The Thyroid 🦋
Why it's so important and how to support it
1 in 8 women develop a thyroid disorder in their lifetime! The thyroid is a small butterfly shaped gland in the neck that’s involved in nearly every process in the body. It impacts weight ⚖️, fertility 🐣, menstruation🩸, energy levels 😃, sleep 😴, memory 🤔, digestion 💩 and skin tone 🌟 and regulates heart rate 🫀, blood pressure 🩸 and body temperature 🌡️. Therefore, having a healthy functioning thyroid is key for overall health. Unfortunately, the thyroid can over or under function. Conventional medicine will prescribe medication to regulate your thyroid but luckily, in many cases, this can also be done through dietary and lifestyle changes.
How to support the thyroid
🍽️ Consume thyroid supporting foods
🥬 Improve your gut
📵Be mindful of EMF exposure
☣️Avoid environmental toxins
💊Consider supplements
🍽️ The thyroid runs on iodine and selenium. These minerals aren’t the most prominent in the modern diet so consider eating a Brazil nut or two and sea veggies daily.
🥬 You can be consuming a brazil nut and sea veggies (and lots of other nutritious foods) daily but if your gut isn’t functioning well it will not be absorbing the iodine and selenium necessary for powering the thyroid. To improve gut function consider adding more fermented foods and fiber into your diet and significantly decreasing (if not eliminating) sugar and gluten. You may also want to consider digestive enzymes.
📵 EMFs are electromagnetic fields created by phones, computers, Bluetooth, etc. The thyroid is very sensitive to EMFs so reduce your exposure when you can (for example in your bedroom at night).
☣️ Certain environmental toxins can block the thyroid from being able to take in iodine. They are present in drinking water, food and plastic. Consider using a water filter, buying organic food and avoid plastic clothing like flip flops, waterproof gear and some athletic wear.
💊 In addition to iodine and selenium already mentioned, the thyroid needs vitamin D, zinc, magnesium and iron to function well. A blood test can show you if you have an over or under-functioning thyroid and it can also indicate vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
Were you familiar with the thyroid before reading this post? I’d love to hear.
Warm regards,
Donelle