Hi Friends,
Our thyroid gland is the butterfly 🦋 shaped gland in our neck. It’s like the thermostat of our bodies and works to control our metabolism, weight, mood, temperature, hormones, and fertility. I like to think of the thyroid hormones as the “goldilocks” 🐻 hormones of the body because too much or too little can cause symptoms.
Hypothyroidism, or low thyroid, is extremely common, affecting 5% of adults. If your thyroid is sluggish, you may notice symptoms like fatigue, constipation, dry skin, joint pain, brain fog, cold intolerance and hair loss. The most common cause of hypothyroidism in the United States is Hashimoto’s thyroid disease. Hashimoto’s is an autoimmune condition where the body produces an antibody called the Thyroid Peroxidase (TPO) Antibody that attacks the thyroid gland. If you suffer from Hashimoto’s, please watch my video where I describe my natural protocol for reducing inflammation in the thyroid gland. I have seen great success in lowering the TPO antibody levels, preventing the progression to hypothyroidism, and improving symptoms! 🙌
The thyroid needs key nutrients to function optimally. Iodine is an essential trace mineral that is required for your thyroid to make thyroid hormones. If you’re using the fancier salts like Himalayan salt or sea salt, you might not be getting any iodine. This is why it can be helpful to take a high potency multivitamin daily to make sure you are getting the RDA of iodine. Food sources of iodine include seafood 🦞 and seaweed. It’s also important to be aware that too much iodine can be harmful to the thyroid.
Selenium is an antioxidant trace mineral that helps your thyroid convert T4 to T3, which is the active form of thyroid hormone. Research also shows that it helps to lower the TPO antibody levels in Hashimoto’s. It’s also a cofactor that helps your body produce glutathione, the master antioxidant and detoxifier. Food sources of selenium include Brazil nuts. However, they can be inconsistent in their selenium content, so taking a supplement can be more reliable.
Other vitamins that help support the thyroid include:
Iron (goal ferritin > 50)
Vitamin D (goal 60-80 ng/mL)
Zinc (goal > 90 mcg/dL),
B vitamins (goal homocysteine 6)
Magnesium
How can you make sure your thyroid labs are accurate? Please watch my short video to find out!
Are cruciferous vegetables like broccoli 🥦 and kale goitrogens? In other words, do they cause thyroid enlargement and goiter? This is a thyroid myth! In the past, these vegetables were thought to interfere with iodine uptake by the thyroid. However, now that iodine deficiency is rare, these vegetables are fine to consume and have no goitrogenic effects, especially when cooked! Plus, they are superfoods full of sulforaphane with anti-cancer properties.
If you have hypothyroidism and are on thyroid medication, which of the above medications has worked for you? Are you satisfied with your treatment?
If you have a story to share about your journey in figuring out your optimal thyroid medication, please do so by responding to this email.
I’m currently researching my next video which will be all about hypothyroidism. It will touch on the controversies of treatment and some important details that many doctors do not explain to their patients.
Stay tuned for this upcoming video!
Enjoying a homemade treat once in a while is a great way to sustain a healthy lifestyle of clean eating without any feeling of deprivation. My son and I had fun baking this weekend and we came up with a winning recipe for almond cookies! These cookies are gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo and vegan. Almond flour is great for baking since it’s low in carbs, and a good source of fiber, protein, magnesium, and vitamin E! 🙌
This recipe required very few ingredients, yet the final result was a flavorful, crunchy, perfectly sweet cookie. Even my husband loved it and commented that it reminded him of a macaroon he had in France! What a compliment!
If you’re allergic to almonds, you could substitute hazelnut flour and omit the almond extract, and I’m sure it would still taste great!
Recipe:
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Dry Ingredients: 2 cups almond flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp sea salt
Wet Ingredients: 1/4 cup melted coconut oil, 1/4 cup maple syrup, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and 1.5 tsp almond extract.
Mix the dry and wet ingredients separately, then mix together. Use a mini ice-cream scooper to make small balls and press down with your fingers. Place onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
Bake for 12-15 min until slightly golden brown on the edges.
These almond cookies are absolutely divine with a cup of coffee ☕ or a cold glass of almond milk 🥛.
Time to make another batch!
May the rest of your day be filled with blessings,
Wishing you all great health!
Rajsree Nambudripad, MD
Dr. Rajsree is a caring and compassionate physician, who is board-certified in both Internal Medicine and Integrative/Holistic medicine. She is passionate about helping patients optimize their health through a preventative approach involving healthy lifestyle, dietary changes, targeted nutritional supplementation, and optimizing hormones. Her practice is unique in the personalized attention she devotes to each and every patient.