In previous posts we talked about how goitrogens affect the iodine in our bodies, now I’m going to talk about iodine intake, how it works with and how it affects the thyroid.

Iodine and Your Thyroid

You might be asking; what does iodine have to do with hypothyroidism and thyroid dysfunction? Well iodine plays a major role in the overall function of the thyroid and its production of thyroid hormone. It’s for this reason that the bodies iodine intake needs to maintain a healthy balance.

Iodine is the key component in thyroid hormone production. There are two hormones produced by the thyroid gland T3 and T4. The numbers 3 and 4 are the actual number of iodine atoms found in each thyroid hormone molecule.

Just too briefly explain the complex manner of how T3 and T4 hormones are used by our bodies I’ll try to summarize it in laymen’s terms. The cells in our bodies use T3 thyroid hormone for gene control. However the majority of thyroid hormone that the thyroid gland produces is T4. The bulk of the T3 and T4 hormones stick to proteins that are produced by the liver, the remainder of the hormones actually make it into the bodies cells where T4 is converted to T3 by the cells deiodinase enzymes and use it to control the cells genes.

Iodine deficiency

When there isn’t enough of iodine in a person’s diet the thyroid gland can’t produce enough thyroid hormone to meet the body’s demands. This is when goiter develops because the thyroid gland enlarges as it works harder and harder to try to meet those demands. I’ve seen instances where the recommended daily allowance of iodine intake can range anywhere from 90 on up to 290 micrograms per day depending on age and whether you are pregnant or nursing. Pregnant women require around 220 and nursing women require around 290 micrograms of iodine per day.

Thyroid dysfunction caused by iodine deficiency in the United States is very rare because in this country our salt as well as many of the foods that we eat contain iodine. The lack of iodine is more common in countries around the world that don’t have iodized table salt or readily available sea food and kelp.

Iodine excess

More common in the United States are issues where excessive iodine intake is prominent. As I stated above, in the United States there is more than enough iodine in our daily diets to fulfill the iodine needs of our thyroids. With this being the case in the United States there is no need for iodine supplements. As a matter of fact taking iodine supplements can be detrimental to your thyroid health.

When there is excessive iodine intake in the human body the thyroid gland starts to overproduce thyroid hormone and when this happens the bodies autoimmune system starts to attack and shut down the thyroid gland to a point where it actually causes hypothyroidism if you have an underlying potential for hypothyroidism such as a family history of this disease. On the other side of the coin if you are pre-disposed to either Grave’s disease of nodular goiter then too much iodine can cause hyperthyroidism. A healthy thyroid gland handles excessive iodine intake by controlling how much iodine it takes in and last with Hashimoto’s too much iodine intake will cause your thyroid gland to slow down thyroid hormone production even more than it already is.

So again when you are looking to provide yourself with a healthy hypothyroidism diet much like with goitrogens and everything else that you include in your diet, it’s important to maintain a healthy balance of foods that contain iodine. Always consult your doctor to treat your thyroid disease then look into the diet and exercise program that works best for you.

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Hypothyroidism and Weight Gain

Life’s Too Fast:

In today’s fast paced society we tend to survive by eating on the go, not paying much attention to the things that we are putting into our bodies or how it will affect our system in the long run. This practice is not only bad for everybody in general but it’s even worse for individuals who suffer from hypothyroidism like us.

A hypothyroid diet needs to be controlled and ongoing. It needs to become a way of life that requires awareness of how you live. It may also require minor changes to your lifestyle and slight adjustments to the way that you eat if weight loss is to be obtained for someone with a sluggish thyroid.

One of the first things that you should become aware of is the food that you are eating and what that food contains. So many of the foods that you put into your body is full of toxins that can slowly destroy your thyroid. This in turn affects our metabolism causing hypothyroidism and weight gain.

