Millions of people suffer from common forms of thyroid conditions. Women are more likely than men to develop some type of thyroid condition, but many are not even aware they are suffering from it until it begins to severely affect their lives. These conditions can range from an overactive or underactive thyroid condition, and medication is often required for people to feel their best. However, there are some natural ways that you can help improve your thyroid health.
When you switch to a clean eating diet, you are encouraged not just to eat 4-6 small meals a day, but to always make sure you eat breakfast. Breakfast allows you to get enough fuel for the day, so you want your meal to include healthy fats, carbs, and protein, just like other meals of the day. Breakfast is often a challenge, so here are some ideas to help get you started.
Breakfast foods are great sources of necessary nutrients that your body needs, such as Vitamin B, iron, calcium, protein, and fiber, and they can help keep you energized all day. By getting all these important nutrients at breakfast, your body won’t be trying to compensate for them later in the day.
You finally got the diagnosis of being hypothyroid and your doctor is ready to put you on thyroid medication. Stop for just a minute because this little pill will impact your life more than you could ever imagine. I know you just want to “feel better” but the decisions you make right now are going to affect your health on down the road. So I want you to understand exactly what you are getting into by taking thyroid medication because I didn’t and it's a huge regret for me.
Your mind and body work in tandem. For a holistic approach to taking care of your thyroid, it is also important to move your body in a way that promotes thyroid health. Engage in mindfulness and refresh your system with this Kundalini breathing exercise that works towards refreshing your digestive system, cleansing your blood, and flushing toxins from your kidney. Kundalini is a form of yoga that is centered on releasing energy from within.
Now that we’ve covered the basics of how your thyroid works (read more here) let’s look at the difference between hypothyroidism and autoimmune thyroid disease. You can be hypothyroid and not have autoimmunity. You can be autoimmune and not have hypothyroidism (in the earlier stages of your disease process). Or you can have both.
If you are brand new to clean eating, you might be getting a little overwhelmed with all the information out there. There is a lot to learn, from what you can and can’t eat, to how much, how to read labels for ingredients, and when to exercise. Here is a simple list of some do’s and don’ts that will help you navigate this new healthy lifestyle.
According to a symptom survey of over 3000 participants that appeared on www.hypothyroidmom.com in 2015, the top 3 symptoms of autoimmune thyroid disease are fatigue, brain fog and not being able to lose weight. I have to say these were my top 3 also. Although extreme exhaustion would have been a much better description than fatigue.
So where do you start when you’re so tired you can’t function, you’re so forgetful that you can’t remember where you left your keys ( or maybe even your kid) and you’re blowing up like an Oompa Loompa from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?
