HOW YOU CAN IMPROVE YOUR HypoThyroid Health and Weight loss Efforts WITH DIET AND LIFESTYLE CHANGES hypothyroidwatch.com
My road to understanding hypothyroidism and the power that nutritional knowledge can bring to our lives began with my own diagnosis of hypothyroidism. Once I was diagnosed I wondered if that s it...was there nothing I could do about my Hypothyroid and resulting weight gain except take a prescription medication? Medical Disclaimer This e-guide has been developed to help you understand thyroid health in more detail. Please remember however that I m not a doctor - what I ve written is to provide you with information only but certainly doesn t create a patient-physician relationship. Always consult with your health care provider for diagnosis and treatment. Remember, each of us is unique so before making any decisions based on the information I ve provided, talk to your health care professionl first about your specific medical condition to see if my suggestions work in your particular case. I expressly disclaim responsibility and shall have no liability for any damages, loss, injury or liability whatsoever suffered as a result of your reliance on the information I ve provided. As a holistic nutritionist I m providing information with respect to lifestyle and eating protocol that I ve found helpful with my clients as well as myself. In each and every case, my clients discuss these ideas with their health care provider to decide if this works for them. This isn t medical advice, it s information only. PAGE 1
Like a dog with a bone I was determined to understand what mechanisms lead to my being hypothyroid because I wanted to understand how and why my body reacted as it did and to learn ways to unlock my healing potential using the keys that nutrition and lifestyle changes could provide. As some of you know there s no one thing that causes disease. A combination of factors conspire to create an environment conducive to the development of disease such as; genetics, environmental triggers, diet and lifestyle factors. My goal was to learn how to change the environment so that it no longer favored my disease but instead favored a healthier thyroid. So, after I learned I was hypothyroid I began my journey to understanding holistic nutrition at the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition in Mississauga, Ontario and became a Registered Holistic Nutritionist. In addition I wanted to learn how to cook nutritionally dense meals that were really delicious so I decided to take the Academy of Program and earned the designation of. By cultivating an in-depth understanding of cooking foods for healing I became my own best health expert. The course changed my whole perspective on cooking. I learned how to assess the benefits of certain foods and how to make them taste awesome! It took my cooking to an entirely new level - this sparked an excitement and confidence that I m now able to share with you. I m passionate about educating my clients to enable them to take ownership of their own health. My own experience as well as that of my clients has lead me to believe in several basic concepts; Each of us has the unique capability to heal and thrive (not just survive but...thrive) as long as we ask the questions what s going on with my thyroid and why? By learning the answers to those two questions you can then begin your healing journey. PAGE 2
Lets delve into a few of the puzzle pieces. Did you know that thyroid hormones effect every cell in your body? Just knowing that tells you how important your thyroid is and most doctors don t discuss thyroid issues in detail or what you can and should do to support your own thyroid health first - above and beyond just... taking a pill. Eating real whole food will support your thyroid health and help you lose weight. You know what I mean, just leave out the crummy packaged foods full of chemicals and preservatives. Did you know that your thyroid is especially vulnerable to unhealthy chemicals, that s why eating real food, free of artificial ingredients and extensive processing is so necessary. Are you struggling to lose weight? As I m sure you can appreciate, when someone develops a dysfunctional thyroid it doesn t happen overnight, it takes time and there are reasons. As I ve mentioned, many dietary factors along with lifestyle and environmental factors compromise the health of your thyroid. One very important aspect of supporting thyroid function is getting the necessary minerals for thyroid hormone production and avoiding things that can compromise thyroid function. Let s begin by looking at some of the ways YOU can support your own thyroid health. First things first...my goal is to get you to eat real, nutrient-rich food. What the heck does that mean? Glad you asked...nutrient rich food is your first line of defense against nutrient deficiency that leads to hypothyroidism. To impove thyroid function you need to be sure you re getting enough: iodine: scallops, sardines, spinach, turnip zinc: oysters, crimini mushrooms, liver selenium: eggs, beef, broccoli, garlic iron: beef, tumeric, dates, cabbage, spinach vitamin D: sunlight, supplements B vitamins: crimini mushrooms, peppers Nutritionally supporting your thyroid is extremely important because many important functions in the body become impaired due to faulty thyroid function. PAGE 3
Ready to start getting thyroid-well? I ve found time and time again that changes to our diet and lifestyle can both improve thyroid health and enable you to lose those extra pounds. When your thyroid hormones are low, your body is less able to break down fat making you resistant to weight loss - think of it like trying to push a string uphill! As we start to address the underlying problems and help you to improve your thyroid function, weight loss happens more naturally. Because of the many clients I work with, I understand how confusing trying to make informed choices about health and nutrition can be. My goal is to teach you how to start fixing some of the underlying root causes that can dramatically alter how you feel and how you look (think... skinny jeans). There are many underlying reasons your thyroid is not functioning at its best. It s these reasons that cause so many symptoms and affect your life in so many ways. I am a firm believer in cause and effect. What caused my hyprothyroidism? I knew what effects it was having - like my inability to lose weight and thinning hair which was super upsetting as I m sure you can imagine. What symptoms do you have? Since your thyroid affects every cell in your body each of us can experience different symptoms from weight gain, brain fog, poor memory, anxiety, cold hands and feet, depression and the list continues. Finding hope meant lots of research. Conventional doctors want to manage your hypothyroidism with a prescription drug rather than finding a root cause and trying to solve it. How about starting to take some control of your own health, honestly there are lots of ways to start resolving your symptoms and reduce your medication or come off it completely. I want to help you start from the ground up. There s no better way than to start with nutrition and lifestyle changes...the things you need specifically for thyroid health. These tools will enable you to start working with your body s natural healing mechanisms. To upgrade your metabolism eating foods that support peak hormone function are really important. Eating slowly helps with digestion plus it gives your stomach time to let your brain know that you ve had enough. When you eat protein and fiber it gives you a feeling of fullness within 10 minutes. Most often try to eat at home, eat meals you ve prepared yourself - at least until your weight starts to come off. Checkout my website for some delicious, nutritionist created, thyroid healthy recipes so you can start improving things right away - hypothyroidwatch.com PAGE 4