Thyroid is important to overall health

Thyroid is important to overall health

3 April 2013

THE thyroid gland is located in the throat area and has many important functions including regulating the metabolic rate, speeding up digestion and it even helps regulate the heartbeat.

It is vital to well-being in a multitude of ways and having a properly functioning thyroid can greatly improve the quality of your life. It is common (particularly for women) to have a borderline underactive thyroid and some people have a significantly underactive thyroid for which they are prescribed medication. If you have low energy levels, find it hard to stay at a healthy weight, experience thinning hair, feel the cold a lot, suffer from constipation or have depression there is a good chance your thyroid could do with a boost.

The good news is whatever the state of your thyroid you can improve its function by eating more foods that support your thyroid, avoiding the foods that make it underactive and using nutritional supplements and herbal remedies.

The first thing to do is to make sure you are getting enough iodine as this is the most important mineral the thyroid needs to be healthy. It is difficult to get ample iodine in a standard diet as there is not enough in the soil so the best bet is to add sea vegetables to your diet like dulse, kelp, nori and wakame or you can take a kelp tablet each day.

Kelp is probably the most nutritious seaweed as it has a high mineral content and has the highest level of calcium out of any food. Iodine is also found in unrefined salt such as Himalayan pink salt, unrefined sea salt or the salt alternative “herbamare”. Adding a little of these to your food each day is much healthier than regular table salt which is unrefined, can raise blood pressure and has no iodine or other minerals.

Eating more oily fish such as salmon, sardines, trout or mackerel and less red meat and pork can provide your body with more minerals and omega 3 which has many additional health benefits. However, tuna is best avoided as it has been shown in studies to contain mercury and shrimps and prawns contain higher levels of toxins as these are the scavengers of the ocean floor. In Japan it is rare to have an underactive thyroid as the diet is very rich in iodine due to the amount of sea vegetables and fish that the people eat.

Eating a natural, unprocessed diet rich in all the vegetables, wheat-free wholegrains like porridge, oat cakes, wholegrain rice, quinoa, millet, buckwheat and spelt, lentils and beans, sea vegetables, seeds and their oils and fresh fruit will help your thyroid to function well and improve health in general. The key is to eat more green vegetables such as spinach, chard, cucumber, celery, rocket, watercress and steamed broccoli which is excellent for the liver.

To make sure you get all your vitamins and minerals try taking a “green superfood supplement” such as spirulina, blue green algae, chlorella or barley grass powder. The green superfood powders are available in capsules too and really can make a difference to your energy levels by filling in nutritional deficiencies and helping the body to get rid of toxins.

“Synergy supergreens” contain a blend of four green superfoods and you can add up to two teaspoons a day to juice (start with a quarter of a teaspoon a day to prevent detoxing too fast as this can make you feel ill.) Choosing organic food can really help too as herbicides, pesticides and growth hormones negatively effect the thyroid and organic food is also higher in vitamins and minerals.

Drinking more water supports your thyroid and health in general as it is important to keep the body hydrated. Try reducing coffee, tea and fizzy drinks as the caffeine causes energy highs and lows and can contribute to an underactive thyroid and add some fresh lemon juice to your water which is great for alkalizing the body.

By improving your digestion you will absorb more vitamins and minerals including iodine which gives the thyroid a real boost. Drinking aloe vera juice every day provides a wide spectrum of vitamins and minerals, cleanses the digestive tract, reduces constipation and improves digestion in general. It is suitable to take with thyroid medication and can help with both an underactive and overactive thyroid as its is an adaptogen which means it helps your body get back into balance.

Dandelion is one of the best herbs to improve digestion and aid weight loss. Try drinking dandelion tea or the brand “Vogels” do a dandelion herbal remedy and you take 15 s berfore meals.

Taking 5 mls of “Swedish bitters” with meals is a wonderful way to stimulate digestion as this will improve stomach and liver function.

The most common food intolerances which contribute to poor digestion include wheat, sugar, cows milk/cheese, alcohol, tea and coffee, meat from the pig, oranges, soya and peanuts. Many people find by avoiding these they can improve their digestion, lose weight and your thyroid will love you.

By making small healthy changes to your diet, staying hydrated and improving digestion you can improve your thyroid function and increase your energy naturally.

Foods and products mentioned can be found in good health shops such as THS at Jacksons, Main St, Saintfield and THS, St Patrick’s Ave, Downpatrick.

If you have any questions about the thyroid or natural health e-mail Kim at kimmccreery@live.co.uk