This probably shows how uneducated I am when it comes to the human body, I didn’t know what a thyroid was until a few days ago. I was listening to a podcast about endurance training and the speaker kept talking about thyroid, and how it plays an important role in our health.
It made me feel pretty out of touch and I realised how little I know. Like many people, I only learn about something, whether its on the body or not, when there’s a problem. For those who don’t know much this very important gland, I will share with you what I now know.
As the picture shows Thyroid is a butterfly shaped gland located on the sides of the throat. It regulates and produces hormones that controls the heart rate, Metabolism, the skin and more. It is very important to keep the thyroid healthy to reduce the risk of Hypo (Under Active) or Hyper (Over Active) thyroids.
- Hypothyroidism-The glands does not produce enough hormones needed.
Symptoms are: Tiredness, intolerance to cold, weight gain (No change to appetite), constipation etc
- Hyperthyroidism -The glands produces excessive amounts of hormones.
Symptoms are: Weight Loss (even with a increased appetite) anxiety, intolerance to heat, muscles pains, weakness and many more- too depressing to keep going.
To keep the thyroid gland healthy one must:
- Eat a balanced diet- Enough to provide Iodine (Salt) Selenium (Lean meats, seafood, Brazil nuts) Iron and Vitamins A
- Limit intake of refined sugars and starch. These are empty calories and it interferes with a balanced diet
- Limit intake of Polyunsaturated oils. These oils are found in fast foods and can affect hormones. Coconut oil can help maintain a healthy thyroid function.
- Exercise- Regular cardiovascular exercise is essential for stimulation which helps thyroid distribute hormones.
So there it is, if you didn’t know much or anything about thyroid, now we all know a little bit more. A balanced diet is not only great for weight loss etc, but for a healthy function of the body.
I will be writing about ‘new things’ as I discover it. If you would like to share something interesting that you think we all need to know, please don’t hesitate.
References:
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