You will be healthier in the long run if you stop and consider that it’s probably a bad idea to satisfy your hunger with a muffin or a donut that you grabbed while on the go. A far better idea would be to research ahead of time easy to grab foods that are just as easy to grab and as satisfying to eat. Take bananas for example. Bananas are a good source of iodine and iodine is a key element that the thyroid gland uses to produce the thyroid hormones which regulate your metabolism.

Make Healthy Choices:

So what is a good hypothyroidism diet? Like with any other diet, a hypothyroidism diet is a healthy balance of what the body needs to properly function. As is the case with hypothyroidism it would be the increase of iodine enriched foods coupled with a decreased intake of foods that contain goitrogens that will aid in reducing the symptoms of this particular thyroid condition.

Good foods to include in your diet plans for hypothyroidism are spinach, strawberries, tomatoes, asparagus, bananas, carrots, eggs, garlic, kelp, mushrooms, onions, potatoes, peas, squash, lima beans, radishes, low fat yogurt and seafood because these are foods that can replace the iodine in your body that has been diminished by goitrogens. You may have noticed that some of these foods, such as spinach, are actually on the list of foods containing goitrogens but the amount of iodine contained in them is enough to counteract the goitrogenic effects. This is especially true if the foods are “ground” grown versus “water” grown. Ground grown foods have higher levels of iodine due to its absorption of it from the soil.

You also should avoid excess consumption of the following: Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, peanuts, pears, pine nuts, soybeans, kale, mustard, peaches and turnips. The chlorine that’s in our drinking water and white table salt are some foods that also deplete or interfere with the iodine in our bodies. It would be far better to switch to sea salt and bottled or filtered water.

Only the Right Amount of Iodine:

That being said I also wouldn’t suggest a diet of total iodine consumption because your body needs to maintain a healthy balance of many elements in order to function. The idea when putting together your diet plans for hypothyroidism is to be able to regulate the iodine levels that are being depleted by the goitrogens that are found in other common diet foods that can actually contribute to hypothyroidism and weight gain.

By decreasing your consumption of foods that contain goitrogens and increasing consumption of iodine enriched foods you should eventually be able to strike a balance that will help you to achieve your hypothyroid weight loss goals.

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Losing weight with hypothyroidism can be a long and winding road to follow. But, there are little tips and tricks that can help you feel better and maybe fit into those shorts that you wore last year. One of those tips is how to handle bloating.

You know that feeling. Your lower abdomen is distended and feels puffy. Your pants start to feel tighter for no apparent reason. First let’s discuss what bloat is. Bloat is the inflammation and unwanted retention of water in your lower intestines. So, how do you deal with the “Bloat”?

There are a number of ways to combat the bloat. First and foremost you want to up your water intake. Yes, I know that this sounds counter intuitive but by taking in more water you will trick you body into thinking that it doesn’t need to store water since it’s getting an abundant supply. Also, by drinking more water you’re able to flush the toxins out of your system that is causing the inflammation in your bowels.

And speaking of flushing your bowels you will need to up your fiber intake. By adding both soluble and insoluble fiber you enable your body to retain more of the water that you drink to end up in the intestines where it will do the most good. There are plenty of natural sources of fiber but if you need to you can always use a good dietary supplement. This tip has another benefit also. People with hypothyroidism suffer from constipation on a regular basis. This will help not only with the bloating but also with this often aggravating symptom of hypothyroidism.

In keeping with good bowel health you should add some from of a probiotic into your system. Yogurt can be one of the best ways to get these kinds of good compounds into your system. Make sure that you find a brand that has not only active yogurt cultures but specifically mentions the addition of probiotics. These will help to maintain a healthy balance of good bacteria or flora in your digestive system. This can be especially important if you just have finished a course of anti-biotics. Antibiotics are notorious for killing off the good bacteria in your system.

There are certain foods that can cause inflammation of the digestive track and one of these culprits are sugar substitutes such as the ones found in diet sodas. Some sugar substitutes can aggravate your digestive track causing it to become inflamed and swollen. So, in this case it may be necessary to switch back to regular soda or even better avoid it entirely. Water is always the best alternative.

