Introduction

Did you know that a small butterfly-shaped gland can have a major influence over your body’s ability to maintain a healthy weight? ¹  It’s true.  The thyroid gland controls the body’s metabolism. ²  Every cell in the body depends on the hormones produced by the thyroid. ³  This is your guide to a healthy thyroid for successful weight loss.

The thyroid gland controls metabolism

The thyroid controls metabolism at a cellular level by producing hormones that cells need to convert oxygen and calories into energy. ³  If your thyroid function is below normal (known as hypothyroidism), then you may have a very difficult time losing weight.  Other symptoms of hypothyroidism include: ⁴

• Weakness
• Fatigue
• Cold intolerance
• Constipation
• Depression
• Joint or muscle pain
• Thin, brittle fingernails
• Thin and brittle hair
• Paleness
• Slow speech
• Dry flaky skin
• Thickening of the skin
• Puffy face, hands and feet
• Decreased taste and smell
• Thinning of eyebrows
• Hoarseness
• Abnormal menstrual periods

If you think that you are suffering from hypothyroidism, your doctor can run a simple blood test to determine your thyroid function.  In fact, it may be a good idea to rule out hypothyroidism if you have already made changes to your lifestyle and still cannot lose weight.  Keep in mind that you may hit plateaus during your weight loss program, and healthy weight loss should take time.  Good liver function is another important part of successful and lasting weight loss.

Improving thyroid function with diet and nutrition

If you are dealing with hypothyroidism, then diet and nutrition is a good place to start in terms of treatment.  In some cases diet and nutrition may be enough to get a person back to normal thyroid function, which will make it much easier to lose those extra pounds.  Improving thyroid function with nutrition should be the first choice over hormone replacement therapy.  If diet and nutrition is not enough, then it may be necessary to include hormone replacement therapy.

Here are some tips on how to improve thyroid function with diet and nutrition:

1. Avoid eating large amounts of foods that are high in goitrogens, as these substances can interfere with normal thyroid function. Foods high in goitrogens include: rapeseed, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, maize, lima beans, soya and pearl millet. ⁵
2. Cut back on simple carbohydrates such as: sugar, honey, fruit juices, candy bars and some breakfast cereals.  Replace the simple carbohydrates with complex carbohydrates such as: fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains.
3. If replacing simple carbohydrates was not enough, then you may want to decrease the amount of carbohydrates you are consuming.  Do not try to eliminate carbohydrates from your diet.  A balanced diet is a key part of successful weight loss and overall good health.
4. Make sure you are getting a broad spectrum of trace minerals and elements, calcium, magnesium and amino acids (especially L-Tyrosine).  Iodine, selenium, manganese and vitamins C and E are also very important to healthy thyroid function. ⁵
5. Exercise is also an important for healthy thyroid function.  About 15-30 minutes a day is all you need. ⁵  Read our simple guide to exercise.

The bottom line

Healthy thyroid function is essential to weight loss.  Could hypothyroidism be one of the major causes of the obesity epidemic?  If you are trying to lose weight and your thyroid function is poor, you are fighting an uphill battle.  Improving thyroid function makes weight loss easier and improves quality of life.  There is no doubt that the health of the thyroid gland is very important to overall health and longevity.

Sources:

1. Hypothyroidism.  WebMD.  http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/hypothyroidism-topic-overview
2. Your Thyroid.  EndocrineWeb.com.  http://www.endocrineweb.com/thyroid.html
3. How Your Thyroid Works.  EndocrineWeb.com.  http://www.endocrineweb.com/thyfunction.html
4. Hypothyroidism.  Mediline Plus.  http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000353.htm
5. Combating Hypothyroidism Naturally.  Stewart Hare.  Ezine Articles.  http://ezinearticles.com/?Combating-Hypothyroidism-Naturally&id=80781

This entry was posted on Monday, September 1st, 2008 at 7:39 pm and is filed under Weight Loss. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.