Iodine
is critical during pregnancy as the thyroid uses this mineral to make
all-important thyroid hormones which in turn ensure normal development of the
brain and nervous system of the unborn baby.
For
this reason it’s vital that pregnant women or women considering having a baby
get enough iodine.
The
thyroid acts as a ‘sponge’ for iodine and once absorbed concentrates this key
nutrient. Iodine is used to manufacture thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine
(T3). The 3 and 4 actually indicate the number of iodine molecules contained
within each hormone.
Iodine
and a healthy pregnancy
During
pregnancy the thyroid is particularly active and produces about 50% more
thyroid hormones than usual. To produce enough thyroid hormones pregnant woman
need to increase their iodine intake.
A
lack of maternal iodine intake has the potential to negatively impact on the
developing baby. There is concern that even a mild iodine deficiency could lead
to children born with a lower intelligence quotient (IQ).
Iodine
for breastfeeding mums
The
demand for iodine persists during breast feeding as this nutrient is vital for
the baby to continue to grow and develop properly. However the iodine
concentration of breast milk can be vary greatly depending on how much iodine
the mother is getting from the diet or nutritional supplements.
Declining
dietary intake of iodine
Seafood
and sea vegetables are naturally rich in iodine. Other food sources include
iodised salt and plant based foods grown in nutrient rich soil.
However
due to variable soil quality most foods grown in Australia contain only trace
amounts of iodine. This makes it difficult for pregnant and breastfeeding women
to get enough iodine through diet alone.
Due
to the important role iodine plays in pregnancy the National Health and Medical
Research Council (NHMRC) recommends a daily intake of 220 micrograms (μg)
of iodine per day for women who are pregnant or considering pregnancy. The
recommended daily intake to support ongoing development of the
newborn during breastfeeding is set at 270 micrograms (μg) per
day.
Iodine
supplements supply iodine in two main forms; potassium iodide or iodine sourced
naturally from Bladderwrack. A superior quality Bladderwrack supplement lists
the botanical name Fucus vesiculosis on the label and
guarantees a standardised amount of iodine per capsule.
Louise O’ Connor,
the author of The Natural Thyroid Diet –The 4-Week Plan to Living Well, Living Vibrantly, who
is a specialist in Thyroid Health. She is a highly regarded Australian
Naturopath and founder of Wellnesswork.
The Natural Thyroid
Diet goes beyond diet advice and offers practical and effective ways to achieve
healthy thyroid levels within just a short period of time. For more details,
Click onThe-Natural-Thyroid-Diet.com
Women
often worry that lifting weights will make them ‘big and bulky’. However when
it comes to strength training for women there are many misconceptions.
If
you are like most women regular strength training is unlikely to make you bulk
up…WHY?
Women’s
bodies respond differently to strength training.
Generally
when women lift weights as part of their weekly exercise program they find they
develop a stronger, leaner physique but they do not bulk up. The reason why is
due to major differences between men and women’s hormonal makeup.
Men
have a far greater concentration of testosterone. This is the chief hormone
that makes them manly. It is termed an anabolic hormone and this ‘building’
hormone allows men to gain muscle more rapidly, especially when they do regular
weight lifting.
Women
on the other hand have far less testosterone making it difficult to
dramatically increase muscle mass.
Strength
training for women with a sluggish thyroid
Strength
training can be very beneficial, particularly if have a low thyroid condition.
Muscles are an important factor in raising your metabolism as muscles burn far
more calories than body fat.
A
greater amount of muscle really fires up your metabolism. The result is more
calories are used for energy, which in turns means you lose weight.
This
form of exercise is also the most effective way to help strengthen your muscles
that tend to ache and get stiff when you have a low thyroid disorder.
Not
only that, strength training can give you gorgeous toned curves and will help
prevent bone and muscle breakdown which occurs naturally with aging.
So
if you are getting sick of sweating over the cardio equipment at the gym why
not hit the weights area and do a strength training session?
To
get toned and super lean most experts recommend doing a planned strength
training workout a minimum of 2-3 times per week. Always work within your
limits especially on days when you feel more fatigued.