Last but not least, lower your salt intake. Sodium’s effect on your body causes it to retain water. By reducing your sodium intake not only are you doing your heart a favor you will also be able to flush water from you system more readily.

Give these tips a try. You may not lose a ton of weight but you will look and feel better and whether of not you are suffering from hypothyroidism you have to agree that this is a good thing.

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It goes against everything that you think you know about losing weight on a hypothyroidism diet or any diet for that matter, eat saturated fat to lose weight.

But not just any saturated fat will do. You must eat the right kinds of fats and fatty acids and virgin coconut oil fits the bill.

Why is Coconut Oil so special?

Well, virgin coconut oil is a saturated fat that is mainly composed of medium chain fatty acids. The fatty acids in the oil are known as MCTs or medium chain triglycerides. These medium chain fatty acids can increase your metabolism, raise your basal body temperature and promote weight loss.

The implications of these health benefits for those of you suffering from a low thyroid is tremendous. It means that there are more natural ways to maintaining your thyroid. It also means that as you supplement your diet with virgin coconut oil you can increase your chance of losing weight while on your “hypothyroidism” diet.

How is Virgin Coconut Oil Produced?

Coconuts thrive in most tropical areas such as the Philippines where a lot of coconut oil is produced. Virgin coconut oil is made or processed from the meat of fresh coconuts. The process can include a quick drying and then pressing the oil out of the meat of the coconut. Another method would be wet milling where the coconut oil is then later separated from the coconut milk. Cold pressed coconut oil is oil that has been processed with the addition of very little heat.

Virgin Coconut Oil and Hypothyroidism

So, how does virgin coconut oil help with your hypothyroidism weight loss diet? To answer this we must understand what coconut oil is made up of and how this affects the body. As I mentioned earlier coconut oil is primarily a saturated fat, over 90%. But of this 90%, over 60% are the medium chain triglycerides mentioned of which the majority, over 50%, is Lauric acid. Lauric acid is an essential fatty acid that is utilized by your body to build and maintain your immune system.

Other Essential Fatty Acids

There are a couple of other no less important fatty acids present in virgin coconut oil that help maintain a healthy body. Linoleic acid is a polyunsaturated fat that is has been a staple of the weight loss industry and is typically sold as a supplement know as CLA or conjugated linoleic acid. Usually sold in softgel capsule form this “good” fat has been shown to promote body fat reduction in several clinical studies.

The other compound is Oleic acid which is an omega-9 fatty acid. Just like in virgin coconut oil this acid is also the main compound present in extra-virgin olive oil, another good oil to promote healthy eating. This acid has been shown to raise HDL (good) cholesterol levels while lowering the LDL (bad) cholesterol levels.

I hope that you can see why virgin coconut oil is heavy hitter when it comes to helping you to become more healthy. Its beneficial effects on metabolism, cholesterol and weight loss should make this food a staple for any hypothyroidism diet.

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Goitrogens. The very term sounds alien. What are goitrogens and what does it mean to you?

Goitrogens are compounds that, if ingested, can interfere with the absorption of iodine into your body and can result in the enlargement of your thyroid gland. This, as you know, is not very good for the sufferer of hypothyroidism. It has been suggested that iodine deficiency has been linked to hypothyroidism and mental retardation in children.

For those of you who suffer from hypothyroidism ingesting goitrogens is counter productive to what your trying to accomplish through hormone therapy not to mention the stimulation of your metabolism. You want to try to induce your thyroid and metabolism to work within normal ranges, not the other way around and these compounds will have this effect.

There are several ways in which you can get these compounds into your system but the most common way is through the foods that we eat.

Some of the more common foods that contain these goitrogenic compounds are soy beans or any soy related products such as tofu, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, spinach, strawberries, peaches, pears, bok choy, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, Kale, canola and canola oils, mustard greens, turnips and rutabagas. Although with broccoli, spinach, cabbage, cauliflower and collard greans you can cook the bulk of the goitrogens out of the vegetables. In other words don’t consume them raw.

