Sugar

For Hypothyroidism (under-active Thyroid) Try to keep Sugar out of the diet.

Consuming a diet high in refined sugar, white flour and white salt contributes to free radicals,
These three, refined sugar, flour and salt, could be called WHITE DEATH!
Free Radicals damage the mitochondrial DNA of the cell! This is the POWERHOUSE of the cell so free radicals alter the cell energy level.

For losing weight
Stop consuming sugar of any kind and if you suffer from sugar cravings you can have a teaspoon or two of raw, unrefined, unheated Canadian honey with classic pollen mixed in.
Raw honey is high in bioflavonoids which helps detoxify your liver and supports your reproductive organs.
If you STILL suffer with sugar cravings after trying the honey, use gymnema.
Gymnema is a woody climbing shrub native to India and Africa. Gymnema has a long history of use in India’s Ayurvedic medicine. The Hindi name, gurmar, means “destroyer of sugar.” It contains substances that decrease the absorption of sugar from the intestine.
Gymnema may also increase the amount of insulin in the body and increase the growth of cells in the pancreas, which is the place in the body where insulin is made.

Bacterial imbalance
The most common components of food that can damage your intestinal lining are the proteins found in un-sprouted grains, sugar, GMO’s and conventional dairy.The problem with un-sprouted grains is that they contain large amounts of antinutrients or nutrient blockers called phytates and lectins. Lectins are sugar-binding proteins that act as a natural defense system for plants that protect them from outside invaders like mold and parasites.
This is good news for plants but bad news for your body. Your digestive lining is covered with sugar-containing cells that help break down your food. Lectins gravitate toward this area and when they attach to your digestive lining, it damages your gut and causes inflammation.

Sugar is another substance that will wreak havoc on your digestive system. Sugar will feed the growth of yeast, candida and bad bacteria, which will further damage your gut. Bad bacteria actually creates toxins called exotoxins that damage healthy cells and can eat a hole into your intestinal wall.

Diet plays a key role in producing methyl groups.
Too much caffeine, sugar, alcohol, and processed foods may prevent your body from absorbing methyl-‐related nutrients.
Poor diet and excess sugar increases inflammation as well as homocysteine, C-‐reactive protein, and uric acid.
Poor quality meats and vegetables are often deficient in B12 and folate are another reason why you want to eat organically.

Plain old white sugar and the increasingly common industrial sweetener, high fructose corn syrup HFCS.
Sugar and HFCS are particularly detrimental when consumed in liquid form, because we don’t tend to compensate for calories we drink by reducing our calorie consumption elsewhere. This can lead to weight gain from overeating, along with elevated triglycerides, insulin resistance, and other indicators of metabolic syndrome.
Refined sugar has also been implicated in reduced immune system efficiency. In one study, immune cells demonstrated a significantly reduced capacity to kill pathogens (e.g. viruses, bacteria) following sugar consumption (from sucrose, glucose, fructose, honey, or orange juice) when compared with fasting levels; starches didn’t have this effect. It’s a good idea to avoid sugar when your
immune system is compromised.
Refined sugar is also thought to promote cancer growth by ‘feeding’ the cancer. While it’s true that cancer feeds on sugar, it actually feeds on the glucose in your blood; not necessarily the sugar you eat. (104) While those two factors are obviously linked, it’s more important to be aware of your own blood sugar control, and don’t consume more sugar (or carbs in general) than you can effectively metabolize.
But while there’s plenty of evidence that excess sugar or HFCS can be harmful to health, there’s actually no evidence that small amounts of refined sugar in the context of a nutrient-dense, whole foods diet (and active lifestyle) is harmful. The problem is that limiting yourself to small amounts of sugar is often easier said than done.
Table Sugar is 50% glucose and 50% fructose.
HFCS has about the same amount of fructose as white sugar. It’s also the same level of sweetness. HFCS does not have significantly different metabolic effects from sugar.
You’re probably better off with table sugar rather than HFCS from a GMO perspective, because it’s produced from crops that are less commonly GMO.

Sweeteners in beverages versus sweeteners in solid foods. Studies have demonstrated that drinking your sugar has uniquely harmful effects, primarily because most people fail to reduce their caloric intake to compensate for the extra calories they’re consuming in sweetened drinks.

We consume sugar in obvious places, like colas and candy bars, and
less obvious places like hamburger buns, salad dressing, breakfast cereals, and flavoured yogurts.

These foods promote overeating. They’re high in calories, but low in nutrients, fibre, and water.(what make us feel satisfied)
These foods promote inflammation, and inflammation is at the root of all modern disease, from cardiovascular disease to autoimmune disorders to allergies to arthritis.