It
is also possible to maximize your strength training efforts with a post-workout
protein shake.
Just
blend a good quality protein powder with a handful of fresh fruit within 30
minutes of finishing your routine. This will fuel your recovery; protein builds
and repairs muscles and the carbohydrates from the fruit will provide the
all-important energy for recovery.
Louise O’ Connor,
the author of The Natural Thyroid Diet –The 4-Week Plan to Living Well, Living Vibrantly, who
is a specialist in Thyroid Health. She is a highly regarded Australian
Naturopath and founder of Wellnesswork.
The Natural Thyroid
Diet goes beyond diet advice and offers practical and effective ways to achieve
healthy thyroid levels within just a short period of time. For more details,
Click onThe-Natural-Thyroid-Diet.com
A
Bladderwrack thyroid remedy is considered generally safe and effective when
taken as recommended. There are three factors to consider before purchasing this
type of supplement.
Iodine
is a natural component of Bladderwrack. A good quality supplement therefore
guarantees a standardised amount iodine per capsule or tablet. This is
important as it ensures you are taking the recommended amount of iodine.
A
high quality product states the botanical name Fucus vesiculosus to
ensure you are getting a premium species of Bladderwrack. Many inferior kelp
supplements do not use the Fucus species. You can check this by reading
the product label closely.
Bladderwrack
is harvested from the ocean so there is a risk this ingredient may be
contaminated with heavy metals. A good quality Bladderwrack product undergoes
stringent quality checks at all stages of production from sourcing the raw
material from clean waters through to ensuring the manufactured product has
well below minimal acceptable levels of common contaminants.
Louise O’ Connor,
the author of The Natural Thyroid Diet –The 4-Week Plan to Living Well, Living Vibrantly, who
is a specialist in Thyroid Health. She is a highly regarded Australian
Naturopath and founder of Wellnesswork.
The Natural Thyroid
Diet goes beyond diet advice and offers practical and effective ways to achieve
healthy thyroid levels within just a short period of time. For more details,
Click onThe-Natural-Thyroid-Diet.com
Being
healthy means making smarter food choices. When you make conscious food choices
you are choosing to eat the most vital, nutritious food possible. That’s not
only good for you, it’s good for the planet. Your daily food decisions can also
help heal your thyroid.
Healing
your thyroid with thyroid nourishing foods
It’s
hard to feel fully alive when you eat dead, overly processed food. This is
definitely the type of food to avoid. This is especially when you are taking
important steps towards thyroid health recovery.
The
fact is, food can literally make you sick or vibrantly well. Junk food and
over-processed foods can literally make you sick at a basic thyroid cell level.
For
my money, the most damaging food choices to the thyroid are: artificial
sweeteners, Canola oil, soy oil, polyunsaturated vegetable oils, hidden soy and
corn (maize) ingredients and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).
When
it comes to making for food choices for a healthy thyroid diet it is good to
stay flexible – I think it’s important not to be dogmatic. Having a rigid state
of mind can be just as unhealthy as eating junk food!
Instead
discover what healthy foods resonate with you. Ensure you eat a wide variety of
fresh foods so your body gets all it needs to stay healthy. Focus on which
foods feel right for you, the foods that make you feel GOOD. This ‘keep it
simple’ approach places an emphasis on fresh produce that will help you heal
and feel WELL.
Foods
Choices I can’t do without…
In
my living food kitchen I couldn’t do without raw coconut oil, activated nuts
and seeds, fresh seasonal fruit and veggies for juicing, a selection of organic
greens, and plant-based protein powder for my daily protein shake. YUM!
Louise O’ Connor,
the author of The Natural Thyroid Diet –The 4-Week Plan to Living Well, Living Vibrantly, who
is a specialist in Thyroid Health. She is a highly regarded Australian
Naturopath and founder of Wellnesswork.
The Natural Thyroid
Diet goes beyond diet advice and offers practical and effective ways to achieve
healthy thyroid levels within just a short period of time. For more details,
Click onThe-Natural-Thyroid-Diet.com
To
get the most out of every day it is more important than ever to educate
yourself about the value of optimal nutrition and eating for health.