When you eat these foods they interfere with and have a negative effect on your thyroid. When eating for hypothyroidism or on a hypothyroidism diet it is recommended that you eat foods rich in iodine as iodine in proper amounts contribute to good thyroid health. Seafood is one of the best natural sources of iodine as well as kelp and seaweed. I don’t know anyone personally who actually eats kelp and seaweed, except when eating sushi, but there are some supplements available that derive their iodine from kelp. However you should always consult an endocrinologist before using kelp pills as kelp pills can provide you with too much iodine causing other issues with your thyroid.

But, if you are trying to eat iodine rich food as well as these goitrogenic foods it will have a nullifying effect and you won’t get the benefits from these thyroid stimulating foods. So, eat these goods foods rich in iodine and limit those goitrogens.

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A hypothyroidism diet can mean many things to a lot of people. Some people might think of it as a means for them to lose weight. Others may think of diet for hypothyroidism as a way to maintain the weight they have and hopefully to not gain any more. While still others don’t even bother maintaining a proper diet thinking that losing weight with hypothyroidism is the holy grail of weight loss and that it doesn’t really exist. I hope this last one doesn’t describe you.

If you’re suffering from low thyroid function this question can mean a lot of things to you. What group do you fall into? What does a diet for hypothyroidism mean to you?

Hopefully you fall somewhere in the middle. It’s a positive goal to want to lose weight. Millions of people everyday work towards this goal. It’s good to want to be healthy and fit. But, when your thyroid is under producing your chances realistically decline. So, is that the end of it?

Absolutely not!

First and foremost, you goal should be to become the healthiest you that you can be. Whatever that means to you. It could mean getting into shape so that you reduce your blood pressure, resting heart rate and stress. Or, it could mean getting your triglycerides and cholesterol down. It could even mean getting your muscles stronger so you can enjoy some activity that you like to do. It should at least mean getting your thyroid levels regulated.

But, it doesn’t have to mean that you lose a whole lot of weight. Unless of course you’re so overweight that it is dangerous for your system.

You should keep your goals realistic. You should realize that for you to be able to maintain your weight or sustain any kind of weight loss you must get your hormones regulated. This typically means getting a prescription for a synthetic thyroid hormone.

By getting your thyroid levels regulated you give your body the fighting chance it needs to stay healthy and even possibly lose weight. But don’t make this your only priority. Unregulated thyroid levels can reek havoc on the body over the long term.

Next, since you have hypothyroidism, you should be looking at what foods are good for you to eat and which ones to steer clear from. There are also others that you can have in moderation. Essentially you stay away from most foods that are what they call Goitrogens. These are foods that interfere with the body’s absorption of iodine and as a result suppresses how your thyroid functions. These include raw broccoli, anything soy, peanuts, raw spinach and Brussels sprouts. Just to name a few.

So, I’ll ask you again. What does it mean to be on a hypothyroidism diet? Hopefully, at least part of the answer is to be a more healthier you.

Cheers!

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Have you been dieting and exercising but the weight isn’t coming off? Have you been faithful to your hypothyroidism diet but nothing is working? Are you thinking of giving up?

Before you quit read this post.

On the Today show this morning they had Mom, CEO and super model Kathy Ireland talking about her new book “Real Solutions for Busy Moms”. During the segment it came up that Kathy had gained 25 pounds over the course of time because of being too busy to take care of herself the right way.

Now, she didn’t go into detail as to how she lost the weight but something she said did resonate with me and it should be a good message for you to get. Especially if you’re thinking of quitting your diet.

What she said is that besides the way she looked, it had occurred to her, “What she was doing to herself on the inside?” What were her protein and triglyceride levels in her system? What was she doing to her body by not taking care of it?