Sugar promotes inflammation in several different ways.
It disrupts mineral balance,
increases blood sugar,
causes leaky gut,
weakens our immune defences, and
interferes with the absorption of protein, which our cells and tissues need to function properly.

Bioavailabilty of Nutrients

Jan 272017

The importance of bioavailability
It’s not just the amount of nutrients that a food contains that is important, it’s how bioavailable those nutrients are to the body.
Bioavailability refers to the portion of a nutrient that is absorbed by the body.
The amount of nutrients we absorb from a food is invariably lower than the absolute amount of nutrients the food contains.
The nutrients in some foods are more bioavailable to humans than others. For example, the grass on your front lawn is loaded with vitamins and minerals, but they’re largely inaccessible to humans. Grass contains large amounts of a plant fibre called cellulose, which humans cannot break down. Since we can’t break down the cellulose, we can’t absorb the nutrients grass contains.
On the other hand, nutrients in animal products like fish, meat, poultry, dairy, and eggs are highly bioavailable. This means we can absorb them easily.
The key to nourishing your body, then, is to maximize your intake of bioavailable nutrients. This will ensure that your body has everything it needs to function optimally.

The nutrient density and bioavailability of foods
The table below ranks foods according to their nutrient density and bioavailability.

HIGH	MEDIUM	LOW
Organ meat	Whole grains*	Refined grains (i.e.bread, pasta, crackers, etc.)
Meat,wild game and poultry	Legumes*	Sugar
Fish and shellfish	Plant fats and oils**	Industrial seed oils
Eggs	Animal fats and oils**	Processed food and snacks
Fruits	Dairy products	Sugar-sweetened beverages
Vegetables		Artificial ingredients
Nuts and seeds*		Alcohol
Herbs and spices		Natural sweeteners

* Whole grains, legumes, and nuts and seeds contain substances called “nutrient inhibitors” that impair the absorption of some of the nutrients they contain.
** Plant and animal fats are relatively low in nutrients, but they play other crucial roles, including helping us to absorb the nutrients in other foods.

Looking at the table you might notice several interesting things.

Firstly, all of the most nutrient-dense foods are real, whole foods, and all of the least nutrient-dense foods are processed and refined foods.

Processed and refined foods are destroying our health because they promote overeating and inflammation, and inflammation is at the root of all modern disease. Here we see yet another problem with these foods: they are at the bottom of the scale in terms of nutrient density.

Secondly, you might be surprised to see that organ meats, meat, fish and shellfish are in the highest category of nutrient density. In fact, when the major nutrients required for human function are considered, these foods are even more nutrient-dense than fruits and vegetables.

One serving of beef (about 3.5 ounces) typically contains more B12, niacin (B3), vitamin D, retinol (vitamin A), zinc, iron, potassium, phosphorus, and EPA and DHA than the same amount of blueberries or kale, which are two of the most nutrient dense plant foods. In addition, the nutrients in meat are highly bioavailable when compared to foods like cereal grains, nuts and seeds, and legumes. The bioavailability of zinc, for example, is four times higher in meat than it is in grains.

Thirdly, while neither animal nor plant fats are especially nutrient dense, they do play other important roles in the diet. Perhaps most importantly, they help us to absorb the nutrients that are present in other foods.

Finally, look at where whole grains and legumes are on the table; they’re not the nutritional powerhouses you may have been led to believe they are. Not only do they lack important nutrients, but they also contain substances called “nutrient inhibitors” that make it more difficult for us to absorb some of the nutrients they do contain.

Cultures who ate a lot of grains and legumes went to great lengths to break down these nutrient inhibitors so they could better absorb the nutrients in these foods.
Methods included soaking, sprouting, fermenting, and leavening.
If you have the time and energy to prepare grains and legumes in these ways, and you tolerate them well, there’s no reason they can’t be part of a diet that emphasizes other more nutrient dense foods like meat, fish, eggs, and fruits and vegetables.

Likewise, if you eat nuts and seeds, you should soak and then dehydrate or roast them first in order to increase the bioavailability of the nutrients they contain.

Diet Plan for Hypothyroidism

Jan 272017

Video with explanation of hypothyroidism and tips on diet to help resolve the problem.

8 minutes.

Diet rich in;

Protein
Iodised salt
Sea salt
Most fish
Fish oil
Sea weed / kelp
Eggs
Certain cheeses
Green leafy vegetables

Eat foods that contain a lot of fatty acids;

Almonds
Walnuts
Whole grains
Lean Meat
Milk
Egg Whites

Eat foods with Selenium that contain anti-oxidants, anti-aging, anti-cancer enzymes;

Rice
Corn
Wheat
Brazil Nuts
Walnuts
Onions
Oats
Garlic
Soybeans

Chicken, Beef and certain fish also contain Selenium so be careful not to overdose.

