Kelp Can Help With Hypothyroidism

April 11th, 2011

Hashimoto’s disease is a disorder that affects your thyroid, a small gland at the base of your neck, below your Adam’s apple. The thyroid gland is part of your endocrine system, which produces hormones that coordinate many of your body’s activities.

If you have Hashimoto’s disease, you need enough iodine to help thyroid function but not so much that it worsens the disease. A small number of fresh foods hold the key.

Certain foods can certainly go a long way into making a patient suffering from Hashimoto’s disease or other forms of hypothyroidism feel much better.– your hands and feet become warmer, your head clears, and you feel more optimistic (depression being one of the bleaker symptoms of hypothyroidism). The main reason these foods increase the level of thyroid hormone is because they contain iodine – which is necessary for the body to make the thyroid hormones.

Safe Iodine-rich Foods

some of the foods you would find here may surprise you as they don’t normally turn up on Iodine rich food lists. People suffering from hypothyroid know that seaweed such as Kelp and bladderwrack , fish,egg yolk and dairy products have a high Iodine content.

Ocean Wonder Kelp is 100% natural sea Kelp.It is a neutral tasting nutrition for the whole family. It has over 70 naturally occurring minerals, trace elements, amino acids, vitamins and digestive enzymes, harvested from the pristine waters off Nova Scotia

However, there are a number of fresh fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, and herbs that not only contain iodine– in amounts significant enough to warm up the system – but are also outstanding in other ways that have been shown to help thyroid conditions, such as having strong anti-inflammatory action, high selenium content, or an additional metabolic effect, working in synergy with the thyroid.

In addition, these foods can safely be eaten in small amounts until you are able to calculate the level of iodine that is safe for your condition.

Seaweeds, such as kelp and bladderwrack, are too iodine-rich for Hashimoto sufferers and can worsen symptoms, causing inflammatory flare-ups, whereas the foods given in the list below will provide a more subtle iodine introduction, backed up with additional benefits. For those suffering fro hypothyroidism and those looking to increase metabolism kelp is fine.

Fresh Fruits, Vegetables, Grains, Herbs and Nuts that Stimulate the Thyroid

fruits – pineapple, coconut, strawberries, rhubarb, mango, dates, apricots, balsam apple
vegetables – Jerusalem artichoke, spinach, potato
grains – oats, buckwheat, lentils
spices – cinnamon, black and white pepper
herbs – fennel, hyssop
nuts – hazelnut
tree leaves – Moringa (Moringa oleifera)

IODINE-RICH FRUITS

Pineapple: Iodine and Powerful Anti-inflammatory

These fruits many other benefits for people suffering from thyroid disorders. Pineapple contains the entire range of vitamins, 16 minerals, and is extremely rich in bromelain, an anti-inflammatory enzyme that is so powerful that it is commonly used alone as a treatment for autoimmune disorders; it also breaks down proteins (including parasites), acts as an anti-coagulant (lowering blood-pressure) and purifies the blood.

Coconut: Iodine and Instant, Non-sugar Energy

Coconut can boost the metabolism quickly because it contains a unique form of saturated fat that contains medium-chain fatty acids which does not need to be linked up with carrier proteins (lipoprotins) and stored . As it travels straight to the liver for immediate conversion to energy. Coconut also contains caprylic acid (also known as octanoic acid) which combats fungal infections such as candidiasis.

Strawberries: Iodine and Anti-histamine

Strawberries are the top berry source for quercetin, which is anti-inflammatory and has been found to protect brain cells from damage . It is also known as “nature’s antihistamine”, inhibiting the production of histamine, which is involved in inflammatory responses, as well as allergic ones.And just one cup of strawberries contains over 140 per cent of the RDA (recommended daily amount).

Rhubarb: Iodine and 12 Other Minerals

Rhubarb is part of the Polygonaceae family and has been used as a medicine since the third century BCE. It is rich in iodine and also contains vitamins A, C and many of the B vitamins. It is remarkable for its high mineral content which – in addition to iodine – includes calcium, magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, phosphorous, silicon, sodium, sulfur and zinc, chlorine, and potassium. The rhizomes and roots contain powerful anthraquinones, which are stimulant laxatives, useful for relieving the constipation that’s an unpleasant part of hypothryoid conditions.

Apricots: Iodine and Phytonutrients

Apricots are high in the phytonutrients lycopene, beta-carotene and quercetin, and have been shown to reduce the risk of liver steatosis (fatty degeneration of the liver) (2). They are also one of the foods identified by healthcare professionals as possibly key to the extreme longevity of the Hunzas people of Kashmir (3).

Balsam Apple: Iodine and Metabolism Regulator

Balsam apple is also known as bitter lemon and has 4 bioactive compoundswhich AMPK,a protein. These compounds go a long way to regulating metabolism and helping glucose uptake processes in the body.

Mangoes and Dates

Dates are a rich source of selenium (needed for thyroid hormone production), and contain 23 types of amino acids within their proteins. Mangoes are the richest source of vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene) – one mango provides 1½ times the RDA.

Other Iodine-Rich Fresh Foods to be Used with Caution

Soy beans are rich sources of iodine, but the isoflavones in soy beans and products can actually depress thyroid function (because they inhibit thyroid peroxidase-catalysed reactions that are essential for forming thyroid hormones), so soy is best avoided. Black walnut is also an extremely rich source of iodine, and offers extraordinary benefits for bacterial or parasitic problems , but its iodine content is so high that it should be used one drop at a time, until a safe level is established.

Ocean Wonder Kelp is 100% natural sea Kelp.It is a neutral tasting nutrition for the whole family. It has over 70 naturally occuringminerals, trace elements,amino acids,vitamins,and digestive enzymes, harvested from the pristine waters off Nova Scotia.

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