The thyroid gland lies just below the Adam’s apple (and yes, women DO have an Adam’s apple) and is shaped somewhat like a butterfly.  It regulates your metabolism which means that all organs in the body depend on its ability to work correctly.

There are two major types of thyroid distress:  Hypothyroidism and Hyperthyroidism.  In the first, the thyroid is not producing enough hormones to keep the metabolism up to speed.  In the second case, there is too much thyroid being produced and the body reacts by increasing the metabolism which creates a whole different set of problems.  It is the first scenario, hypothyroidism, which will be discussed here.

Weight gain is a major problem as the metabolism is so slow that it does not burn calories at a normal rate.  It also causes one to feel sluggish and fatigued. Often, hypothyroidism will cause the skin to become dry and cracked and the hair to be coarse and dull.  Occasionally, hair loss is noted.  Muscle aches and pains, swelling from water retention and an aversion to cold temperatures are also possible.

The first thing one must do when suspecting a thyroid problem is to visit a physician who will perform a head to toe physical to rule out any other medical causes for the weight gain or other problems.  Then a blood test will be ordered to check the TSH levels and other thyroid levels in your body. TSH, or Thyroid Stimulating Hormone, is a key factor when determining how the gland is working in your body.  A high TSH level indicates that the thyroid is not working properly and the body is trying to compensate for lack of the proper hormones. Specialists in thyroid and other gland disorders are endocrinologists.

Often a physician will prescribe a synthetic thyroid hormone to regulate the TSH levels in the blood.  If this does not seem to be working, an additional thyroid medication may be required.  As the physician watches your condition on a regular basis, he or she might require that you have an ultrasound, with or without a biopsy.  If a nodule or a goiter is found, the biopsy will be absolutely necessary to rule out cancer or other diseases. The biopsy usually consists of a pathologist inserting three very fine needles into the thyroid to extract cells for review.  This is often done in conjunction with an ultrasound.

One disease that is actually quite common for people with a low functioning thyroid is Hashimotos Thyroiditis.  The symptoms are much the same as those for a low functioning thyroid, but may show signs of spreading cells which could lead to cancer if not monitored regularly.  Hashimoto’s disease comes on gradually and symptoms may be scarce at first.  But some of the more prevalent symptoms are: dry skin, depression,

Sensitivity to cold, muscle aches and pains, fatigue, high cholesterol counts and weight gain.  The weight gain could be as much as twenty pounds and is hard to lose even with the most rigid of dieting plans.

The only way a person can be sure that weight gain is associated with a malfunctioning thyroid gland is to see a physician who specializes in diseases of the glands or an endocrinologist.  He or she can tell you for sure if your thyroid is out of whack and help you to understand what choices you have for treatment.  Treatments range from medication to surgery and should be considered very carefully.

• Sudden weight gain
• Muscle and joint pains
• Abnormal hair loss
• Loss of libido
• Fatigue and exhaustion
• Mood swings

These common symptoms are often over looked at and missed. Many excuse these symptoms as becoming older, sitting at a job desk or other common normal life events. The truth of the matter is many people suffer from hypothyroidism and don’t even know it. If you experience many of the symptoms above chances are you might have an under active thyroid gland.

Out of these 6 symptoms Sudden Weight Gain or being overweight could be one of the most embarrassing symptoms at times. Nobody likes looking in the mirror and seeing themselves puffing up or looking tired and over weight. You want to look vibrant and healthy, and having an under active thyroid could be stopping you from obtaining the image you want to see yourself as.

But all is not doom and gloom if you have this condition. There is good news to be heard and one of the best things you can do for your thyroid is eating healthy foods. Certain types of foods actually stimulate your thyroid and if your never eating these types of foods you could be holding yourself back on achieving your weight goals.

Here are some powerful thyroid foods

* Raw Foods

* Juices like carrot and celery

* Prunes and nuts

* Watercress

* Poultry

* Sources of vitamin E

* Seaweed (iodine content)

* Herbal teas such as green tea

Adding these types of foods to your everyday eating habits can greatly raise your thyroid function. Sound to simple? Most diseases and conditions today are direct results of our eating habits and hypothyroidism is no different. It is easy to add these foods to your diet and you would be doing your body a great deal of benefits. After all you want to look at yourself in the mirror and start to see your vibrant healthy self once again don’t you? If you don’t know if you have an under active thyroid there are ways at home you can test to see if you have this condition.

