Tag: Thyroid

How to Eat For a Healthy Thyroid

Written by trish on January 11, 2022. Posted in Hormone Health.

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.

Yogurt: Yogurt is an excellent source of iodine. Plain and Greek yogurts are your best options.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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

The best foods to support your thyroid

Written by trish on October 19, 2021. Posted in Hormone Health.

If you are struggling with weight gain, poor memory, low libido, feeling tired all the time and brain fog it may well be due to your thyroid.

Your thyroid helps regulate metabolism, hair growth, body temperature and digestion. Your body contains a TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) The TSH comes from your brain and goes to your thyroid glands, signalling them to produce T4, 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. T3 gets into your cells to reach your nuclear receptor to increase your metabolism.

Thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland present in our neck which plays a huge role in the proper functioning of the body. It releases T4 (thyroxine) and T3 hormones which helps in maintaining heart rate, breathing, digestion and body temperature in the optimal range. Improper functioning of the thyroid can affect you in a number of ways.

The vitamins that are found to be most deficient among clients who suffer from any thyroid disorder, are vitamins B12, D, A, B2, and C, and the most important of these is vitamin D. Its anti-inflammatory properties help the flexibility of the immune system and are critical in helping insulin resistance. Vitamin A is essential for eyesight but also is important in the production of TSH and the conversion from T4 to T3. Vitamin A is very important for the entire metabolic process. Deficiencies in vitamin B suppresses the functioning of your thyroid.

Eating a diet that includes foods rich in calcium and vitamin D supports the thyroid and your liver.

Foods that can help include saffron, bananas, baked fish, seaweed and fresh seafood.

Around 1,000 mg of calcium a day will reduce risk of brittle bones. The best way to eat 1,000 mg calcium is by consuming seaweed and leafy greens. It is a common misunderstanding that dairy is a rich source of calcium. Many of us are allergic or prefer not to consume too much dairy because of the increase in mucus. Eating more white beans, salmon, dried figs, bok choy, black eyed peas, tofu, oatmeal and fresh pressed fruit juices are all good ways to increase calcium in your diet.

Other foods high in calcium include spirulina, barley grass, kombu, kelp, sardines, almonds, parsley, brazil nuts, kale, sunflower seeds and quinoa. Magnesium rich foods are also necessary to help absorb calcium into your bones. Foods that are an excellent source of magnesium include dried seaweeds, soy, mung, black and lima beans, whole grains like buckwheat, corn, millet, barley, rye and rice, almonds, cashews, sesame seeds, spirulina and wheatgrass. Osteoporosis can be serious, so introduce calcium rich foods well before perimenopause.

So how do you know how your thyroid is performing?

If you are struggling with FATIGUE, DEPRESSION, LOW LIBIDO, POOR MEMORY or BRAIN FOG, WEIGHT GAIN or INABILITY TO LOSE WEIGHT, CONSTIPATION, HAIR LOSS or THINNING HAIR or EYEBROWS, COLD EXTREMITIES, and LOW STAMINA are common signs and symptoms of inadequate thyroid function.

Thyroid hormone supports serotonin function, and serotonin contributes to the release of pituitary TSH. Thus, low serotonin can be a compounding factor in hypothyroidism. High levels of GABA may have an inhibitory effect on thyroid function. Excess cortisol negatively effects thyroid homeostasis in at least four different ways.

With relation to the sex hormones, estrogen elevates thyroid binding globulin, which decreases the amount of free thyroid hormone available – thus inhibiting overall thyroid function.

Progesterone and testosterone are associated with improving thyroid function.

You may benefit from a sex hormone evaluation and possibly body identical hormone replacement to optimize thyroid function.

A comprehensive thyroid panel is suggested for all of my clients struggling with these symptoms.

Get in touch if you want to test. Functional medicine tests are a thorough way to get to the root cause of your symptoms.

KEY NUTRIENTS

Multi with B’s, iodine, selenium and zinc (& possibly iron if needed)
Vitamin C – 500mg – 3000mg per day (split dose)
Vitamin D
Magnesium – 200 – 400mg per day

If you would like me to review your current supplement regime, please get in touch. Book a call here

Link to podcast here

Thyroid Symptoms and Vitamin Deficiency

Written by trish on April 21, 2021. Posted in Hormone Health.

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