Thyroid hormone production is not just a thyroid function problem. Most people think that if only they can “boost their thyroid” or improve thyroid function, then they’ll be able to produce more thyroid hormone.
When you look up foods to eat for hypothyroidism you usually come across foods like:
- Foods rich in iodine
- Selenium-rich foods
- Zinc-rich foods
- Fruits and vegetables
- Whole grains
When you have authority websites like RestartMed, Healthline or other thyroid dietitians telling you to eat Brazil nuts for selenium or broccoli for whatever, it’s easy to see why so many people fall into this trap.
Chances are you’ve tried eating these foods or following other common advice like eat sugar free, gluten free, dairy free, etc., but as you’ll soon see, there is more to thyroid hormone production than simply boosting your thyroid.
Here’s how it works:
Your thyroid produces thyroid hormone T4, which is the inactive form of thyroid hormone. The liver takes thyroid hormone T4 and converts it into the active form of thyroid hormone T3. That’s a liver function, not a thyroid function. So many people focus so much on the thyroid they completely ignore their liver and that could be one way to get your thyroid levels up.
What to eat to get your thyroid levels up
Thyroid hormone production is dependent on the production of other hormones like progesterone and DHEA which is the precursor to testosterone and estrogen. Low progesterone and low DHEA are often a result of eating a low-fat diet or avoiding cholesterol in your diet like I once did.
I was in shock when I learned that the hormones that give you energy like progesterone and testosterone are directly derived from cholesterol. I used to eat egg whites only thinking the egg yolks had too much cholesterol and therefore it was bad.
Later on, I realized the reason why I had low thyroid function was because I was avoiding the foods I needed to eat. I had to completely reframe my thinking because the more I learned about what foods help get your thyroid levels up, I started seeing foods I thought I needed to avoid. Foods like raw milk, egg yolks, steak… that just sounded crazy to me!
… but low and behold, after switching my diet around I started to see improvements in my hormone production. There was one problem though. I used to have a hard time digesting protein and fats. This is a gut problem, not a thyroid problem. That’s why, I started learning how to improve my digestion by improving the health of the probiotics living in my gut.
If you can grasp the concept that it’s not just a thyroid problem, then you’ll be able to do things that actually work to improve thyroid function. This is how we helped Terra who had Hashimoto’s and felt tired all the time. Working on her liver function and making diet changes helped her get her thyroid lab numbers back to normal.
She then started working on creating an environment in her body to grow healthy probiotics. This was a key step because probiotics are what help your body produce hormones or convert inactive hormones into the active form. We were happy to learn that she was able to get her thyroid to work and not need medication.
How to get more energy with Hypothyroidism
The key to get energy is learning how to create an environment in your gut for probiotics to grow… minerals are just one of nine steps I use to create this environment…
Sadly, most doctors don’t have a clue about this… thyroid supplements, and programs that promise to “fix your thyroid” don’t understand this either…
I am not a doctor… I only know about this because I was an avid home brewer and studied fermentation, though not for health purposes… I was not into health back then… I was only growing probiotics (brewer’s yeast) to make beer…
… but when I learned that probiotics are what make hormones… all bets were off… I needed to try making the probiotics in my gut as healthy as I could for myself, even if no one else followed…
If you are…
- Too exhausted to move.
- Struggling to stay awake
- Low energy is affecting your work
- Can’t say yes to active play with your kids (family is frustrated at you)
- You’ve tried the diets
- You’ve tried the supplements
- You’ve adjusted your dose up, down and sideways at this point
… then I’m excited to share with you my Energy Blueprint… I journaled everything I did for over seven years to get rid of thyroid fatigue.
I took out what didn’t work and left only what worked…
I started sharing this with others via my free email newsletter.
When you subscribe to our email newsletter you will learn each step I took to get more energy…
You will start by improving digestion… the first thing you’ll notice is no more gas, bloating or constipation… no more dry skin…
Once you tip that domino, the next step is to improve your sleep… you will learn how to get deep restorative sleep so you wake up refreshed and ready to take on the day…
Your mind will be sharp in the morning… and if your hair is thinning or falling out, you will notice it start to grow thick and strong again.
… and because everything you do is completely natural, the energy you feel will last all day without having to rely on caffeine or thyroid supplements.
So, you’ll notice when you come home after work, you’ll have energy to play with your kids, workout or do whatever activity you feel like because you will have the energy left to do so!
