Dear Thyroid^TM

I’ve been reading a bunch of 2010 top food trend predictions this past week and they got me thinking. I decided to make a list too. While everyone else may be predicting the most popular conventional and consumer-driven food choices for this upcoming year, I’d like to make some health and food predictions that I hope will become popular — especially in our lovely little (or, not-so-little!) thyroid community.

1. Superfoods are trendy these days, and usually happen to be exotic, inaccessible foods that most people have never heard of, let alone are willing to track down at the health food store and shell out the money to purchase. But we’re all familiar with coconut, and I truly consider it to be a superfood. Healthy variations of coconut (preferably organic, minimally-processed, unsweetened) are widely available on the internet and in grocery stores. Though coconut products are not recommended for hyperthyroidism patients, as coconut is known to speed the thyroid, those with hypo symptoms can use it liberally in their diets. I use coconut shreds in my salad for lunch everyday, and coconut oil in my cooking at night. Because it’s full of fat (good, plant-based fat), it satiates and leaves me feeling full and satisfied, and stabilizes my blood sugar so I’m not hungry an hour later and also don’t get the shakes. It’s good at speeding up the thyroid, aiding in weight loss, and treating underlying infection, all while strengthening the immune system.

2. Let’s kill “everything in moderation” this year. A little endocrine disruptor here, and a few bites of soy there — we may put it out of our minds, but it still does affect our bodies. Instead of believing everything in moderation is okay (ie: “a little can’t hurt you”), let’s remember that our bodies are already sick. Anything we can do to lighten their load is worth the effort.

Though, I also don’t think we need to get down on ourselves (or get neurotic). What I’m talking about here are the conscious choices we make that we know aren’t good for us. We simply cannot possibly avoid every chemical in the air, water, food, food packaging, etc. around us. It is so pervasive. But, when we can choose — when we have the conscious choice — let’s choose a lower toxic load for our bodies.

3. More and more of us have decided to go gluten-free, and also identify and eliminate other food allergies. For most of us, these choices have equaled big health gains. My hope for the New Year is that we’ll keep spreading the good word, providing our fellow thyroid patients with sound gluten-free (and food-allergy) resources for them to determine if adopting a GF lifestyle is for them. And hey, gluten-free eating is becoming very mainstream. Even those who aren’t “sick” are finding they feel better when eliminating wheat and other grains from their diet.

4. And finally, this year, I’d like to see the creation of a patient-centered symptom list. I’ve mentioned it over and over — the “acceptable symptoms” list for thyroid patients and the various incantations of thyroid disease is limiting, misleading, and exclusive. I’d like to propose that we create our own list. Meaning, share your symptoms with us — all of them. Whether you just have thyroid disease, or you have two or three or four other diseases and conditions to contend with… what are your symptoms? Because many of the symptoms we experience can be things we don’t want to talk about openly, I propose we keep it anonymous. I’m going to be ironing out the details in weeks to come, but for now, if you feel comfortable, email, Twitter, Facebook, or comment some of your symptoms — whether they’re on the “acceptable list” or not; whether you think they’re thyroid-related or not. Make sure to mention that it’s a symptom you want to add to our list. I’d like to display this somewhere for those pre-diagnosis, or those new to thyroid disease to learn from, and use as a legitimate resource, versus the ten-bullet symptom list they’ll find at their doctor’s office. It can also be used as a resource when their doctor tells them their symptom is “simply not related to thyroid disease”.

What are your health resolutions for the New Year? What trends do you hope catch on? What symptoms do you experience that you think need added to the list?

Until Next Week,

Love Always,

Liz

Have a question, comment, story, love letter, or rant/rave to send me?: Liz@DearThyroid.com