When the thyroid is functioning properly, it absorbs the iodine found in many of the foods we eat and converts it into two kinds of hormones: T3 and T4. These two hormones are released into the bloodstream to control and monitor all the body’s metabolic processes. However, if the thyroid produces too much of these two hormones, a condition known as hyperthyroidism occurs. This means the body’s metabolism speeds up abnormally, which can lead to an increased heartbeat (or even heart palpitations), sweating, overheating, fatigue, swelling of the thyroid gland (goiter), hair loss, insomnia, and weight loss.

Hyperthyroidism usually occurs in people between the age of 20-40, as well as pregnant women or any individual undergoing a great deal of stress. One of the most common manifestations of this disorder is Grave’s disease, in which the pituitary gland — the “master” gland located at the base of the brain which controls all the other glands in the body — mistakenly instructs the thyroid to release too many T3 and T4 hormones. The opposite of this condition is of course hypothyroidism, wherein the thyroid does not produce enough of the hormones required to maintain a proper metabolic rate. Ironically, however, many of the symptoms are the same in both conditions.

Although weight loss may seem to be the obvious correlation of an overactive thyroid, recent studies have shown that despite an increased metabolism, many people suffering from hyperthyroidism have in fact actually gained significant amounts of weight, and continued to gain weight after they were treated. This is most likely due to the increased appetite that results from a faster metabolism, in addition to an inability to burn off the extra calories because of weakness, apathy and depression — three other symptoms associated with this disorder.

Another possible explanation for the weight gain in an individual with hyperthyroidism could be that since the overabundance of T3 and T4 originally prevented the patient’s body from ever regulating itself, the individual can no longer properly monitor his or her caloric intake, even with normalized hormone levels. Making a concerted effort to maintain a proper diet and a strict exercise regimen can help alleviate some of the weight gain experienced by people with hyperthyroidism.

While treatment of hyperthyroidism might involve the use of drugs such as radioactive iodine (or other forms of medication designed to slow down the production of T3 and T4 by the thyroid), or even having part of the thyroid removed surgically, some nutritional experts recommend a diet high in Omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin C and calcium. Certain foods known to inhibit thyroid overproduction include cauliflower, beans, green leafy vegetables and soy. Herbs such as motherwort, turmeric and bugleweed have also been known to stabilize the thyroid gland, but of course one should always check with one’s health care practitioner before attempting to diagnose or especially to treat an ailment of this type of severity.

Many things can and do affect the thyroid’s ability to secrete its hormones. These include toxic chemicals, drug therapies, surgical intervention, autoimmune malfunction and exposure to iodine. When the effect on the thyroid is to produce too much hormone secretion, it results in the condition known as hyperthyroid. Alternatively, when hormone secretion is subnormal, it results in hypothyroidism. People suffering from hypothyroidism far outnumber those with hyperthyroidism. There is quite an array of unpleasant symptoms associated with hypothyroidism including dry skin and hair, brittle nails, sore muscles, feeling cold, constipation, decreased libido, fatigue and, most commonly, weight gain.

Protein intake is an important part of any diet, but more so for those with hypothyroid. Protein requires that the body use more calories to break it down than carbohydrates do. More calories burned means weight loss.

While carbohydrates are an essential in the diet, close attention should be paid to the kinds of carbohydrate eaten. Hypothyroid as been associated with insulin resistance in studies. Insulin is a hormone which unlocks the cell in order for it to take up the energy found in carbohydrates and other foods. If cells become resistant to insulin, this will result in the carbohydrate sugars remaining in the blood stream. The body responds by increasing insulin production which means higher levels of insulin floating around as well. High insulin levels increase the appetite but fewer calories are burned because they can’t get into the cell so fat is stored. You can see how this sets up a vicious cycle for weight gain. It is, therefore, very important to choose low glycemic foods. These are foods which contain carbohydrates which do not rapidly raise blood glucose levels thus triggering high insulin production. Simple sugars and starches found in corn, cakes, pasta, white flour and most confections are just such foods. Look for foods which cause a slower rise in blood glucose such as whole fruits and colorful vegetables. For a more complete list, consult the glycemic index database.

