So many people today suffer from an under-performing thyroid, which greatly reduces metabolism. Unfortunately, most of the products sold on late night infomercials and celebrity doctor shows are just more scams to pry money away from people who are desperate to shed the lbs. Of course, as a clinical nutritionist and person who lost over 100 pounds myself, eating lots of fruits and vegetables and getting daily exercise are a given. But what about when your body is stuck in a mode where the scales won’t budge?
Eating less doesn’t help. Maybe temporarily it will, but the weight will come back with a vengeance. Remember, your body is designed to survive and fat means survival. The more times you put yourself through a regimen of low calorie dieting, you are reinforcing the fat-holding capabilities of your body. So what can you do, in addition to the obvious eating well and working out?
Here are 5 legitimate and healthy ways to support your thyroid and boost your metabolism, without teaching your body to hold on to fat:
1. Make sure you start off your day with high quality protein before 10:00 am. Green juices are the absolute perfect protein morning meal, or a fresh nut milk with some fruit.
2. Make sure you eat enough during the day to prevent dips in blood sugar and metabolism in the late afternoon hours. Not only does it lead to cravings, but going too long without energy intake (calories) puts your body into protection mode. Every bodily system slows down, including your thyroid.
3. Make sure you are eating plenty of foods with the B vitamins. The B vitamins include thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate (also called folic acid or folacin), vitamin B6, vitamin B12, biotin and pantothenic acid. The B vitamins work in every cell to help the body release the energy it gets from food. Therefore, the B vitamins are critical to a healthy thyroid and to adequate energy. Consider a supplement for an added boost. A whole foods type supplement like Mega Foods is a better choice than a synthetic brand. Foods with B vitamins include: green leafy vegetables, legumes, grains like oats and brown rice, and avocado (biotin and pantothenic acid)
4. Exercise daily. You need to get your heart rate up high enough in order to see any effect. Walking at a leisurely pace doesn’t quite cut it. Also, be careful to avoid the exercise trap: adding extra food to compensate for your exercise. Unless you are exercising at a vigorous pace for more than an hour daily, you should NOT increase your volume of food.
5. Coconut Oil.
Coconut oil is the world’s most weight loss friendly fat. It contains a unique combination of fatty acids with powerful effects on metabolism. Several studies show that by adding coconut oil to your (already low fat) diet, you can lose fat, especially the “dangerous” fat in the abdominal cavity. Putting between one and three teaspoons of coconut oil in a morning cup of green tea is a perfect way to stoke your metabolic fires. Coconut oil contains medium chain fatty acids, which are metabolized differently than the longer chain fats. They are sent straight to the liver from the digestive tract, where they are immediately used for energy, or turned into ketone bodies. The key to remember here is that your diet must be a low fat, plant based diet to begin with. High fat diets that encourage you to eat fat all day long, and low carbohydrate, are extremely dangerous for your heart health, and also lead to Type 2 diabetes. But coconut oil is the perfect plant based fat for your metabolism, along with brain health and skin also!
Also talk to your nutritionist! Many people do see an increase in their metabolism from supplements like green tea, yerba mate, L-Carnitine, Chromium Picolinate and ubiquinol. You may also want to consider essential oil therapy with oils like black pepper and grapefruit. Speak with someone qualified to advise you on these supplements.
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