Fast Facts: Everything You Need to Know About the Thyroid

Thyroid

Iodized salt is the main source of iodine in our diet, but did you know that there is a loss of iodine depending upon the type of cooking method and cooking time of salt?

During boiling, water is used for cooking the food. Salt is hygroscopic in nature and it absorbs water, due to which the iodine present in the salt is leached out. The loss of iodine can range from 6.58% to 51.08%.

For people with a Thyroid disorder, it is advisable to sprinkle salt on food after cooking (wherever possible) rather than adding all the salt while cooking. Further, storage of salt in hot and humid conditions near the cooking area should be avoided.

The thyroid gland relies on iodine to produce T3 and T4 hormones, and regular iodine consumption is critical for thyroid health. The body does not make iodine on its own, it has to come from the diet.

To ensure your body gets its daily 100-150 mcg of iodine, eat Iodine rich foods like Fish, Carrot, Radish, Beetroot and Parsley. But at the same time, avoid cruciferous vegetables like Cauliflower, Broccoli, Cabbage because they prevent the absorption of Iodine into the body.

The thyroid hormone is one of the most complex assortments of hormones and proteins that help to regulate body weight. But hypothyroidism causes the body’s metabolism to slow down, resulting in shifting the balance between calories eaten and energy used. Hypothyroid patients also experience some fluid retention. The net result may be weight gain.

Generally, a green gram predominant diet or heavy to digest foods is a good start for weight loss, while refraining from dairy products.

Vata (Ectomorph) & Pitta (Mesomorph) body types are prone to Hyperthyroidism.

When your Thyroid gland releases too much T4 hormone into the blood, it’s known as Hyperthyroidism (Overactive thyroid). This raises metabolism rates and digestive fire.

During digestion, the food gets charred and releases less nutrition than the body tissues needs. 

Cooling foods like Milk & ghee in your daily diet will help in slowing down the digestive fire and manage the complications from Hyperthyroidism like weight loss, rapid heart rate, etc.

Did you know that women are 5 to 8 times more likely than men to have thyroid problems?

Thyroid hormone helps in controlling the metabolism of the body, regulating body weight and determining the energy level and internal temperature. Sometimes our hormones get out of balance due to our Lifestyle and Diet.

Hypothyroidism is a condition where there is a low secretion of T3 & T4 hormones, resulting in slow metabolism, which causes weight gain and fatigue. Kapha (Endomorph) body type is most prone to this. Diet rich in protein increases the production of thyroid hormone by regulating the Thyroid gland.

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Vinod Sadashivaiah, Founder Nutrimap. A pharmacist who believes nutrition is more powerful than medicine .

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