Certain minerals are also essential to thyroid function. Because the thyroid hormones, T3 and T4, are essential in telling each cell how fast to burn calories when we expend energy, their lower amounts result in a decreased metabolism. That is, fewer dietary calories are burned, which, naturally results in weight gain. If there is a lack of adequate dietary iodine, hypothyroid will result because iodine combines with the amino acid tyrosine to produce the thyroid hormones. A simple increase in dietary iodine found in foods such as seafood, iodized salt and certain vegetables grown in iodine rich soil can rectify the deficiency. The recommended daily allowance is 150 mcg for men and women. Zinc and selenium support T3 hormone levels. Recommended daily zinc intake is 15 to 25 mg, and selenium is 400 mcg daily. Foods rich in selenium include barley, lamb and fish while oysters are very rich in zinc.

Happily, hypothyroid is treatable with thyroid hormone replacement. But, becoming comfortable with a diet that supports thyroid function while reducing insulin resistance should be part of the overall plan for keeping the “butterfly” happy and healthy.

#1: Start Adding Natural Vitamin and Mineral Supplements to Your Daily Diet

Avoid the synthetic vitamins and minerals as these will not give you all that a natural vitamin and mineral supplement will. There are certain co-factors that are missing in the synthetic supplements. Of course you can purchase natural supplements from the health food stores or from health sites on the internet, but you should also make sure that you are including foods in your daily diet that support your thyroid. These foods include plant based green foods. Adding natural supplements that include zinc, manganese and selenium is required to help heal and maintain thyroid health.

As far as natural vitamins go, Vitamin A, B vitamins, C and E are the most beneficial to the thyroid gland. If you are hypothyroid, it is most difficult for you to convert beta-carotene into vitamin A. For this reason, you should take a really good supplement of Vitamin A but should avoid synthetic Vitamin A supplements. The natural Vitamins may be a little pricier but to get your metabolism back on track and help your thyroid gland, these are the only ones you should use.

#2: Remove Iodine Blockers from your Daily Diet

Certain foods will block the absorption of iodine. These are foods that include raw cruciferous vegetables like, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, turnips and kale. These vegetables should not be eaten raw but can be eaten cooked if you have been diagnosed with hypothyroidism. Other iodine blockers are peanuts and soy products. Soy products are the worst offenders when it comes to blocking the absorption of iodine in the body.

Read your labels when you buy groceries and avoid the foods that include soy products like soy oil, soy protein products, soy protein isolate and soy flours are a few too watch out for. Soy may be good for some people but if you are hypothyroid, it should be avoided. Soy products interfere with thyroid functions.

#3: Remove Refined Foods and Vegetable Oils from your Diet

If you have hypothyroidism, remove refined sugars and grains from your daily diet. They can put way too much stress on your thyroid. Especially remove soy oil and corn oil. Stick with natural oils like olive oil, peanut oil or safflower oil. These are more expensive oils but good thyroid health is worth the expense. Again, check out labels when shopping for food and avoid foods that contain soy or corn oil.

Taking care of your thyroid can be as simple as making sure you eat the #1 food that will help your hypothyroid condition. That food is coconut and coconut oil in particular. Making sure you have the proper nutrition in your daily diet is the best way to help increase your slow metabolism and thyroid burnout..

A lot of people think coconut oil is good for hair health and suntans only. Actually, it really is the # 1 food to help your thyroid condition because it is one of the natural cures for hypothyroidism. However, it has to be pure virgin coconut oil, not hydrogenised coconut oil.

Some people say not to eat coconut oil because it is a saturated fat. However, pure virgin coconut oil is a medium chain fatty acid that is good for you and can increase your metabolism. Coconut oil has actually been used as a medicine for many centuries. The medium chain fatty acids can be quickly converted into energy and at the same time regulate your thyroid function to its proper balance.

The tropical oil does not turn rancid like polyunsaturated oils and unsaturated oils do. It will remain stable and edible at room temperatures so it can be used for cooking oil without worry of it turning rancid. This natural oil that comes from a nut has thermogenic properties. This means that it can raise body temperatures thereby increasing metabolism rates. People with sluggish metabolisms get excited when they notice rather quickly how adding coconut oil to their diet will decrease their hypothyroidism symptoms. Since coconut oil can be quickly transported to your liver, it can be of immediate use to energize your body so you can accomplish your daily tasks..

Contrary to popular opinion, pure virgin coconut oil does not raise cholesterol levels and is not bad for your health. Hydrogenised coconut oil is another matter not discussed here. It is not good for you and should be avoided. You can find pure virgin coconut oil at your local health food store if your grocery store does not carry it. It can also be found on many websites too.