Did you know that certain “healthy habits” like using a daily moisturizer, drinking bottled water, eating certain veggies and even taking calcium supplements can be contributing to a thyroid disorder?
These and several other seemingly healthy habits can disrupt the proper functioning of your thyroid gland leaving you with persistent weight problems, mood imbalances and hair loss!
Are You Under the Radar?
The rates of diagnosed clinical thyroid disorders such as Grave’s Disease, Hashimoto’s Disease, Hypothyroidism, Hyperthyroidism and thyroid cancers are rising every year. Yet what has become perhaps even more disturbing is the frequency at which people who clearly present with an inadequately functioning thyroid gland are not properly diagnosed and therefore not treated at all!
Many experts agree that the root of the problem lies in the combination of faulty standard lab values and the subjective test interpretations of medical professionals. These two factors result in a vast number of true thyroid disorders that continue to be undiagnosed (SUBCLINICAL).
Sadly, what this means is that often times a doctor may dismiss a patient’s symptoms simply because “the lab results show everything is OK”. The patient then labors on in a compromised state.
Secret Thyroid Disrupters
If you’ve suspected that you might have a low functioning thyroid or even hypothyroidism, you are probably already aware of some of the more commonly known disrupters like: eating raw cruciferous veggies, drinking coffee or not getting adequate rest. (For a more complete list of these, please see my Ask Amy Article on Hypothyroidism which you can find on my website:
www.therippleeffectdiet.com.)
But you are probably not aware of many of the other common causes especially if you are someone who tries to live a “healthy lifestyle”.
The following is a list of what I call Secret Thyroid Disruptors. Please consider each of them as part of your complete healthy lifestyle program.
Secret Thyroid Disruptors: Dietary
- Eating any unfermented soy products (soymilk, tofu, tempeh, soy nuts, soy flour, edamane)
- Eating goitrogens and cruciferous veggies raw or uncultured
- Eating fruits that are not in season (unless 100% organic)
- Eating vegetables that are not in season (unless 100% organic)
- Drinking bottled water
- Eating any farm-raised fish or seafood (if not labeled as “wild”, it’s farmraised!)
- Eating tuna fish: solid white or chunk white
- Eating too much raw food
- Avoiding Organic Celtic Sea Salt
- Eating protein bars (almost always contain soy protein isolate)
- Avoiding or an inadequate amount of certain types of essential fats
- Having a Vitamin A deficiency (but remember, requirements CAN NOT be satisfied by a pill!)
- Avoiding free-range eggs
- Having a digestive disorder
- Eating wheat
- Eating improperly prepared grains
Secret Thyroid Disruptors: Lifestyle
- Having an underlying, unaddressed adrenal disorder
- Using any type of (commercial, i.e. non-organic) moisturizer
- Avoiding natural sunlight
- Using plastic (Ziplocks, Tupperware, etc.)
- Taking calcium supplements
- Not following an exercise program that is balanced (What I call “Energy In” exercises with “Energy Out” exercises!)
- Being “busy” all the time
- Chronic stress, anger, frustration, anxiety or fear
As you can see, several of the items on the above lists are often thought of as “healthy”; however in actuality they can lead to disruption of the proper functioning of your delicate endocrine system, potentially leaving you tired, cranky and overweight!
Amy Fournier Constantino is a recognized health and fitness expert. She is available for speaking engagements, workshops, media opportunities, group exercise classes and private consultation.
