Are you always cold? Do you suffer from cold hands and feet? Do you suffer from insomnia, dry skin, hair loss, brittle nails, constipation, joint aches or loss of libido? Many individuals suffer from these symptoms, including weight gain (overweight) and obesity. It would be a good idea to include a check of your thyroid in your next annual physical examination. Research is revealing that an under active thyroid could be the cause for some overweight people, especially women.

It is generally felt that diet has a large role to play in thyroid health. For years, it was thought that low iodine intake can lead to low thyroid function and that this can also lead to goiter. There are a number of foods known as goitrogens that actually block iodine. Environmental stress caused by certain pollutants, pesticides, mercury (mercury fillings can be hazardous to your health) and fluoride are hard on your thyroid.

Most modern societies use fluoride as a major component in water purification and it is added to toothpaste because it is thought to reduce cavities but it may inhibit the proper functioning of your thyroid. Mercury displaces the trace mineral selenium and can therefore diminish thyroid function. Selenium is needed to convert thyroid hormones T4 to T3.

The increased use of oils in processed foods and dietary fats can also impact negatively on your thyroid health. We advocate cooking and preparing meals from unprocessed foods as a way to reduce the amount of dietary fats that is added to your diet. The weight loss recipes that were developed in the natural weight loss guide seek to teach you how to use the power of food as a weapon to reduce or prevent various illness and disease.

It is fast becoming evident that the increase use of processed foods and the number of fast-food meals that are consumed daily are contributing to the number of obese people in our societies. Vegetable oils and polyunsaturated fats are most common in processed food and fast-foods and these are the worse offenders when it relates to your thyroid and its function.

If you are deficient in the thyroid hormone, then the body has increased levels of estrogen. The thyroid hormone is essential for making the “protective hormones” progesterone and pregnenolone. The thyroid hormone is also required for using and eliminating cholesterol. If anything prevents the proper functioning of the thyroid, there is a likely increase in cholesterol levels. So, if you have very high cholesterol and it is found that there is difficulty reducing the levels, it would be beneficial to find out if you are deficient in the thyroid hormone.

Clearly, there is increasing evidence that diet, the way we prepare food, the amount of fat, the types of fat and your hormonal balance not only play a vital role in the state of your thyroid health but in your overall health. Therefore, food is a powerful tool and when used wisely and the way nature intended, the result is better thyroid health, reduced levels of obesity and the diseases associated with being overweight.