy metals and other toxins. Things like mercury and pesticides tend to get into
the body and make it impossible for the thyroid to do its job. With the
body fighting off foreign objects in the body it can't properly function
in the thyroid. That is why detoxes are so important...it eliminates
harmful things in the body and allows all other parts of the body to
function the way they are supposed to.
- Stress.
It is no mystery that stress really can mess with our bodies. And it has
also been rumored that stress can make you gain weight. For some it’s
because they are stressful eaters, which is entirely another scenario. But
when it comes to people who aren't stressful eaters, it affects their
thyroid. When you become stressed, your body’s immunity breaks down and is
more vulnerable to illness. When if you're susceptible to illness and your
body is consumed with fighting off illness, your thyroid isn't going to
get the power it needs to do its job.
- Franken foods.
You should probably see a similar pattern in thyroid problems by now. Basically
if there are things in your body that are unusual and require extra energy
to fight off, it’s going to disrupt your thyroid. Genetically modified
foods are no exception to this. Your body has NO idea what to do with them
and it ends up trying to fight it off.
- Lacking in vitamins and minerals. lack of:
- iodine
- vitamin D
- omega 3's
- selenium
- zinc
- vitamin A
- B vitamins may cause your thyroid to not function
properly. If you feel like you are experiencing any hypothyroid symptoms,
try to boost your thyroid with foods high in these vitamins and minerals.
Symptoms
of hypothyroidism
Pain in the patootie weight gain and
impossible weight loss aren't the only problems someone with an under active
thyroid may experience. That is only the beginning. Other symptoms may include:
- exhaustion
- mild depression or anxiety
- forgetfulness or bad memory
- weight gain
- difficult weight loss despite healthy eating and
exercise
- cold hands and feet
- low body temperature
- dry skin
- thinning hair
- constipation
- fluid retention
- long term issues like diabetes and heart problems
If you are experiencing any or
all of those symptoms, try healing with food.
Foods
to help Hypothyroidism
- iodine: foods high in iodine include things like: baked
potatoes, hard boiled eggs, lobster, iodized salt, navy beans, seaweed
(sushi, anyone?), cod, shrimp, turkey breast etc.
- Vitamin D: fish oil, cod, catfish, mollusks, salmon,
trout, halibut, etc.
- Omega 3's: fish oil, omega 3 supplements, flax seed,
olive oil, etc.
- Selenium (mineral that helps eliminate free radicals):
meat, poultry, Brazil nuts, mushrooms, eggs, fish etc.
- Zinc: roast beef, pumpkin seeds, watermelon seeds, dark
chocolate, peanuts, crab, mutton, oysters, veal liver, etc.
- Liver, cat elopes, apricots, cayenne pepper, lettuce,
butternut squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, etc.
- B vitamins: crabs, mutton, oysters, shrimp, beef,
liver, octopus, caviar, etc.
Conclusion
If you're lacking in any of the
aforementioned vitamins and minerals, your thyroid could be at stake. There are
other reasons you may be suffering from hypothyroidism and that may be up to a
doctor to decide. However, if it is a simple fix such as changing your diet, it
will be cheaper and better for your body. If you can find a doctor that
practices functional medicine in your area, go to them. They will more than
likely help you in the most holistic way possible.
Best of luck!
Happy, healthy, healing!
<3 KBS
