We just LOVE getting questions from readers and often like to share them with everybody when they are as important as this. Thankfully, we have the lovely integrative health specialist, Christine, on our team to help answer these highly intricate and confusing topics, such as the green smoothies and our THYROID. Thanks Christine...
Ah the
elusive thyroid. Such a hotly debated subject for just one organ! The thyroid
is what I refer to as a power-house organ- responsible for the work of many
other physiological components. You pose a great question. The simple answer is
yes, but I’m going to give you and readers the long version of the answer (and
finish with a smoothie recipe)! Let’s look a little more closely at the
thyroid.
The thyroid
is primarily responsible for how the body synthesizes proteins, the rate at
which the body uses energy and how the body uses other hormones. Because the
thyroid regulates metabolism, what we put into our mouths directly affects it.
This means that the state of food we consume has a direct impact on our
rate of metabolism. Make sense?
Now let’s
look at the concerns with how cruciferous vegetables can affect thyroid health.
Cruciferous vegetables contain glucosinolates which form into goitrin, a
hormone known to interfere with thyroid hormone metabolism (referred to as
goitrogens). An excessive amount of raw cruciferous vegetables can often result
in suppressed thyroid function resulting in coldness, fatigue and slowing of
metabolism.
A simple,
quick wilt will liberate the nutrients from the green foods and eliminate the
concerns for a negative impact on the thyroid. For those of you committed to a
raw food diet, a way around the thyroid complications is to ferment your raw
cruciferous vegetables Once fermented you can add back to the smoothie.
Fermentation liberates nutrients and can aid in digestion by improving nutrient
absorption.
Making The
Case For Preventive Testing In The Absence of Major Symptoms
You know the
story- conventional medicine generally waits until it’s broken to fix it. I
used the word elusive when introducing the thyroid for a great reason- because
it is! Health concerns related to the thyroid go largely undiagnosed each year,
leading to greater, more apparent issues due to lack of preventive testing. I
suggest to all of my female patients they have thyroid tests conducted every
two to four years even in the absence of symptoms. Women living in cloud covered
regions, of a European descent and whose family histories include auto-immune
concerns.
The great
thing about preventive testing is that it helps you decide what food will work
best for you.
Becoming Your
Own Advocate
Become your
own advocate now by getting that thyroid checked out at your next physical or
visit to the OBGYN. Simply state your concern that you live a proactive,
preventive lifestyle and you’d like to enhance your metabolism and well-being.
Be sure to ask for a comprehensive thyroid panel, not just TSH and T4*.
There’s
always a new smoothie being made in my kitchen. This month’s smoothie focuses
on blending local vegetables with stamina promoting elements. Try it out and
tell us what you think!
Blend
Together:
- organic blueberries
- organic mango
- fresh coconut water
- unsweetened hemp milk
- chia seeds
- maca powder
- orange fish oil
- dash of cinnamon
- spirulina powder
To learn more
about how thyroid affects everyday health, food therapy and *how to have your
thyroid thoroughly evaluated you can contact Christine here.
Leave a Reply