The Natural Thyroid Diet
advocates a variety of fresh, natural foods that supply a wide range of
nutrients to help you reach your full health potential.
Here
are 4 healthy thyroid diet recommendations:
Thyroid Diet Recommendations #1 - Eliminate thyroid damaging
foods.
It may surprise you to learn that everyday foods may be sabotaging your
thyroid. For my money, the most damaging are: artificial sweeteners, Canola
oil, soy oil, hidden soy and corn (maize) ingredients and high fructose corn
syrup (HFCS).
Soy
and Canola oil are often deceptively labelled as ‘vegetable oil’. This is very
misleading as oil is not normally found in vegetables.
Thyroid Diet Recommendations #2 - Avoid gluten. It’s common to
experience significant improvements in symptoms when you eliminate gluten from
the diet. Gluten is the protein component of grains such as wheat, rye, barley,
triticale and oats.
Gluten
irritates the lining of the digestive system and can trigger systemic
inflammation. Take care when selecting ‘gluten-free’ foods as food
manufacturers often use corn (maize) and soy ingredients as substitutes for
gluten containing grains.
Watch
these 2 videos on how to eliminate gluten from your diet
Thyroid Diet Recommendations #3 - Choose organic fruit and
vegetables whenever possible. Conventional produce can harbor multiple
pesticide residues. Organic food = less thyroid disrupting pesticides and
herbicides. Organic farmers also take a firm stance on biotechnology that
modifies the genetic make-up of a plant by saying ‘NO to GM foods’.
If
possible visit a local farmers market to stock up on healthy organic produce
for the week. Healthy and nutritious food has the greatest potential to nourish
your thyroid.
Thyroid Diet Recommendations #4 - Don’t go raw! Sure, there are
good reasons to enjoy some raw food in your diet however I don’t agree with
embracing a 100% raw food diet.
When
you have a thyroid issue it’s best to emphasis foods that are warming and
nourishing. In short, stay away from hyped-up and restrictive diet
recommendations.
Louise O’ Connor,
the author of The Natural Thyroid Diet –The 4-Week Plan to Living Well, Living Vibrantly, who
is a specialist in Thyroid Health. She is a highly regarded Australian
Naturopath and founder of Wellnesswork.
The Natural Thyroid
Diet goes beyond diet advice and offers practical and effective ways to achieve
healthy thyroid levels within just a short period of time. For more details,
Click onThe-Natural-Thyroid-Diet.com
For
some people avoiding gluten is a very serious issue as their immune system
reacts abnormally to gluten.
Termed
coeliac disease, this digestive disorder is associated with inflammation and
damage to the lining of the small intestine. This then leads to a range of
health problems.
Coeliac
disease is one of the most common inflammatory conditions affecting the
digestive system. A gluten free diet is advocated for life for those diagnosed
with this digestive problem.
Individuals
with coeliac disease are so sensitive to gluten that they are not able to eat
any foods containing gluten as even a minute amount will prompt a swift immune
reaction.
The
prevalence of coeliac disease is increasing worldwide. It affects people of all
ages, both male and female. Until recent times it was considered a genetic
disorder that was discovered during childhood.
A
genetic predisposition for developing this problem does exist. However environmental
factors play a key role in triggering coeliac disease at any age. This
digestive problem can be set off by a stressful event, such as a major
infection, injury or surgery.
If
a person is unaware their poor health is due to Coeliac disease and they continue
to consume gluten containing foods the lining of the digestive system becomes
severely damaged. Over time, this leads to low intake of essential nutrients
and a further decline in health due to malnutrition.
Going
Against The Grain
These
days highly refined wheat is the most common source of gluten as it is used in
a wide variety of foods found in supermarkets. To meet ongoing demand wheat is
grown on an industrial scale.
Along
with the development of modern agricultural methods there has also been
selective breeding of wheat. Wheat crops now yield a much higher ratio of
gluten. The modern, hybrid wheat varieties may be contributing to the higher
prevalence of coeliac disease worldwide.
Dr.