Eat Vitamins

Eat foods that contain these vitamins including;

Bananas
Bok Choy
Broccoli
Cantaloupe
Carrots
Egg Yokes
Figs
Oranges
Spinach

Stay away from;

Sugar
Junk food & fast food – especially fried fast food
Vegetables that contain high amounts of iron – cauliflower, mustard
Alcohol

7 foods that help with Hypothyroidism

4 minutes

Coconut oil – 1 teaspoon virgin coconut oil per day
Ginger Tea source of zinc, magnesium, potassium
Fish – selenium, iodine, B12, Omega 3
Apple Cider Vinegar – restore pH balance
Nuts – for selenium – Brazil nuts, Macadamia, Hazelnuts
Wild Oats – selenium, iron, zinc, manganese, fiber
Black Walnut – iodine, magnesium. Blood purifier- removes toxins from blood

The Elimination Diet
Dr. Izabella Wentz with Tom Malterre on the Elimination Diet

45 min

Hashimotos

Jan 262017

Video – Natural Solutions for Thyroid Disorders

44 minutes

Top things to do to treat Hashimotos

4 min

Thyroid Pharmacist Izabella Wentz

Reduce Stress
Supplements for nutrient deficiencies
Reduce / remove Gluten
Careful diet – Sugar free, Grain free, Dairy free, Paleo, Low GI index
Supplements B12, D3, digestive enzymes, ferritin/ iron, omega 3
Selenium 200 mcg, Betaine with pepsin, Curcumin, Zinc 30 mg, l- Glutamine
Lifestyle changes – relaxation, massage, sauna
TSH levels <1-2
LDN
Probiotics or fermented foods

The Elimination Diet
Dr. Izabella Wentz with Tom Malterre on the Elimination Diet

45 min

The most common triggers in Hashimoto’s are nutrient deficiencies, food sensitivities, intestinal permeability (leaky gut), stress, an impaired ability to get rid of toxins and in some cases, infections. Optimizing your health starts with food. Figuring out which foods nourish you, and which ones cause you harm is the single most important thing you can learn in your health journey.

I’ve found that recognizing and eliminating reactive foods can be a life-changer for most people with Hashimoto’s.

Reactive foods trigger an inflammatory response in the GI tract, leading to malabsorption of nutrients (gluten sensitivity in particular has been implicated in causing a Selenium deficiency, a well known risk factor for Hashimoto’s), and can also produce intestinal permeability whenever they are eaten.

Most people will see a dramatic reduction in gut symptoms, brain symptoms, skin breakouts and pain by eliminating the foods they are sensitive to. Some will also see a significant reduction in thyroid antibodies! An additional subset of people, will actually be able to get their Hashimoto’s into complete remission just by getting off the foods they react to, normalizing their thyroid antibodies, and some even normalizing their thyroid function!

What’s Your Hashimoto’s Hypothyroidism Root Cause?

2 min

Dr. Izabella Wentz Can Thyroid Issues & Hashimoto’s Disease Be Reversed Naturally?

22 min

Foods to Watch

Jan 262017

As usual there is lots of conflicting info about but these are what I can make sense of:
In general it is best not to completely eliminate anything if you are already used to eating / drinking it. Complete elimination will most likely create cravings and often result in a replacement which may or may not be better than the original.
eg fat replaced with sugar, dairy replaced with soy, red meat replaced with soy based processed foods.
Eat foods with as little processing as possible, ie whole grains, unprocessed meats rather than processed meats like sausages, cured bacon, crab meat, chicken nuggets etc.

Eliminate as much Sugar as possible- it is hidden in so many things we eat & drink, definitely don’t add sugar eg in coffee / tea, on cereals

Cut back on Coffee,it often has lots of pesticides used in production & these remain in the beans, and the caffeine itself is a problem, it dehydrates, prevents the absorption of Iron and raises cholesterol.

Drink Ginger Tea

Minimise alcohol intake– in general it is toxic to the body, so with every drink you are adding toxins to your body and hoping that the liver can remove them all.

Cut back on dairy foods if you have dairy intolerance, but don’t cut out completely as they are valuable source of calcium. watch for sugar in yogurts etc

Eat oily fish for omega 3 – salmon, sardines, mackerel etc preferably smaller fish rather than large ones like tuna- they eat the small ones & have accumulated mercury and other heavy metals from the small ones

Red meat in moderation- unprocessed – ie not cured bacon or salt dried. good for iron and other minerals. it is a good source of iron and zinc.

