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Tag: hormones

How to Eat For a Healthy Thyroid

 

The health of your thyroid depends heavily on what you eat and put in your body. Your thyroid plays a big role in the following daily functions

  • Your metabolism and your weight.
  • Your hair growth.
  • Your energy levels.
  • Controlling other hormones like insulin, cortisol and your sex hormones
  • Your mood.
  • Your ability to concentrate and remain focused.
  • Your body temperature.
  • Your heart rate.
  • Your menstrual cycle.

To keep your thyroid happy and healthy, your body needs appropriate amounts of iodine, zinc and selenium. To ensure the health of your thyroid, try incorporating the following foods in your diet for better iodine, zinc and selenium levels.

  1. Yogurt: Yogurt is an excellent source of iodine. Plain and Greek yogurts are your best options.
  2. Berries: Berries like blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries are packed with iodine, selenium, and vitamin D. These berries also contain a variety of other nutrients and are very high in antioxidants, which are critical for the health of your thyroid. Goji berries and cranberries contain the highest number of antioxidants. You can eat these berries raw, or you can use them in smoothies or in an acai bowl. You can use them to top yogurt or oatmeal.
  3. Fish: Fish is another great source of iodine. Lack of nutrients is one of the primary reasons why thyroid health deters, and fish contain all the necessary nutrients to maintain the health of your thyroid. One 3-ounce serving of cod contains around 99 milligrams of iodine. If you do not like fish then you can opt for cod liver oil supplements.
  4. Chicken: Zinc is also necessary for thyroid health, and chicken is a perfect solution to fill that need. Three ounces of chicken contains 2.4 milligrams of zinc.
  5. Beef: Organic grass-fed beef is also high in zinc. A 3-ounce serving of roasted beef provides seven milligrams of zinc and a 3-ounce beef patty contains three milligrams of zinc. Make sure you choose very lean, organic beef.
  6. Brazil Nuts: Brazil nuts are incredible little powerhouses for selenium. Daily consumption of moderate serving amounts can help produce glutathione, which helps fight against and decrease thyroid antibodies.
  7. Eggs: Eggs are another simple, one-stop shop for your thyroid health. A large egg consists of 20% of selenium and 16% of iodine. Eggs are extremely versatile and easy to prepare. Hard boil or scramble them, but make sure you include the yolk; that is the part the provides the most selenium.
  8. Nuts:  To protect and maintain the health of your thyroid, try adding a variety of nuts to your diet. Hazelnuts and macadamia nuts provided the highest amount of selenium. You can eat them raw, snack on them, or add them to salads, yogurt, oatmeal, or other meals.

If you would like to learn more about thyroid and blood panel tests book a call here https://p.bttr.to/2MZVUKN

I can arrange private tests with a nurse visit for the blood draw. This is especially beneficial at the moment with such long wait times at the NHS, plus private tests are far more thorough.

Yours in health and wellness,

Trish

6 ways to know if your hormones are out of whack

If you regularly feel like something is just not right with your body, that you are just not yourself, you may be suffering from a hormone imbalance. Here are a few signs and symptoms to help you determine if your hormones may be out of whack:

  1. You feel tired all the time.

Consistent fatigue may be the cause of an imbalance in our stress hormones that are produced when your body releases cortisol. Your body tends to release excessive cortisol in response to a bad or unhealthy diet, especially one with excessive daily consumption of sugar. This fatigue may even make you feel a little depressed and lethargic and cause brain fog or brain fatigue, a temporary condition in which your brain is simply exhausted and cannot perform the simplest task.

  1. You are unable to lose weight.

The stress hormone cortisol not only makes you feel tired but can also hinder your body’s ability to maintain or lose weight. Your hormones control your metabolism. An imbalance in your hormones can result in a slowed or inefficient metabolism. Furthermore, hormonal imbalances promote fat storage that can lead to weight gain.

  1. You suffer from insatiable cravings.

An increase in cortisol can cause you to have crazy and insatiable cravings for sugary foods. You may feel ravenous and get abnormally cranky if you are unable to satisfy those cravings.

  1. You feel as if you are on an emotional roller coaster.

When your hormones are out of whack, you may feel as if you are on an emotional roller coaster. One minute you are happy and having the time of your life and in the next, you may feel incredibly depressed. Hormonal imbalances can cause you to experience extreme, inexplicable highs and lows in your emotions.

  1. You have digestive problems.

Hormonal imbalances can also contribute to digestive problems like abdominal spasms, diarrhoea, constipation, bloating, excessive flatulence and burping, nausea and discomfort.

  1. You sweat excessively.

Your hormones can cause you to sweat excessively when they are out of whack. This is due to a swing of hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism, which are caused by hormonal imbalances in your body.