William Davis is a respected cardiologist and author of ‘Wheat Belly: Lose
the Wheat, Lose the Weight, and Find Your Path Back To Health‘. He believes
aggressive breeding methods and genetic manipulation have turned wheat into a
‘Frankenwheat’.
Watch
these 2 videos on how to make the right food choices for naturally treating
coeliac disease
After
iodine selenium is the next most important mineral affecting thyroid function.
Several studies have shown that coeliac disease is associated with an increased
risk of developing an autoimmune thyroid disease. This is due to low selenium
intake or poor absorption of selenium.
The
thyroid is particularly sensitive to selenium deficiency because the selenium
dependent enzymes are vital to assist activity of the thyroid hormones,
including activation of T4 to T3.
Selenium
also plays a role in protecting the thyroid gland itself as this mineral boosts
glutathione activity. Glutathione is naturally produced by the body using
selenium and a combination of three amino acids sourced from dietary protein –
cysteine, glycine and glutamine. Glutathione acts as a potent antioxidant and
is highly active within the thyroid to help protect this important gland.
Long
term undiagnosed coeliac disease causes damage to the digestive system. This
leads to malabsorption of essential nutrients which over time is linked to poor
health due to malnutrition. A specific diagnostic test is used to confirm
coeliac disease.
The Natural Thyroid Diet
guidelines recommend excluding all gluten foods as part of a holistic strategy
to recover your thyroid health.
Louise O’ Connor,
the author of The Natural Thyroid Diet –The 4-Week Plan to Living Well, Living Vibrantly, who
is a specialist in Thyroid Health. She is a highly regarded Australian
Naturopath and founder of Wellnesswork.
The Natural Thyroid
Diet goes beyond diet advice and offers practical and effective ways to achieve
healthy thyroid levels within just a short period of time. For more details,
Click onThe-Natural-Thyroid-Diet.com
Western
societies are now consuming an increasing amount of soy that is unfermented and
highly processed.
The
reason?
Food
manufacturers favour soy as a cheap and versatile ingredient. It’s added to a
wide range of human food products and is also routinely used in the animal feed
industry.
You
really need to become a vigilant label checker to discover if a food contains
some type of soy ingredient.
Soy
is now found in bread, breakfast cereals, biscuits, crackers, margarine,
chocolate, sauces and soups. Soy is also used to make soy milk, baby formula,
soy protein shakes, soy cheese, soy ice cream, vegetable stock, texturised
vegetarian soy protein, soy flour, soy protein bars, soy lecithin and soybean
oil.
Soy
protein products and infant formulas often contain soy protein isolate. This is
not something that you can make in your kitchen. This soy ingredient is made in
high tech chemical processing plants.
The
extraction process utilises high temperatures and the soybeans are bathed in
hexane, a toxic chemical solvent. This happens despite hexane use is prohibited
when processing organic soy foods.
The
safety of soy based infant formula is hotly debated as these products naturally
contain a class of plant compounds called isoflavones. The primary isoflavones
are genistein and daidzein. These isoflavones are referred to as phytoestrogens
because they are found in plants (phyto) and they have the ability to mimic
estrogens in the body.
It
is well recognised infants are sensitive to estrogen exposure as they progress
though different developmental stages. This makes infants more likely than
adults to be vulnerable to the estrogen-like effects of the phytoestrogens
found in soy.
There
is also research to show that genistein and similar isoflavones can compete for
iodine when iodine stores are low. Further, infants fed soy containing formula
in early life have a higher risk of developing autoimmune thyroid disease.
For
infants fed soy formula their rate of exposure to phyotestrogens is much higher
which may a negative impact on both their thyroid health and hormonal balance.
Soy +
Asian cultures
In
Asia, small quantities of whole bean soy products are considered a traditional
staple of the diet. From the simple soybean comes a variety of foods including
tofu, natto, miso, tempeh, and boiled soy beans (edamame). These foods are
prepared using traditional methods to make these otherwise inedible foods
nutritious.
Soybeans
like other beans, nuts, and seeds contain naturally occurring enzyme
inhibitors. Termed phytic acid or phytates, these compounds make soy difficult
to digest and also have the potential to bind to minerals in the digestive
system. In this way phytic acid acts as an ‘anti-nutrient’ to prevent the
absorption of important minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc.
