Healthy Habits for a Healthy Thyroid
The thyroid gland produces hormones which influence the metabolic speed of nearly EVERY process in the body. An imbalance in these hormones can have such a powerful ripple effect because of the role thyroid hormones play in energy production at a cellular level.
Today we’ll explore the basics of thyroid hormone production and the essential nutrients required to ensure your properly fueling your thyroid.
UNDERSTANDING YOUR THYROID HORMONES
When the level of thyroid hormones (T3 & T4) drops too low, the pituitary gland produces Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) which stimulates the thyroid gland to produce more hormones. Most doctors check TSH levels when analyzing thyroid health which does not give the full picture of how this vital gland is functioning.
The thyroid primarily produces T4 thyroid hormone which is ideally converted into the much more bio-active T3 hormone. T3 hormone is 4-6 x more bio-active in terms of increasing cellular metabolism in vital cells throughout the body. This process requires several essential nutrients which are unfortunately lacking in our modern diets.
To fully assess thyroid function measuring levels of free T4, free T3 and reverse T3 is incredibly valuable, as well as looking for other associated health issues including food allergies, digestive issues and heavy metals in the body.
OPTIMIZE YOUR HORMONES
Follow these guidelines to help fuel and stabilize thyroid hormone production.
Minimize Stress
I know we’ve all heard this one before however in relation to your thyroid, it is critical to minimize excess Cortisol, the main stress hormone of the body. When cortisol levels are elevated it increases the conversion of active thyroid hormone to an inactive form, reverse T3.
2. Good Digestion
Proper thyroid function requires specific amino acids and nutrients from our food. Good protein intake & digestion is required for the thyroid to make T4 thyroid hormone. Remember you are not just “what you eat”, you are “what you eat, digest, and absorb”. It is important that we are properly digesting and absorbing as many nutrients as possible to be available when needed. Practice slow mindful eating practices, more on eating hygiene here.
3. Optimize Nutrient Levels
Photo Credit : Jessie May Snyder @jessiemaysnyder
First of all, thyroid hormone formation, conversion and action processes are all highly vulnerable to increased oxidative stress which means increased antioxidant intake is critical! Increase your daily plant intake to boost antioxidant availability.
The conversion from T4 to T3 hormone requires good protein intake, proper digestion of that protein plus adequate supply of iron, zinc, Vitamin A & selenium from our food. Does this mean we all need to supplement with these nutrients? Absolutely not. We are all biologically unique and therefore it may be solely one or two of these nutrients we need to supplement to optimize. Ideally we consume foods rich in these nutrients providing our bodies with access to these nutrients when needed.
Quality plant based sources of thyroid supporting nutrients include:
Iron - green leafy vegetables, chickpeas, cashews, lentils, chia seeds, flax seeds
Zinc - walnuts, beans, cashews, lentils
Selenium - sunflower seeds, mushrooms, brazil nuts (brazil nuts often contain mold toxins so ensure your purchasing the highest quality nuts if so)
Vitamin A - butternut squash, collard greens, bok choy
If you experience brain fog, sluggish metabolism, or sluggish digestion and suspect you may have a thyroid imbalance, it is essential to explore “why is thyroid function impaired?”. Is it indeed a lack of nutrients, increased toxicity or high levels of inflammation? It is essential to look upstream as often inflammation & oxidative stress will manifest as disease in other areas of the body.
If you are looking for further support to identify the root cause of a possible imbalance, learn more about our 1:1 coaching programs below.