{"id":1159,"date":"2017-04-30T10:32:23","date_gmt":"2017-04-30T17:32:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/vitaliahealthcare.ca\/blog\/?p=1159"},"modified":"2020-03-04T11:56:14","modified_gmt":"2020-03-04T19:56:14","slug":"supporting-thyroid-to-achieve-wellness-goals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vitaliahealthcare.ca\/blog\/supporting-thyroid-to-achieve-wellness-goals\/","title":{"rendered":"How Supporting Your Thyroid Can Help You Achieve Your Wellness Goals"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_599\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-599\" style=\"width: 100px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-599\" src=\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/dr-natasha-asselstine-thumb.jpg\" alt=\"Natasha Asselstine, R.H.N.\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-599\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Natasha Asselstine, R.H.N.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Many people \u2013 particularly women in their 30s and into menopausal years \u2013 have an underactive thyroid without realising it. An underactive thyroid (or hypothyroidism) can be associated with lifestyle (such as high stress and poor diet) and genetic markers that may predispose people to it. <!--more--><\/p>\n<p>The thyroid gland is responsible for our metabolic rate and therefore impacts virtually every organ and system in our body! Some symptoms of a low functioning thyroid include:<br \/>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>weight gain<\/li>\n<li>difficulty losing weight<\/li>\n<li>dry skin<\/li>\n<li>hair loss<\/li>\n<li>fatigue<\/li>\n<li>insomnia<\/li>\n<li>inability to cope with stress \u2013 due to the thyroid\u2019s close connection with the adrenals<\/li>\n<li>sore and dry throat (often just from speaking, and separate to a symptom of the flu)<\/li>\n<li>cold hands and feet<\/li>\n<li>constipation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>There is much that can be done nutritionally, environmentally and emotionally to support the thyroid gland. Here are a few tips to get you started:<\/p>\n<h3>1. Eat iodine-rich foods<\/h3>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/vitaliahealthcare.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/thyroid-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"thyroid\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-1163\" srcset=\"https:\/\/vitaliahealthcare.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/thyroid-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/vitaliahealthcare.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/thyroid-624x415.jpg 624w, https:\/\/vitaliahealthcare.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/thyroid.jpg 700w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Iodine is the main nutrient that feeds the thyroid. In fact, goiter is associated with a lack of dietary iodine, and is common in areas of the world that lack iodine-rich soil. Iodine is found abundantly in sea vegetables and salt. An easy way of incorporating iodine-rich food is by using an unrefined sea salt in your daily diet (such as pink Himalayan sea salt) as it contains the right proportion of iodine and other supporting minerals. Iodized table salt, on the other hand, has been stripped of the other minerals and contains a high amount of iodine \u2013 which may be too high for the thyroid gland. Another way of incorporating iodine-rich foods is by cooking with sea vegetables like kelp, dulse and nori \u2013 which add a great flavour to salad dressing or soup stock!<\/p>\n<h3>2. Eat selenium-rich foods<\/h3>\n<p>Selenium is another essential nutrient for the health of the thyroid, but isn\u2019t super easy to come by. Eating one to three raw brazil nuts a day supplies the body with the recommended daily amount of selenium. But just like iodine, be sure not to consume too much selenium \u2013 as too much can negatively impact the thyroid gland as well.<\/p>\n<h3>3. Avoid raw, cruciferous vegetables<\/h3>\n<p>Cruciferous vegetables contain goitrogens which inhibit the uptake of iodine by the thyroid gland. Cruciferous vegetables include kale, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, cabbage, bok choy \u2013 basically, your brassica family of veggies. (Goitrogens can also be found in strawberries, peanuts and soy \u2013 so best to eat these sparingly as well.) The good news is that cooking these foods kills the majority of goitrogens! So continue eating your dark greens \u2013 just cook them first.<\/p>\n<p>Apart from diet, some important environmental and lifestyle recommendations include avoiding fluoride and chlorine, and, above all, practicing stress management. Stress causes the body to favour the production of cortisol over active thyroid hormones \u2013 which makes stress management the number one way to support your thyroid gland. Many people find that by practicing meditation, positive thinking or yoga regularly, they can better manage stress. In fact, there are specific yoga postures that support the thyroid gland!<strong>*<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Finally, the thyroid gland is located at your throat \u2013 and from an emotional point of you, giving your throat exercise can positively impact the thyroid gland as well. Try de-stressing by humming a tune, or voicing your opinion where you think it matters. <\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re struggling with weight management, skin and hair issues, sleep and bowel difficulties, etc. I highly recommend addressing the thyroid gland to ensure it\u2019s functioning optimally. Also, <strong>too much of a good thing can be detrimental to the thyroid gland<\/strong> as well (and can lead to hyperthyroidism which can be dangerous) so please include a natural, food-based and healthy dose of the above recommendations \u2013 not more \u2013 and consult with your health practitioner to find out what\u2019s right for you.<strong>**<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>*If you\u2019d like to know what these postures are, feel free to drop me a line at info@tashelstine.com and I\u2019ll send you the file!<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>**Important note: If you\u2019re on any thyroid medication, it is crucial to consult with your health practitioner prior to trying out these recommendations, as they can impact the dose of your medicine.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Also Read These Related Pages<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"\/lab-tests\/comprehensive-thyroid-assessment.html\" class=\"btn-basic\">Comprehensive Thyroid Assessment<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"\/blog\/thyroid-disease-and-diagnose-by-blood-testing\/\" class=\"btn-basic\">January is Thyroid Awareness Month!<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"\/blog\/stress-impact-on-thyroid\/\" class=\"btn-basic\">Stres Impact on Thyroid<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"\/blog\/low-energy-thyroid-conditions\/\" class=\"btn-basic\">Low energy? How thyroid conditions can be overlooked.<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"\/blog\/what-does-the-thyroid-do\/\" class=\"btn-basic\">What does the Thyroid Do?<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"\/vancouver-thyroid-center\/\" class=\"btn-basic\">Vancouver Thyroid Centre<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"bn-bottom clearfix\">\n<a href=\"\/contact.html\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/images\/bn-contact.jpg\" alt=\"contact us\" width=\"330\"><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/vitaliahealthcare.janeapp.com\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/images\/bn-appointment-bottom.jpg\" alt=\"schedule an appointment\" width=\"330\"><\/a>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Many people \u2013 particularly women in their 30s and into menopausal years \u2013 have an underactive thyroid without realising it. An underactive thyroid (or hypothyroidism) can be associated with lifestyle &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/vitaliahealthcare.ca\/blog\/supporting-thyroid-to-achieve-wellness-goals\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">How Supporting Your Thyroid Can Help You Achieve Your Wellness Goals<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":1163,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,20,43,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1159","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food","category-health","category-thyroid","category-tips"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vitaliahealthcare.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1159","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vitaliahealthcare.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vitaliahealthcare.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vitaliahealthcare.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vitaliahealthcare.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1159"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/vitaliahealthcare.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1159\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2232,"href":"https:\/\/vitaliahealthcare.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1159\/revisions\/2232"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vitaliahealthcare.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1163"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vitaliahealthcare.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1159"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vitaliahealthcare.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1159"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vitaliahealthcare.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1159"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}