Soybeans
contain a much higher phytic acid content than most other grains and legumes.
If you have been over doing soy products you may be low in these minerals.
Does
soy harm the thyroid?
An
incredible amount of hype has accompanied the meteoric rise of soy as a popular
‘health’ alternative. Once reserved as a staple for vegetarians’ soy is finding
its way into the shopping baskets of more conventional consumers in various
forms, usually disguised as a refined soy ingredient.
When
it comes to thyroid health processed soy foods and foods containing soy
ingredients should be strictly avoided in a thyroid diet. Soy is goitrogenic, a
term used to describe many foods and environmental compounds that have a
serious potential to block normal thyroid activity and should be avoided in a
thyroid diet.
Highly
processed soy products are not normally manufactured using the phytic acid
reducing techniques used in traditional cultures such as soaking or long slow
cooking. This makes these foods harder to breakdown in the digestive system.
Overt time this can lead to digestive distress and lowered micronutrient
intake.
This
is not good news for thyroid health as the thyroid is particularly sensitive to
nutrient deficiencies. For example; iodine, zinc and selenium are three
minerals critical to aid ongoing thyroid hormone activity.
Globally
soybean oil has become the most widely used dietary oil. This soy derived oil
is routinely used in margarine and shortening. It is also used in salad
dressings, mayonnaise, frozen foods, commercially baked goods and simulated
dairy and meat products. Soy oil along with palm oil and canola oil is often
deceptively referred to as ‘vegetable oil’ on food labels.
Food
manufacturers label dietary oils as ‘vegetable oils’ to make them sound
healthy. However this is far from the truth. They are neither nutritious nor
healthy.
The
long term consumption of these oils has the potential to harm the thyroid and should
be avoided in a thyroid diet. As more of these oils are incorporated into the
thyroid cells their goitrogenic effects becomes more obvious.
The
biggest shift in farming methods occurred over the last century, particularly
with the introduction of ‘monocultures’. These are large scale farming areas
dedicated to a single crop. Soy crops are monocultures favoured by
multinational agribusiness to supply a growing demand.
As
traditional farming methods are lost and the modern monoculture system of
production emerges there is an increasing susceptibility of crops to insects
and disease. This then pushes up the use of toxic agricultural chemicals.
Large
soy plantations are viewed by environmentalists as a growing menace. Intense
soybean cultivation threatens fragile ecosystems and is taking a significant
toll on deforestation of the globe.
Soy +
genetic engineering
Genetic
engineering is the process of using biotechnology to transfer specific traits
or genes from one organism into a different plant species. The result is a
genetically modified (GM) food. The safety and potential long term health risks
of these ‘frankenfoods’ is regularly questioned.
Soy,
canola and corn are the most prevalent GM ingredients and are used in many food
products. The first genetically engineered soybeans were planted in the USA in
1996. Now more than 90% of the USA soy crop is GM.
As
the GM industry grows there has been a corresponding demand for food labels to
clearly state if GM plants or microorganisms have been used in production. In
the European Union all food, and any ingredients directly produced from a GM
source must be labelled even when the GM ingredients may be undetectable in the
final product.
The
‘Roundup Ready’ soybean controversy
The
GM soybean known as the Roundup Ready (RR) soybean was developed by the biotech
giant Monsanto based in the USA. This crop variety was developed to make it
resistant to the Roundup herbicides products which are toxic to conventional
soybean plants. Apart from the issue with genetic engineering this GM soy is
contaminated with pesticide residues which can easily find their way into the
food supply.
Watch
this video below about the foods that should be included in a thyroid diet
Louise O’ Connor,
the author of The Natural Thyroid Diet –The 4-Week Plan to Living Well, Living Vibrantly, who
is a specialist in Thyroid Health. She is a highly regarded Australian
Naturopath and founder of Wellnesswork.
The Natural Thyroid
Diet goes beyond diet advice and offers practical and effective ways to achieve
healthy thyroid levels within just a short period of time. For more details,
Click onThe-Natural-Thyroid-Diet.com
