The Complete Thyroid Health & Diet Guide

It’s estimated that over 20 million people in North America have a thyroid condition. Women seem to be at a higher risk than men, with an incidence of five-eight times greater. One in eight women will develop a thyroid disorder, and I know several, including myself. The thyroid is a small butterfly-shaped gland that is deemed the master hormone and master metabolism gland, and we need it to convert nutrients into energy. When our thyroid is off, our whole bodies feel the consequences of this. The good news is that with some simple but power choices, we can either prevent or revive our thyroid. So, where do we start? The Complete Thyroid Health & Diet Guide!

The Complete Thyroid Health & Diet Guide: Understanding and Managing Thyroid Disease is a handy compendium that offers us a jump start on healing our thyroid.

 

 

PART 1: Thyroid Basics
Ch 1. How Does the Thyroid Work?
Ch 2. How Do I Know If I Have a Thyroid Disorder?

Many of us walk around feeling crumby not realizing our thyroid is not functioning at full potential. So how do we know if we have a thyroid condition? What are the symptoms? There are two kinds of thyroid conditions, and each of these has their own symptoms and diseases. Hypothyroidism or underactive thyroid, symptoms are fatigue, depression, anxiety, weight gain, hair loss, thin eyebrows, cold intolerance, dry and itchy skin, and brittle hair nails to name a few. Hyperthyroidism is an overactive thyroid; symptoms include rapid heart rate, headaches, weight loss, increased appetite, and anxiety. If you think you might have a thyroid imbalance, your doctor can order several blood tests to confirm this, TSH, T3, T4 are the basic tests. That being said, the TSH test is highly unreliable, yet doctors base their entire diagnosis on this result. You can also do the 5 Day Basal Temperature test. Here, you’ll record your body temperature every morning for 5 days and notice if it’s out of normal range. I did this, and my temperature is lower than normal, this concerns me since I’m under my doctor’s care.

PART 2. Thyroid Dysfunction
Ch 3. The Immune System and Thyroid Disorders
Ch 4. The Gastrointestinal System and Thyroid Disorders
Ch 5. The Hepatic System and Thyroid Disorders

I learned that Autoimmune Thyroiditis is not a single disease, but a symptom of a compromised immune system. It’s a response when your immune system has to fight off aggressive pathogens and allergens. I also read that if you have a thyroid condition, you most likely will have coexisting auto-immune disorders like Type 1 Diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis or lupus. Autoimmune thyroiditis is also a sign that your blood-thyroid barrier has been breached, substances that should not enter the thyroid gland are doing so. The white blood cells have entered the thyroid gland and are attacking it. What this means your body can no longer keep up with repairing the damage caused my your immune system. There can also be nutritional deficiencies that have contributed to your thyroid condition. Are you alarmed yet? This section is the backbone of the book, it so full of vital information, that you’ll want to read it a few time.

Part 3: Thyroid Management talks about medications for specific thyroid conditions and how they work. It also mentions foods that can interfere like grapefruit and soy. As a raw vegan, these were two of my very favorite foods. Why didn’t my doctor share this with me? This section also goes deep into exercise and diet. It’s important to keep your blood sugars on the low side, so they’ve provided a small list of low-glycemic foods.

Part 4: Thyroid Meal Plans shares a 4-week meal plan, plus info on snacks and post-workout meals. I was a little disappointed that there were no substitute options for vegetarians, vegans, and raw vegans.

Part 5: Thyroid Recipes. This section contains 150 recipes that give you all the data you need like nutrients per serving, tips, and if it’s an anytime recipe or post-workout recipe. I was a little sad that no colorful images were included. I like to see what the recipe looks like before I make it. I love hummus, so I tried their Anti-Inflammatory Hummus recipe, it was tasty.

With the sheer volume of people who have thyroid issues, this book will prove to be a valuable resource. If you don’t have a thyroid problem, you’ll still enjoy the 150 healthy recipes included.

Disclaimer: I received product to facilitate a review. All opinions are my own, yours may differ.