Hypothyroidism, or low thyroid function, is a silent epidemic. And in most cases, hypothyroidism isn’t rooted in a thyroid problem in the first place. It’s rooted in an immune system gone awry (Hashimoto’s). Making dietary changes is your first line of defense.
We’ve all heard the idiom, “You are what you eat.” You also feel what you eat. We know that the right foods help ward off disease and help keep our bodies healthy as we age. Yet many people don’t make the connection in how food can be our most powerful defense in alleviating moodiness, anxiety, depression, fatigue, and stress, and improving outlook and attitude.
When you have a sluggish thyroid, feeling crappy and tired and irritable is difficult enough. But seeing your brush and bathroom sink filled with hair is devastating – it’s a visible manifestation of your imbalance. No one wants to lose hair, no matter what the cause. And we’re not just talking scalp loss. Many people with hypothyroidism also see thinning of the outer third of their eyebrows.
Degenerative diseases, including heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s (including other forms of dementia), and diabetes, as well their kissing cousin, obesity, expend the majority of our health care resources in this country and possess a powerful inflammatory component. The onset of autoimmune disorders, such as multiple sclerosis, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and Hashimoto’s, are, according to Dr. Sears, “clear-cut examples of out-of-control inflammation.” Think of chronic inflammation as an army of pistol-packing outlaws roaming our bodies and robbing us of our health.
Butter. The thought of this delicacy might make some folks gasp in horror, as conventional nutritional advice has browbeaten many into believing that butter (and other naturally occurring fats) will make us fat and clog our arteries. Butter lovers can rejoice, as this is simply not true.
What’s on your whole foods hit list? Let’s talk about the food myths that have become mainstream “knowledge” and have catapulted the sale of some dubious health and diet books, many of which have thankfully faded into near oblivion.
Once thought to be a condition that only afflicted teenagers, acne can trouble us into our 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s, as if we were fresh-faced high schoolers. Indeed, the stats are high; acne affects us all at some point in our lives. But the disorder continues to be misunderstood, even by the medical community.
Skin conditions are not just skin conditions. What’s inside will always come out. Our skin is the great communicator (think megaphone) when it comes to imbalances and chronic health issues and it’s up to us to look beneath the surface for the underlying problem.
Quality, antibiotic-, and hormone-free meat is condensed nutrition. For some, eschewing red meat means denying the body of nutrients that can improve health, energy, and vitality.
Thank goodness that dietary fat isn’t the boogie nutrient that it was a decade ago. As fat became the enemy and a swarm of lowfat and nonfat foods crowded grocery store shelves, something interesting happened – Americans got 30% bigger and mass confusion reigned.
