• 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.

Oprah Winfrey has been in the spot light for quite a few years now with her weight problems. There is hardly a person in America who does not know about her struggles with weight. Obviously she is no slacker and has worked really hard to take off the weight, only to see it come back with a vengeance and tip the scales even more than before. Finally, she has a clue as to why she has so much trouble losing her weight. She has a thyroid problem.. Her thyroid gland is diseased and has probably been out of balance for a very long time, if not her entire life. How many other women have experienced this same problem without realizing that they too have either a diseased thyroid gland or at least a sluggish or under active thyroid gland that does not produce enough of this all important hormone?

If your thyroid gland is not working properly, you will find it almost impossible to lose weight and keep it off. Have you ever heard for women who work out in the gyms at least 5 hours a week and still struggle with losing weight? I have heard of them and now I know why. A thyroid imbalance known as hypothyroidism can do severe damage to a woman’s ego, self esteem and body image. Not only that, not enough thyroid hormones circulating in the body can cause all kinds of health problems. You may be reading this article just for information to help you fix your low self esteem, others really need this information to save their health from deteriorating.

If you are embarrassed about the way you look because of excess body fat, it may not be your fault at all. I’m not talking about over eating. You more than likely are watching your diet. I’m talking about not eating the right foods that will feed your thyroid gland naturally and help keep it balanced so that you have a naturally balanced body weight and a good self image. But first of all, you should go to your doctor and be tested for a thyroid balance if you have been dieting and exercising like crazy and still struggling with your weight.

Then, learn all you can about adding the most thyroid nourishing foods to your diet and removing the bad ones. Bad foods meaning certain products containing soy, diet bars, diet sodas and certain vegetables that are bad for the hypothyroid sufferer, vegetables like peas and corn and other bad for thyroid vegetables, like broccoli for example.

Learn how to add in the good foods like coconut oil, certain nuts, whole organic milk products, the best kinds of vegetables for you and many others. Protect yourself image. You can find more information on what the best approach to defending yourself against an imbalanced thyroid in eBooks online. You can find invaluable information from people who have been in your shoes and found a way out.

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.

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.