Integrative Nutrition and Supplements to Balance your Thyroid Hormones
Group classes at PIM regarding Thyroid transformation and Thyroid Hormone
Thank you to everyone who came out to our Transform Your Thyroid group class last week. We felt it was very successful! It was lovely to see both familiar and new faces!I know some people were unable to attend and have requested the handouts from the event. I thought it might be nice to summarize some of the key points regarding thyroid transformation and thyroid hormone we covered here on the blog. I have also attached the powerpoint to share.
I reviewed thyroid function, symptoms, testing and medications in my last blog post Thyroid Health: Everything you need to know about the gland so let’s jump right into nutrition and lifestyle support for optimal hormone health.
Food is Medicine: Eat to support your thyroid
As holistic providers, we know what we eat has a profound impact on our health and wellness at a cellular level. Food can be healing and restorative to our minds and bodies. Some key ways to support our thyroid health is by incorporating some of the following recommendations into daily life;
- Eat organic when possible: foods are richer in the trace minerals needed for thyroid hormone production, conversion to active form and ability to bind to our cell walls. Organic foods also have significantly lower pesticide levels which are known endocrine disruptors.
- Cook cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, kale, cauliflower) if consuming large amounts to decrease goitrogen content. Goitrogens have the potential to block iodine which is essential for producing thyroid hormone when consumed in very high amounts.
- Add sea vegetables to increase iodine intake.
- Incorporate foods rich in the trace minerals and vitamins essential for thyroid hormone synthesis and conversion into active form (T3)
- Zinc: red meat, poultry, beans, nuts, seafood and dairy
- Vit E: liver, eggs, nuts, seeds, dark green vegetables, sweet potatoes and avocado
- B2, B3, B6: meat/seafood, green vegetables, mushrooms, dairy, eggs, almonds
- Selenium: brazil nuts
- Vitamin C: vegetables and citrus
Balance Your Hormones to optimize your thyroid
The thyroid is part of our endocrine system- a network of organs and glands that are responsible for hormone regulation and coordination of communication throughout the body. All hormones communicate and work together. When there is an imbalance in one hormone it can affect the function of another. This is particularly true when it comes to the thyroid and adrenal glands.
The adrenals are small glands that sit on top on our kidneys. They are responsible for regulating blood pressure, secreting DHEA-S, cortisol and adrenaline in response to stress and synthesizing small amount of sex hormones. When our adrenal glands are overworked and in a sympathetic state they secrete high levels of cortisol and DHEA-S. High levels of cortisol inhibit the conversion of T4(inactive thyroid hormone) into T3(active), decrease binding of T3 to cell receptor sites and increase the level of reverse T3. Thus it is important to take care of our adrenal health to optimize our thyroid function. Here are some simple ways to love your adrenals;
- Avoid stimulants such as caffeine
- Aim for at least 8 hours of sleep a night
- Incorporate a mind body practice such as mediation, guided imagery, yoga into your daily routine
- Avoid processed carbohydrates and sweets to avoid unstable blood glucose levels
- Eat more healthy fat such as avocados, olive oil, and nuts
Please find the Powerpoint from the group class and recipes for Hormone Health attached. We look forward to seeing you at our next class April 28th 10 Secrets to Feel well and to Feel good.