Did you know that researchers have found that more than 2 billion people all over the world suffer from iodine deficiency. In fact, women are more likely to have both iodine deficiency and suffer from thyroid issues than men. Reports claim that one in three women face this problem sooner or later in life.
So, what are the symptoms of thyroid gland abnormality? Nervousness, mental fogginess, poor concentration, menstrual changes, feeling bloated, fast heartbeat, weight gain, aches and pains, heat intolerance, high cholesterol levels, and feeling cold are some of the symptoms of thyroid issues.
Thyroid disorder was earlier caused by genetics. Lately, environmental factors, diet, and lifestyle are also known to cause thyroid problems as well.
Here are listed some ways to prevent thyroid problems in women.
1. Stress Reduction Women should reduce stressing themselves too much as stress can cause hormonal imbalance. Women are also more prone to thyroid disorders when they are under stress. How does stress affect the thyroid gland? Consistent stress is known to deplete the thyroid glands, so when you are stressed, the thyroid gland does not function properly.
2. Improve Gut Health The best thing to do is to avoid gluten foods, sugar, dairy, and sweet alcohol as all of these foods increase inflammation in the body. Consumption of fibrous fruits, vegetables, and beans work as good prebiotics that provide food for the healthy gut bacteria. Include white beans as a part of your diet as it is a rich source of iron, which is necessary for the activity of thyroid.
3. Reduce Inflammation Oily fishes like mackerel or salmon are anti-inflammatory in nature. You can consume good quality fish and you could also have fresh turmeric root either boiled in milk or added to your smoothies. You could also drink a green smoothie made with spinach, lime, cucumber, and celery.
4. Increase Vitamin D Intake Getting sufficient amounts of vitamin D is extremely important because low levels of vitamin D could lead to thyroid disorders. Vitamin D is anti-inflammatory, making it excellent for anyone suffering from autoimmune disease. It is recommended to consume 1,000 to 5,000 IU of vitamin D a day.
5. Monitoring Your Iodine Intake It is necessary to monitor your iodine intake if you are suffering from thyroid issues as iodine plays a very important role in the formation of thyroid hormone thyroxine. Also, do not take too much of iodine in your food as it will pave the way for hyperthyroidism. Instead, have eggs, sardines, and cheese as they are the best sources of iodine.
6. Moderate Your Protein Intake Protein is essential and necessary as it helps to transport the thyroid hormone to all your tissues, which further help your thyroid function effectively. Some of the rich protein sources you could include in your diet are eggs, seeds, nuts, fishes, and legumes. Soy products like tofu, soy milk, and soy granules could also make for a good protein source.
7. Load Up On Good Fats Fats are a powerhouse of nutrients, few of which are important in the production and regulation of certain hormones. Insufficient healthy fats in your diet could disrupt the hormonal balance, so you need to pick the right kind of foods that contain healthy fats. Healthy fats include ghee, nuts, butter, coconut milk, flaxseeds, etc.
8. Maintain The Goitrogens intake Any food that stops your body’s iodine absorption should be omitted from your diet. People with thyroid should avoid foods like cauliflower, cabbage, turnips, broccoli, peanuts, soybeans, spinach, kale, and radishes.
9. Stop Smoking You probably didn’t know that cigarette smoke has various toxins that are dangerous to the thyroid glands and can trigger thyroid disease as well. People who most often smoke are more likely to develop thyroid eye complications of Grave’s disease and treatment for these eye problems is less effective.
Reference:
www.boldsky.com/health/wellness/2018/9-ways-to-prevent-thyroid-problems-in-women
