Dear Thyroid^TM

A few months ago, I shared with you all some of my favorite go-to books in the realm of health and nutrition and today I’d like to introduce you to a few more must-reads.  Personally, as a thyroid patient, being informed and educated is something I place as my top priority.  These are books that are not necessarily directly related to thyroid health, yet they offer solutions for all of us to be healthy, no matter what the specific illness.  These are the kind of books that have helped me grow my general health and food and wellness knowledge — all of which is so important for people like you and I — those with diagnosed chronic illness.

The Crazy Makers : How the Food Industry Is Destroying Our Brains and Harming Our Children by Carol Simontacchi

This woman knows her shit.  A Registered Dietician and mother, Carol Simontacchi delves into the neuroscience of nutrition and explains how the food we eat either helps our brains to function or hurts them.  Our moods, personality and disposition, and cognitive function are all intertwined and inextricably linked with food.  Because depression and anxiety are often symptoms of thyroid disease, the solutions Simontacchi offers are reasonable and could potentially ease the mood disorders that are related to thyroid malfunction.  She starts by examining the human brain, in utero, to infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and finally in Autism.  She explains how our food industry sells us highly-advertised products that are addictive, nutrient-deficient, and concocted from a toxic mixture of chemicals.  Because nutrients — vitamins, minerals, and enzymes that occur in natural, from-the-ground food — have been removed from the pseudofoods we buy at the grocery store., and because the body and brain require such nutrients, our cognition and moods are suffering.

Simontacchi stresses the importance of fatty acids and essential fatty acids, protein, fresh fruits and vegetables, and an elimination of processed carbohydrates, sugars, and allergens.  She takes aim at dairy and explains why, although it does build big bodies, this does not necessarily mean it builds strong bodies or strong minds.  And actually, much of the food we eat, dairy included, can mute serotonin receptors, thereby causing us to be on edge and unable to be calmed (she says this is especially true for children).

While this may sound overwhelming — the idea that food can and does affect the brain, considering the fact that our food choices can never be perfect — the uplifting news is that there is so much we can do to protect our brains from the damage caused by industrial food.   We have much more control than we realize.  Real, nourishing food — including Omega 3s and vitamins, minerals, and enzymes — can and will fuel our minds.  That is really good news.

The Anti-Estrogenic Diet: How Estrogenic Foods and Chemicals Are Making You Fat and Sick by Ori Hofmekler

This is another must-read, especially for us thyroid peeps.  If you’re interested in learning more about the pitfalls of soy, this is the book for you.  Most of us in the thyroid community know that soy is considered a goitrogen and can decrease thyroid function and cause a goiter (and none of us want that).  But what you may not know is that soy is also considered an estrogenic food, meaning it contains isoflavones, naturally-occurring estrogen hormones that we absorb when we consume.

In addition to soy, the book also delves into the realm of xenoestrogens — chemicals we are constantly and unwittingly surrounded by that also mimic natural estrogen and cause hormonal imbalance.  As people who already have hormonal challenges (thyroid disease), this is important information.  Plastics are one source of xenoestrogens, and we are bombarded by plastic everyday.  The book’s author, Ori Hofmekler says these chemicals eventually hurt liver function, and also end up making us fat, sick, and tired.  From blood sugar problems to obesity, Syndrome X and endocrine disruption, our bodies are overdosing on these estrogen-like chemicals and causing and imbalance in the natural homeostasis of the body.

As thyroid patients, we know to avoid soy, but we have to remember that soy is in nearly every processed food item we can buy — not just tofu or soymilk.  Whether it be vegetable oil (soy), or soy lecithin (an emulsifier and thickening agent), we can be inadvertently eating too much of the stuff. Xenoestrogens are also found in pesticides, food preservatives, sunscreens, paints, dyes, lubricants, adhesives, and lotions (to name a few) that act as too much estrogen in our bodies.  The more of these we can get rid of, the better for our total health and wellbeing.  The Anti-Estrogenic Diet also offers recipes and practical tips for living.

Happy Reading!

Until Next Week,

Love Always,

Liz

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

Check out How To Kick Your Thyroid’s Ass Thylectable Reads.