- We all know that eating healthy can impact
every part of the body.
So in today's healthy eats, we're getting specific.
Learning how good nutrition
can benefit the thyroid.
I'm here with registered dietician, nutritionist,
Christine DeAngelis, to talk about the thyroid.
Now, Kristen, a lot of people
don't even think about thyroid function,
but it's really a powerhouse in the body.
So, let's lay the foundation.
What is the thyroid and what does it do?
- Yeah, the thyroid gland is sitting right here,
but it produces thyroid hormone that affects
every organ system in your body.
There's a thyroid receptor
on every single organ system of your body.
So, if the thyroid is off,
everything else can be off.
So there can be kind of across the board,
different signs and symptoms to look for.
- So, in the world of nutrition,
this is so interesting,
what we eat, can actually affect our thyroid gland.
- I like to say you are what you eat, but you also,
you are what you eat, digest, absorb
and do or do not detoxify.
And unfortunately, today's day and era that we live in,
we just don't get adequate vitamins and minerals
and nutrients that we need
to uphold the demands of our everyday life
to really support adequate thyroid production,
adequate thyroid conversion of the inactive to active
thyroid hormone.
- So let's talk specifically about
the nutrients we need that will help support the thyroid.
- So the first one would be vitamin A.
Vitamin A is important for T4 to T3 conversion.
That's what a lot of these micronutrients help to do.
They convert the inactive thyroid hormone
to active thyroid hormone,
which is the one that we can feel.
And it's going to impact all of the vital systems
that we're talking about.
Vitamin D is essential.
It does the same thing with conversion.
And then some other nutrients would be
zinc, selenium, iodine.
These are other components that help with thyroid conversion
and overall thyroid production.
And then, you know, omega-3s is,
I can't leave out Omega-3s
that really helps with overall cellular integrity.
That helps to get that T3,
that active thyroid hormone into the cell
so that it's actually usable.
- Let's put those nutrients in play into the foods
that we need to eat.
So give us some examples.
- When we look at Brazil nuts, you know,
you could just have like three to four Brazil nuts a day.
You could throw it in your smoothie or have it as a snack.
Those are high in selenium.
Pumpkin seeds are really high in zinc.
Vitamin A, you can find a lot of your fruits and vegetables
rich in orange, orange color, which is carotenoids,
but also vitamin A.
So sweet potatoes, carrots, squash, kale,
spinach, dark leafy greens.
Rich in B vitamins, rich and folate.
B vitamins and folate are also important for thyroid health.
Any herbs in general are rich in antioxidants.
Antioxidants are going to help fighting off
like inflammatory invaders, basically.
Omega-3 is found in wild caught fish.
I've got a sea snacks.
This might be an interesting one,
but it's rich in iodine.
- So how much should we be eating every day
to make sure we're getting the right amount
to help support our thyroids?
- I would recommend fruits and vegetables,
five to seven a day,
with two to three servings a week,
a serving would be three to four ounces a week,
of again, wild caught fatty fish like salmon.
And then as far as you know, your overall balanced plate,
it's really looking at making sure
we always have fiber, fat, and protein at every meal.
Water is absolutely essential.
It's essential for gut health.
It's essential for detox
and it's essential for thyroid health.
Start with half of your body weight in ounces of water.
So if someone weighs 200 pounds,
their recommendation would be 100 ounces.
- All of this is great information.
If somebody is feeling symptoms
or may have some thyroid issues,
it's really important to consult with your doctor.
- Absolutely. I mean, this is not medical advice.
This is foundational tools that anyone can implement.
So, at the end of the day, start somewhere,
start with one of those items that you can begin with.
- Great information.
Thank you so much.
- Absolutely. Thank you.
- If you want more healthy eating advice,
just head to our website, livinghealthytv.com.