What's the big deal about thyroids??

OH, it's a BIG DEAL!! The thyroid is comparatively a small piece of the body puzzle.. a small two-bunny-ears-shaped gland in your neck. Some say it looks like a butterfly, but I think it looks more like two bunny ears (depending on which picture you look at)! It is a gland that is part of the endocrine system, one of the many systems that runs your body and keeps you healthy. The endocrine system is composed of organs that release hormones into your body. These hormones do all kinds of stuff: regulate temperature, release blood sugar into your system when you're hungry, maintain salt levels in the body, fight or flight, etc. The thyroid's sole purpose is to produce thyroid hormone. This thyroid hormone regulates the whole body's overall metabolism. That is why it is SO important...if the body is not running efficiently and metabolizing properly, organs and systems start to malfunction. Read here if you are interesting in hearing about how Oprah has been handling her thyroid (and weight) issues.

The human body is an utterly amazing, multi-tasking machine. On a black-box view, you eat, breathe, drink and poop. But, seeing things on the inside, all these different systems (endocrine, cardiovascular, immune, nervous, muscular, respiratory, reproductive, digestive, etc.) work harmoniously together to keep you alive and well. Talk about a miracle!

But, sometimes, things don't work out the way they are supposed to. For example, me! I was a little stunned by the hypothyroid news when I found out almost two weeks ago. It was a surprise because the last thyroid test I took indicated I had a normal thyroid (haha). But, when I started looking at the symptoms of low thyroid function as well as considering my previous health problems (fatigue, weight gain or inability to lose weight, fluid retention, depression, etc.), all the pieces of the puzzles were starting to come together. I've been taking a thyroid glandular, as well as pregnenlone and progesterone (also hormones) and digestive enzymes now for a week. My energy level has increased tremendously, and I have lost some weight. Yay! The other extreme of imbalance would be hyperthyroidism, where the thyroid is overproducing thyroid hormones. A great website with information about all issues thyroid related is at About.com,
and Stopthethyroidmadness.com is great for anyone concerned with hypothyroidism.

More on my pro-thyroid diet coming soon...

My Pro-Thyroid Menu Plan for This Week

I've been stuck this weekend working on work, so I have not been able to write more on the thyroid situation. However, I wanted to post my menu plan for this week so you can have an idea of what I can eat. Believe me, when I first heard what I can and can't eat, I was overwhelmed!

Today (Sunday - Happy Mother's Day!):
D - Fake rotisserie chicken with leftover beet salad and zucchini sauteed in coconut, half an orange
Dessert - homemade org. additive-free coconut milk strawberry ice cream!

Monday:
D - chicken salad with leftover chicken, org. lettuce, org. tomatoes, org. avocados.. you get the point! Plus, an org. orange.


Tuesday:
D - org. grassfed burgers with natural ketchup, whole grain mustard, and raw cheese and sauteed org. swiss chard in bacon fat. Plus, you got it, another org. orange.

Wednesday:
D - org. grassfed steaks with zucchini stir-fry (in coconut oil) and butternut squash soup. More orange! If I'm sick of oranges, I might have some homegrown strawberries.

Thursday:
D - Leftover steak and egg scramble with surprise veggies using coconut oil. Cherries for dessert!

Friday:
D - Veggie surprise like they serve at Rutabegorz with brown rice, veggie mix, and salsa. I will add raw cheese and chicken on top. Hold the sunflower seeds! Orange, orange, orange!

More on pro-thyroid diet coming soon... ~E

What is Real Food for YOU??

My definition of real food is changing. Hopefully, from good to great!

For the past few years, I was eating a mostly paleo/primal diet: food hunter-gathers ate waaaay back when. That would include meats, poultry, fish, nuts, berries, and greens. Somewhere mid-way, I started focusing on organic, grassfed animal protein and fat sources (to avoid the estrogenic effects of pesticides and herbicides in the conventional animal feed plus antibiotics routinely given to "healthy," conventionally-grown animals), coconut oil (antibacterial, antimicrobial, antifungal goodness in a jar!), and organic vegetables. You can say my diet is pretty extreme so far, right? At least compared to the average SAD (Standard American Diet) eater, it is!

Well, I found out recently that I may not be eating right... for me. I believe healing foods are customized to the person. What works for me may not work for you. This is that little lovely concept called Biochemical Individuality (one of my upcoming courses for my masters!). What I have been trying to do for some time is follow what works for alot of other people. And unfortunately, it may not be working so well for me. With my fairly clean diet, I found out that I have some serious dietary changes to make.

I took a special 24-hour urine test last week. I hate doing these kinds of tests, especially since you get locked down at home! But, I did it anyways because 1) I was curious to see what was involved in the process and 2) I wanted to understand why I was so tired all the time (4 or 5 hour naps is not normal!). I found this test through Lita Lee - a wonderful human being AND enzyme therapist/chemist. When a health practitioner tells you to visualize good health and use the Law of Attraction, you have to believe in that person! She and I are in sync!