What to do if you are struggling with these symptoms?

The key to supporting your hormones is to focus on these key areas:

  1. Nourish – eating unprocessed wholefoods and avoiding too much sugar, alcohol and stimulants will help to reduce stress and calm your hormones
  2. Cleanse – think about all parts f your life. What you eat, absorb through your skin in personal care products and inhale in your environment.
  3. Restore balance by resting and getting excellent quality sleep
  4. Realign your body and mind with gentle exercise. Strengthening and stretching daily can help you digest better and bring harmony to the hormones.

If you would like to get your hormones tested book a call here  and be sure to check out the programs on my website

Biohack for Bulletproof Coffee to support your brain and your hormones

Do you love coffee?

I encourage you to limit caffeine intake as it can be dehydrating plus it can put a strain on the adrenals and the hormones. if you’re like me and you love your one coffee a day or encourage you to try this recipe.

 

What is Biohacking?

Biohacking is the process of making changes to your lifestyle in order to “hack” your body’s biology and feel your best. Biohacking is improving the health of your body using external tools, and the term is gaining popularity as part of an increasing move toward improving health and wellness.

Here are a few simple biohacks I recommend to my perimenopausal and menopausal clients

  • Do not use alarms to wake yourself up with a sudden jolt; start waking yourself up naturally and gradually
  • Incorporate smart supplementation into your diet to support the adrenals and your gut health. Vitamins A, C, D, magnesium and zinc are all fundamental to gut health and hormone balancing.
  • Incorporate some good fat into your daily diet. Coconut oil, avocado, hemp oil and cashews are all good fats that help hormone harmony.
  • Try breathing deeply throughout the day. Diaphragmatic breathing is a great way to control stress and support the digestive system
  • Love dark chocolate? Try eating sugar-free dark chocolate.
  • Track your sleep length and quality; start trying to get at least 8 hours every night. The earlier you go to bed the better it is for happy hormones.
  • Try bulletproof coffee

 

What is Bulletproof Coffee?

Bulletproof coffee is a type of coffee used to enhance cognitive abilities. Concentration, attention, focus, and intelligence are all cognitive abilities that affect the performance of our social and professional lives. Bulletproof coffee is one way to enhance that performance and stay alert in all situations.

Bulletproof coffee is becoming increasingly popular among athletes and business people to improve their cognitive abilities and attain higher levels of energy.

The magic ingredient in bulletproof coffee is unsalted grass-fed butter. Yes, this coffee has butter in it, but it also has the highest performance and lowest toxin level. It has all the benefits of healthy fats without the casein proteins found in milk.

 

How to Make Bulletproof Coffee

Here is a simple recipe for bulletproof coffee for improved cognitive abilities and energy.

 

Ingredients:

Organic coffee beans ground fresh

Unsalted grass-fed butter

MCT Coconut oil

 

Recipe:

Using filtered water, brew 1 cup of coffee just off the boil along with 2½  tablespoons of coffee beans that have been freshly ground. Gradually add about 1 tablespoon of MCT oil to the hot coffee. Follow with 1–2 tablespoons of grass-fed, unsalted butter. If you do not have unsalted grass-fed butter, you can use grass-fed ghee. Blend until it is frothy for 20-30 seconds.

 

 

 

Thyroid Symptoms and Vitamin Deficiency

Vitamins are essential in maintaining your thyroid health. However, many of my clients that patients that suffer from any thyroid disorder are often found to be vitamin deficient. A few symptoms of thyroid disorders include hair loss, loss of energy, sudden weight gain and difficulty in losing it, dry skin, constipation, and increases in cholesterol.

Your thyroid is mainly responsible for producing or discharging hormones that help regulate the rest of your body. Here is a general explanation for how your thyroid and hormones work together. Your body contains a TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) that is usually measured by your doctor when you go to get a thyroid check-up. The TSH comes from your brain and goes to your thyroid glands, signalling them to produce T4, which is also known as your inactive thyroid hormone. The T4 travels within your tissues and your bloodstream until it gets converted into T3, which is your active thyroid hormone. Then T3 gets into your cells to reach your nuclear receptor to increase your metabolism.

The vitamins that are found to be most deficient among patients who suffer from any thyroid disorder, are vitamins B-12, D, A, B2, and C. The deficiency of vitamin D is found to be the one of the most influential in thyroid disorders.

Vitamin D has anti-inflammatory properties that help increase the flexibility of your immune system. Therefore, if the levels of vitamin D in your body get seriously low, you may fall prey to autoimmune thyroid disease.

Vitamin D is also critical in helping insulin resistance, which can adversely affect your thyroid physiology. Furthermore, vitamin D also plays a huge role in balancing the TH1 cells and the TH2 cells of your immune system by affecting the TH3 cells, which are responsible for the growth of differentiation and expression between your TH1 and TH2 cells. In short, a vitamin D deficiency can be a big problem.