You should be asking yourself not “is this worth it, I’m not losing any weight, why bother” but what the cost of not eating healthy and exercising is doing to your system on the inside. First of all, you can lose the weight. In all likelihood it’s just going to take you longer to achieve your goals. But, in addition to this, the goal for your hypothyroidism diet should also be to maintain a healthy system by keeping your triglycerides and cholesterol levels in the normal ranges, building muscle that’s going to burn fat and most of all by maintaining your thyroid levels.

Please don’t let hypothyroidism become a springboard for other diseases and conditions. Heart disease, various kinds of cancers and diabetes become real possibilities if you don’t take care of yourself. This is even more true if you lose your enthusiasm for being healthy because of hypothyroidism.

The problem stems from a society that promotes beauty in unhealthy way by rewarding us for when we look like or strive to look like super models and condemning us when we don’t. My sister-in-law knows about this first hand. She is overweight and she has heart trouble. She was the victim of depression eating but she’s on the mend both mentally and physically.

The reason I mention her is that just a week or so ago when she was in the supermarket parking lot, she had used one of the motorized baskets to get her goods to the car. While she was packing her stuff into her car some “lovely human being” commented in a not too nice a fashion that “if she wasn’t so fat she wouldn’t need to use the cart to carry her groceries to the car”. Oh my God! I couldn’t believe it when I heard it. I couldn’t believe that there are such uncaring and insensitive people out there and who are brazen enough to act like this guy did. But they are out there. She took it in stride so don’t worry about her.

The point I’m trying to make is that you shouldn’t worry about what society thinks about you or how you look. You should only be concerned about how you feel and how healthy you are. The message that I’m trying to send is that you shouldn’t give up on your hypothyroidism diet. Your goal should be not only to lose some of the unwanted weight but also to become the healthiest person that you can be.

I know you can do it!

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If you’re suffering from hypothyroidism and are struggling to lose weight I’m sure the thought has crossed your mind as to whether or not you can succeed while on a hypothyroidism diet.

I’ve seen many questions come up in forums where men and women are concerned that they can’t lose weight since they are hypothyroid. They’ve tried a number of ways for a short amount of time but didn’t see any improvement in their weight so they get disgusted and quit trying.

First, let me say that it is possible to lose weight even if you are suffering from a low thyroid. But, let’s discuss what it means to be hypothyroid for a moment. When suffering from hypothyroidism one of the unfortunate side effects is that of weight gain or trouble losing the weight they already have. Why is this? Well, it’s due to the fact that when your thyroid isn’t producing the proper amount of hormones your metabolism starts to slow down considerably. You begin to feel fatigued all of the time even after sleeping all night but, you also begin to have weight issues.

“But Karen, I already know this. How does this relate to me? What do I do to succeed at my hypothyroidism diet?”

Ok, fair enough question. Here is the answer. To be able to control your weight you need to get control over your metabolism. One of the first ways is to either get on a hormone therapy prescribed by your doctor.

One of the drugs commonly used for this is called Synthroid or a generic substitute.

Another way would be to try a thyroid health supplement such as Thyromine. But always consult with you Doctor before using supplements. There are certain foods that also promote healthy thyroid function.

The point of this boils down to one common denominator increasing your metabolism. By boosting your metabolism through various techniques and strategies you improve your chances of losing weight.

Your primary goal should be to become a healthier individual in general and not to get hung up on being a size 4. Some of us will never get to that size no matter how hard we diet anyway. So it’s best to set realistic goals to become healthy, improve your cardiovascular system, to lose unwanted weight and to eat as healthy as possible.

If you think in these terms you’ll be surprised just how well you succeed at your hypothyroidism diet.

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Should you Detox?

What is a Detox or Cleanse?

First, let’s talk about what a detox diet or cleanse diet is. A detox or cleanse diet is a diet where your intent is to rid your body of the toxins that it absorbs via your environment or the foods you eat. The diet can range from various levels of fasting to eating only fresh fruits and vegetables and drinking fresh water for a certain length of time to even taking natural laxatives to help your body to expel the toxins from your digestive system.

What are their effects on the body?

