Greenville SC Thyroid Doctor Shares How You Can Improve Your Thyroid Health
While improving the health of your thyroid may not be a largely discussed topic, it’s something that you should think about at any age. After all, the thyroid is one of the most important glands in your entire body. It controls everything from your metabolism to how you sleep and many more functions in between. Playing such a major role in the body’s overall health and wellness, it’s easy to see why more people have started to focus on what they can do to improve their thyroid’s health. To learn what you can do, take a look at the following tips.
Tip 1: Focus on Nutrients in Your Diet
There are certain vitamins and minerals that support better thyroid health. If you’re not getting enough of these, then your thyroid may not be able to function as normal. Fortunately most of these nutrients can be found in foods and supplements so it’s easy to incorporate them into your daily diet.
– Selenium
Selenium helps keep the thyroid healthy in many ways. First, the enzymes that contain selenium help to get rid of oxidative and chemical stress to help keep your body running more smoothly. In addition to this, proteins that are selenium-based help regulate hormone synthesis so your metabolism and levels of thyroid hormones are maintained. Making selenium even better is the fact that it recycles and regulates levels of iodine to help keep the thyroid functioning normally.
Foods that contain selenium: tuna fish, wheat germ, oysters, pork, and Brazil nuts.
– Iodine
Iodine is the most important element that keeps the thyroid functioning, so it’s something you need to make sure you’re getting enough of. Without it, the thyroid will not be able to produce the hormones that are so important to keep your body healthy and working normally
Foods that contain iodine: baked potatoes, dried seaweed, yogurt, eggs, tuna, navy beans, turkey breast, and cod.
– Copper, Iron, and Zinc
Although these trace minerals may not get a lot of attention in the rest of your diet, they are crucial for a healthy thyroid. Deficiencies in any of these can stop the thyroid from functioning properly and result in lower thyroid hormone levels being produced.
Foods that contain iron: seafood, beans, red meat, dark leafy vegetables, pork, poultry.
Foods that contain copper: cocoa, sesame seeds, oysters, and liver.
Foods that contain zinc: pumpkin seeds, squash seeds, cooked oysters, and lean beef.
Tip 2: Exercise
Exercising on a regular basis is important for maintaining good blood circulation and a healthier thyroid.
Tip 3: Check Your Thyroid with a Functional Wellness Practitioner
If you suspect there’s a problem with your thyroid, don’t leave it to chance. Even if you work to maintain a healthy lifestyle and take in the nutrients listed above, there could still be an issue contributing to thyroid dysfunction. A functional wellness practitioner can help you by providing extensive testing and in-depth care that gets to the bottom of your thyroid health.