A deficiency in Vitamin A limits your body’s ability to produce TSH, which is essential for converting T4 into T3 and can disrupt your entire metabolic process. It can also lead to bad eyesight.

Deficiencies in vitamins B1, B6, C, and E can lead to an overactive thyroid, which weakens the muscles. Vitamin C is also responsible for keeping your thyroid healthy; if your body remains deficient in vitamin C for too long, it can cause your thyroid to produce too much hormone. This is the same with vitamin E, too, but a deficiency in vitamin E can also cause your body to produce less TSH, which, as mentioned earlier, disrupts your whole system. If your body lacks vitamin B6, it will not be able to use iodine as its raw material in producing or discharging hormones. Deficiencies in vitamin B2 suppresses the functioning of your thyroid and it fails to produce hormones.

Last but, not the least, a weak thyroid cannot absorb vitamin B12, which may result in various neurological problems like neuritis, neuralgia, bursitis, and various mental illnesses. A deficiency in vitamin B12 can also cause and worsen Hypothyroidism, which is a deficiency in thyroid hormones.

Vitamins are important players in your body’s overall functioning. Find out what your baseline should be and talk with me about your supplements to ensure you are getting all the vitamins your body needs to stay healthy!

If you would like to learn more about 8-week gut and hormone rest program  click here

Yours in health and wellness,

Trish Tucker May

Protein For Happy Hormones – A Quick And Easy Guide

What are proteins and how do they help us?

Proteins are made of amino acids, which are known as the building blocks for a healthy and efficiently functioning body. These amino acids join together to enhance the overall functioning of your body. We need protein to regulate blood flow and they are responsible for producing neurotransmitters, neurons, hormones, enzymes, and antibodies, without which our body completely fails to function like it should.

Adequate amounts of protein help replace worn out cells in your body and transport essential nutrients from one organ to another. Furthermore, it also aids in repairing your body and promoting growth. Protein increases the levels of hormone glucagon in your body, which help control body fat, and converts “lazy fat” cells into energy.

How much protein do you actually need?

The amount of protein you need completely depends on your personal health and how active you are in your daily routine.

The recommended amount for the average adult is 0.8 grams of protein, but most nutritionists generally agree that at least 0.36 grams per one pound of weight are more beneficial.

For instance, if a person weighs around 150 pounds, then he or she should consume at least 54 grams of protein per day to maintain overall hormone health.

This could look like the following:

2 eggs 12 gr

1 cup beans  15 gr

¼ cup almonds 7.5 gr

1 cup wild rice 6.5 gr

1 cup broccoli 2.1 gr

1 cup oats 7 gr

1 cup quinoa 8 gr

However, amount of protein protects you from falling prey to any sort of protein deficiency; if you train hard or are physically active, you need to increase that amount to regulate hormone function.

Nutritionists agree that we only need a small amount of protein to survive, but we need to increase the amount of protein in our diet if we want to actually thrive.

The right way to consume protein

According to the Precision Nutrition guidelines, we can only store a limited amount of protein. You have to wait for your body to replenish its already stored protein before you consume more of it. Consuming a healthy amount of protein can lead to the healthy functioning of your hormones, which promotes a strong immune system, efficient metabolism, and improved physical performance.

If you have trouble digesting protein you may be low in hydrochloric acid in the stomach. Taking a digestive enzyme or having a spoonful of apple cider vinegar in water can help before each meal if you experience any discomfort when eating protein.

Protein can be poison: Can I overdo protein consumption?

Remember to consume all things, even the healthy ones, in moderation because anything that is consumed in excess becomes poison for your body. The same is true for protein consumption because the extra protein in your body can convert into fat or sugar, negating any positive effect the protein would have in the first place. Overconsumption of protein is primarily counter-productive; it rarely causes serious malady but should be monitored all the same.

Protein is essential for your body to survive and thrive. Start looking at your food labels and find out just how much protein your regular diet provides you before making any significant changes.

 

If you would like to learn more about 8 week HOW TO NOURISH for happy hormones just click here www.trishtuckermay.com

Imagine kissing…

food allergies
leaky gut
toxic pounds
brain fog

Monthly headaches or migraines

Hormone havoc
and adrenal fatigue
goodbye forever.

Give me 8 weeks and I’ll help you get there.
Introducing the 8-Week Restore Your Gut Health program—the only program designed to help you rehabilitate your gut and reclaim the life you deserve.

You can also watch this on my YouTube Channel and while you are there be sure to subscribe.

It is worthwhile booking a discovery call so I can help you understand your symptoms.

Yours in health and wellness,

Trish Tucker May