The results are in, and my body is really out of balance (no duh). On Monday, I found out that I am deficient in electrolytes, my body fights for every little bit of calcium that I eat, and my thyroid is seriously underactive (among other things). And, an underactive thyroid explains ALOT of my health issues. And, this is all with my gluten-free, mostly casein-free, soy-free, and mostly sugar-free diet.

So, for the next two months, I will be eating a pro-thyroid diet, which will take me away from my low-carb hunter-gatherer diet. Some foods that I thought were healing apparently are not healing for me. I will go over the details of my diet in the next few blog entries. I plan on getting retested at the end of a month or two, after being placed on some enzymes and eating my healing foods. So, this is a great experiment for me!

My questions to you are:
1) Are you eating real food? If not, why not?
2) Are you eating foods that help you maintain fantastic health? If "no", can you figure out what foods are healing and what foods aren't?

Sometimes all it takes is a food log where you write down what you eat and how you react. Sometimes, like in my case, it takes a little help from someone else to figure it out.

My belief is that eating real food does heal the body. And, if you aren't healed (like me), you may not be eating the right foods!

Meet my new friend, Kim Chi

Doesn't it sound like a girl's name? Meet my new friend Kim, Kim Chi. I'm not sure if it's really kimchi or kim chi or kim chee, but any way, it's a pretty odd food if you didn't grow up with it. Although I am not of Korean descent, my mom spent every once in a while making kimchi. I distinctly remember the *smell* more than anything. It stunk and how! That may be enough to make you turn and run. But, for those of you adventurous enough, try this out!

There are plenty of different recipes out there, the more complicated ones are for you cooking freaks. I prefer to keep things simple and this recipe below was easy enough for me to make and didn't involve too many ingredients. I pulled this recipe from a book called Nourishing Traditions, one of my favorite cookbooks! If you want a cookbook that offers real_food recipes, this is definitely one to consider. It could turn your whole food world upside down.

But, before the recipe, here are the reasons why kimchi is so good for you:

• If you make it yourself, kimchi is a real food (be careful with store-bought versions with MSG or other not-so-good-for-you food additives) and can be customized to your needs (for those of you with allergies, mild to blazing your butt off hot, etc.)


• Fermented kimchi adds Lactobacilli bacteria and digestive enzymes to help your digestive tract do its work properly.


• Those of you who have a "gassier" time eating cabbage may have an easier time eating kimchi because of the fermentation.


• Cabbage is rich in calcium, magnesium, chlorophyll, folic acid, vitamin C, selenium, sulfur, and chlorine.


• Cabbage is loaded with indoles, dithiolethiones, isothiocynates, and sulforaphanes, which are all cancer-fighting nutrients.


• Spicy, hot foods have been shown to burn more calories than non-spicy foods.


• It is one of the lowest calorie foods you can eat PLUS fiber.


• Use kimchi as an appetizer, which will help fill you up so you eat less for your main meal.


• It's veggies that you can use to add to your Veggie Total of the Day!

NOTE: people who have hypothyroidism should consume cabbage in moderation as it may interfere with the proper function of the thyroid!

Ingredients
1 Head napa cabbage, cored & shredded
1 Bunch green onions, chopped
1 C carrots, grated
1/2C Daikon radish, grated (optional, but I like!)
1 Tablespoon freshly grated ginger
3 Cloves garlic, peeled & minced
1/2 Teaspoon dried chili flakes (this is MILD, you can add more but be warned!)
1 Tablespoon sea salt (I like RealSalt)
4 Tablespoons homemade whey** (see below, if not available, use an additional 1 Tablespoon sea salt)

Place everything in a big bowl, mix, and pound with meat hammer to release juices (I just used my washed hands to squish the big pieces). Place in a quart-sized sealable container and mix well. You should see juices starting to come out of the vegetables within the first half hour and the mixture should start shrinking in size. Whatever container you are using, make sure that the kimchi is at least 1" below the lid and that all pieces are touching the liquid. Leave on your kitchen counter for three days, then promptly move the container into the fridge.

Enjoy a little bit each day, as an appetizer or side dish to your main meal. Aside from the cabbage and the salt, the rest of the ingredients are highly customizable, so experiment. If you strongly dislike the smell but like the benefits, say to yourself "food as medicine", chew, and swallow! A little kimchi a day can keep the doctor away.

** Homemade whey means homemade whey from scratch, not whey powder bought from the store. I will post the NT's recipe for whey some time into the near future. Lacto-fermentation was how people preserved food old-school style, before refrigeration and technology. If you don't have homemade whey, use the extra salt instead. Either way, it will turn out great!

Photo courtesy of foodista on flickr.