But, you need to be aware that the effects on the body can range from the mild to the severe. Depending on which route you decide to follow you could be in store for some discomfort. For example, if you decide that part of your regime is to cut out caffeine then you can expect headaches as you withdraw from its use. The more intense the detox the more severe the effects on the body and supposedly the more effective the cleanse. But are they safe?

Safety First

First of all, you should only proceed with something like this while under the watchful eye of a doctor. There are serious concerns you need to consider such as protein deprivation and electrolyte imbalances that can harm the body should the Detox be too severe and maintained for too long of time. In extreme circumstances your heart can be affected if you don’t take steps to maintain a proper balance. The average healthy adult can fast for 2 – 3 days usually without any adverse effects. Go beyond that without proper care and planning and your taking your chances. And anytime you take laxatives for any length of time you run the risk of becoming dependent on them.

What Should You Do?

So the big question is “Should You Detox?” Well, the answer is really up to you and to what degree you intend to take it. It may be a good way to jump start your hypothyroid diet regime if done correctly and is not too intense. Since your systems is already out of kilter due to your low thyroid you don’t want to do anything that will upset that delicate balance that you have worked with your doctor to maintain. Provided that you are on hormone therapy. If not, you should get your hormone levels adjusted prior to starting any kind of weight loss program otherwise it might not do any good.

I would think though that since a large part of maintaining any diet is to boost your metabolism that you wouldn’t want to short circuit that process. Maybe by cutting out certain things such as caffeine and by drinking more water it will be enough to begin to slowly clean your system.

You should remember that the body already has a pretty efficient system in place to rid the body of toxins on a daily basis. The liver, kidneys, skin and the colon cleanse the system of any toxins that are breathed in or ingested on a daily basis. So I would think that you would want to only enhance that process and not make it difficult for that process to work.

The bottom line is that you should give careful thought to any hypothyroid diet that includes a detox or cleanse that way you don’t upset your body’s natural processes. As with anything moderation is the key.

Any thoughts or comments?

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How to measure you metabolism

This time were going to talk about getting your metabolism measured. Getting your metabolism measured could be one of the single most important aspects to getting started with a hypothyroidism diet. Reason being, if you’re trying to attain a goal, such as hypothyroid weight loss, it’s important to know how your body is consuming the calories that you’re taking in during the day. This is one way to make sure that you’re taking in the correct amount of calories, not too much or too little.

How metabolism measured?

Your metabolism can be measured a couple of different ways. The first method is called direct calorimetry. This method measures the energy expended in the form of heat. This test is not practical for our purposes. The other method is called “indirect calorimetry”, it measures the amount of oxygen consumed over a period of time. Traditionally this was only available in hospitals and research facilities due to the cost of the apparatus used and the need for trained technicians to run it. But, nowadays it’s possible to get the test done almost anywhere the machines are available. I know of some dietitians that now have these machines to aid them in properly gauging a client’s daily caloric needs when creating a diet for them.

What are the needed preparations for the test?

The aim of the test is to gauge the RMR or the Resting Metabolic Rate of an individual. Therefore, he or she needs to avoid eating anything for a while before the test, avoid exercising on the day of your test and avoid the use of stimulants such as caffeine on the day of the test. I had the procedure done and I was asked to fast for 4 hours prior to the test.

What happens during the test?

You will relax in a seated position. A mask or mouthpiece would be used and you have to breathe through there until the test concludes, usually ten to fifteen minutes. If a mouthpiece is used a clip will typically be place on your nose to reduce the infiltration of any oxygen that could ruin the test. If this is bothersome to you ask if they can get mask for you to use.

The only problem I had was when I swallowed the saliva that built up in my mouth during the test my ears would block up. After the test completes a report will either be printed out by the machine or displayed on its screen. The important part is that the dietitian will use the results in order to come up with the best plan for your hypothyroidism diet.

The bottom line is once you have a starting place or baseline to go by and a goal; your chances of reaching your desired weight will dramatically increase.

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