Processed White Iodised Salt contains anticaking agents along with iodine which will be extracted by thyroid. For many this will be fine, but for those with a poorly functioning thyroid, adding more iodine to the body can actually damage it – use unprocessed sea salt or pink rock salt.

Vitamin D – get from regular sunlight exposure 10 min at a time
Vitamin C from real foods – Ascorbic acid is not vitamin C
Don’t have foods that are fortified with vitamins – fillers (rock) and artificial vitamins

Selenium – many soils are known to be deficient in selenium – seek out foods that contain selenium or consider supplements.
Potatoes – can be good for selenium when baked or lightly fried from raw- not deep fried. Boiling changes the structure & loses some of goodness
Lightly brown only- all foods chips, toast etc, the browner / blacker the surface the more carcinogens may be produced from the browning process.

Bread – whole grain – lots of salt and sugar in a lot of breads.
if you have any gluten sensitivity then cut back on bread and wheat based products, replace with rice base.

Can be good to have some carbs such as slice of bread 5 hours before sleep.

When taking pills / supplements try to take capsules rather than tablets as the tablets use fillers to hold them together and the fillers can contain toxins and block up liver / kidneys.

Healthy Eating Guide

Jan 242017

Healthy Eating Guide:

1/ Sugar, processed foods, cookies, candy, soda – remove wherever possible.

2/ Never get too hungry.
*Eat breakfast within an hour of waking up and if you’re a coffee drinker, have your morning cup with or after your meal, but not before or instead of it.
*Eat a modest sized meal every 3-4 hours.
*Eat a good quality protein and fat at every meal.
*Have an afternoon snack of some nuts, a protein shake or smoothie, a green drink, a hard-boiled egg, some hummus with vegetables.

3/ Good carbs are allowed. Whole grains and starchy vegetables (sweet potatoes, winter squash, even modest amounts of white potatoes baked or roasted as long as they are not covered in sour cream!)
*Generally, try to skip carbs at breakfast; or keep it to ½ a portion (1 piece of whole grain toast) and don’t ever start your day with sweetened carbs (cereals, granola, muffins, pancakes with maple syrup, even if they’re paleo pancakes).
A Good breakfast includes a high quality protein. Good choices: eggs, a protein shake, or oatmeal.
If you opt for oatmeal or another grain, add some nuts and good quality fat such as coconut oil or almond butter for more sustainable energy.
*At lunch have 1 portion of a whole grain or a starchy energy vegetable and at dinner have 1-2 portions. Examples include half a cup of cooked quinoa, red or pink or black rice, brown rice, and millet, a sweet potato, a portion of winter squash or baked or roasted white potatoes.
*Eating a healthy carbohydrate about 5 hours before bed has been shown to normalize cortisol, improve sleep, and help reduce excess weight. But don’t eat anything within 3 hours of bed, because that can do the opposite.

Oats types and recipes
dish.allrecipes.com/whats-the-difference-between-types-of-oats/
J.Oliver recipes for oat porridge

4/ Get enough sleep 7-8 hours.
*Get to bed at the same time each night and wake up at the same time each day.
*Turn off all electronics ideally an hour before you try to go to sleep, because the blue light disrupts melatonin production, the counterbalance to cortisol which also helps us detox our brains and hormones while we sleep.
*Skip the alcohol in the evening – even a glass of good red wine has been shown to cause sleep disruptions, especially in women.

5/ Indulge now and then. Consider 2-3 squares of chocolate in the afternoon fair game!

6/ Worry less about being fat. And love your body more.

7/ Eat “Hari-hachi-bu” way, it is the Japanese concept of eating until one is only 80% full – eating enough to feel comfortably satisfied but stopping before you feel “full” – and way before you feel “stuffed.”

8/ Exercise 15-20 min a day (any form of movement, walking, dancing, yoga).

9/ Healing inflamation – Antioxidant rich foods include berries (fresh or frozen) and leafy green vegetables; supplements include resveratrol, NAC, and quercetin, as well as vitamin C.

10/ Nourishing adrenals (Sleep, relaxation, exercise, take adaptogens).

11/ Graze to prevent spikes in blood sugar (Grazing on healthy foods will keep blood sugar steady).

Eat slowly, when seated and relaxed.
Studies show that digestion cannot occur unless the body is relaxed. This means no eating on the run.
Its simple logic from our past history really, when active, under stress or in “Flight mode” the body does not want energy used for digesting food, it needs to be available for instant release to muscles should you need to take flight / run. So eating on the run never allows the digestion process to happen properly so the food effectively passes straight through without the nutrients being extracted.

Eating slowly allows the “Full” reflex time to react. Eating too fast for many people means that they are well past full by the time the Full reflex has kicked in.