Nutrition Plans For Thyroid, Diabetes And PCOS
Weight loss: Weight loss
There’s no one ‘diet’ for hypothyroidism, and food certainly isn’t going to stop or cure the issue — but here’s what you should and shouldn’t be eating to feel your best and manage your symptoms, according to the latest research.
Our tiny but mighty thyroid gland is one of the body’s main powerhouses — and when it doesn’t function properly, we’re at risk for one of many thyroid disorders. These disorders can be frustrating, debilitating, and hard to manage — but you’re not alone in the battle, and it can be done. An estimated 20 million Americans live with a thyroid disorder (many of them unaware of it!). You or someone you love might be one of them.
One of the most common thyroid issues? Hypothyroidism. It’s a condition that occurs when the body doesn’t make enough thyroid hormone — versus hyperthyroidism, in which your body makes too much thyroxine hormone.
Thyroid hormones are all-important, playing a major hand in everything from cell repair and metabolism to regulating our energy levels and moods. Without these hormones, people with hypothyroidism end up dealing with a whole range of possibly risky symptoms and complications.
These include — but are definitely not limited to:
- debilitating fatigue
- heart issues
- intolerance to cold
- mood changes (like depression)
- weight gain
- constipation
- dry skin
- increasing LDL or ‘bad’ cholesterol
- joint pain
Unfortunately, the list of side effects goes on. In serious cases, Myxedema coma may occur. This is a life-threatening situation in which severe hypothyroidism can lead to slowed mental function, hypothermia, and organ failure.
The causes behind hypothyroidism are fairly varied. It could be caused by an autoimmune disease (such as Addison’s or rheumatoid arthritis), thyroid gland surgery, iodine intake issues, radiation, or Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, which is an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation of the thyroid gland — and one of the most common culprits behind hypothyroidism. The pituitary gland itself may cause issues as well. When it doesn’t release enough TSH, the thyroid can’t then make its hormones.
While medication is necessary to manage healthy thyroid levels, there are also some lifestyle changes and things you can do to support healthy thyroid function — and to reduce some of the intensity of your symptoms. And it starts in your kitchen.
Eating the right foods will not only make you feel better and more energized (we’ll all take an energy boost, right?), they can help combat some of the extra weight gain that comes from a slowed-down metabolism. If you’re feeling cold all the time, it could be a sign that your metabolism has taken a dip (since it controls your body temperature).