Individuals with underactive thyroid incline to have a lower basal metabolic rate. One of the most obvious indications of low thyroid is difficulty losing weight and weight gain. Occasionally an overactive thyroid may mimic an underactive one by triggering weight gain, however this is less common. For individuals with low thyroid who are fasting, their metabolism remains to slow down as calories are decreased. That’s why certain individuals with low thyroid might have weight gain even when they strictly limit their calories.
More females compared to males suffer from a lethargic thyroid, or hypothyroidism, and many more women than men with thyroid issues have problems with weight gain. Most thyroid difficulties occur within the gland itself, but it usually isn’t revealed until other hormonal imbalances develop. Frequently thyroid issues, weight gain and menopause appear together.
Thyroid issues develop in women compared to men because:
- Frequently women spend a lot of their lives fasting, typically in a yo-yo form of extra eating and severe fasting. This weakens the metabolism and reduces the metabolic rate, a multipart issue impacting the thyroid, particularly during perimenopause.
- Women more than men tend to adopt stress which affects the adrenal and thyroid glands. Overactive adrenal glands create additional cortisol, which affects with thyroid hormones and deposits fat around the midsection. Additionally, fatigue produced by overstressed adrenals boosts desires for sweets and refined carbohydrates to offer quick energy and feel-good hormones.
- Women’s bodies require a delicate balance of hormones such as estrogen and progesterone. These can be upset when the body is stressed, when it is slightly acidic, or when it is not getting enough nutritional support. This results in hormonal imbalances, which act as a trigger for thyroid problems.
There are a numerous symptoms that are experienced when you have an underactive thyroid, like fatigue, cold hands and feet, menstrual disorders, depression, low body temperature, weight gain, joint pain, sensitivity to cold, mental dullness, a feeling of always being chilled, headaches, insomnia, hair loss, brittle nails, hoarse voice, low sex drive, constipation, dry skin, puffy eyes, frequent infections, ringing in the ears, dizziness. If you suspect that you have low thyroid, you need to get confirmed. However, be aware that you may not test as hypothyroid, yet you may still have an underactive thyroid gland.
Nourish Your Thyroid
In order to fix your metabolism, you have to nourish your thyroid gland and work on your overall health. Here’s what you can do.
- Consume plenty of iodine-rich foodstuffs, like seafood, cranberries, sea vegetables, fish, eggs, green bell peppers and spinach.
- Use Celtic sea salt; avoid iodized sodium chloride (table salt). Celtic sea salt naturally consists of iodine with a full complement of minerals which work together.
- Take a good multivitamin-mineral supplement.
- Avoid or limit goitrogens that block iodine absorption by the thyroid gland. The most commonly eaten foods are peanuts and soy. Watch out for soybean oil in salad dressings and snack foods; also textured vegetable protein, which is soy. It’s used as filler in a lot of snack foods and energy bars. Use almond, rice or oat milk instead of soy milk. And avoid soy cheese, soy ice cream and soy protein powder.
- Avoid fluoride. Fluoride will obstruct the absorption of iodine. Fluoride is added to city water cure all across America. Unless you have a special water purification system that takes out fluoride, you will be consuming it. It’s added to toothpaste, so you will need to shop for fluoride-free toothpaste. And avoid getting your teeth decorated with fluoride at the dental office.
- Use virgin coconut oil in food preparation. Polyunsaturated oils like safflower, soy corn and sunflower oil are harmful to the thyroid gland because they rust rapidly and become rancid. The opposite effect happens with virgin coconut oil; it does not oxidize and turn sour effortlessly.
