Super-foods are considered to be nutrient-rich powerhouses that are beneficial for overall health and well-being. Eating these super-foods may reduce the risk of chronic disease and lengthen your life. Along with essential nutrients, super-foods feed our body the necessary nutrients that our Standard American Diet is lacking.
The Standard American diet in a nutshell is loaded with unhealthy saturated and trans fats. Our meals are unbalanced, over-sized and loaded with sugar, salt, artificial ingredients and preservatives. We have an abundance of food at our finger tips but yet we are extremely malnourished and mineral deficient. We are literally starving our bodies to death! People are not obtaining the basic nutrients their bodies needs in order to fuel what is needed to perform its proper functions. We are literally running on empty! There are about 20 million estimated Americans with some type of hypothyroid disorder.
Although your thyroid is small, it produces a hormone that influences every cell, tissue and organ in the body. The thyroid determines the rate in which your body produces the energy from nutrients and oxygen. What if you could start eating foods to feed your thyroid? What if you could start nourishing your body back to health with foods that jump kick your metabolism? Foods that are powerful enough to help you lower your cholesterol, reduce your risk of heart disease and cancer? Are you interested?
I really don't like labeling a certain number of foods as "super" to just 9. There are so many other foods out there that pack a powerhouse punch but if you are affected by hypothyroidism these foods that I have listed will start to feed your body the nutrients that it is lacking. Make sure you eat the color of the rainbow. Fill your plate with a lot of fibrous vegetables that will help you lose weight, stay fuller longer and improve your skin. When you eat fibrous vegetables it passes through your body undigested, keeping your digestive tract running smoothly and helping your bowel movements flush out cholesterol and harmful carcinogens. Fibrous foods are asparagus, green beans, beetroot, cooked broccoli, cooked Brussels sprouts, carrots, celery, cucumber, garlic, lettuce, mushrooms, onions tomatoes and cooked spinach. Many people with hypothyroidism are deficient in Magnesium, B-12, Zinc, Iodine, B2, Vitamin C, Selenium, Vitamin D and Vitamin A.
Blueberries are nutrient dense and are loaded with fiber, vitamin c, vitamin K, manganese, antioxidants, fights cholesterol, lowers blood pressure, fights cancer and boosts brain health.
Pumpkin is loaded with antioxidants, fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, magnesium, potassium , zinc, contains L tryptophan, a chemical compound that triggers feelings of well-being that aid depression and is anti-inflammatory which means it helps with joint health, organ health, stress relief and soft tissue injuries!
Gluten-free oatmeal is suitable for a gluten-free diet. People with hypothyroidism typically have a gluten intolerance. Oatmeal with fuel your body, give you fiber, help lower your cholesterol, enhance your immune system and help stabilize your blood sugar.
Free-range or "pastured" organic eggs contain Tryptophan and Tyrosine which is important for the prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancer. They are loaded with all 9 essential amino acids choline, powerful antioxidants and sulfurB12, vitamin A, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin e, iron, phosphorous, selenium and B2 and B5.
Beans, beans, beans the magical fruit! The more you eat the more you toot! Eating foods that cause gas is the only way for the microbes in the gut to get nutrients. They are full of nutrients, including protein, fiber, slow-burning carbs, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Healthy individual can have up to 18 flatulences per day and be perfectly normal per Purna Kashyap, a gastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
Red bell peppers is an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin E, manganese, antioxidant-rich, six different carotenoids (alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein, cryptoxanthin and zeaxanthin).
Sardines are rich in omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, which have been found to lower triglycerides and cholesterol levels. Sardines are an excellent source of vitamin D, vitamin b12 and rich in protein, which provides us with amino acids.
Brazil nuts are a very good source of vitamin-E, Vitamin B, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, folates, copper, magnesium, manganese, potassium, calcium, iron, phosphorus, and zinc. Just two brazil nuts per day can give you the recommended daily allowance of selenium. Most hypothyroidism patients are selenium deficient.
Dark chocolate cacao not cocoa are two different kinds of chocolate. Once the beans are roasted and processed that they are called cocoa. Most cocoa powders have additives like sweeteners or cocoa butter. The cocoa beans lose much of their nutritional benefits. Cacao is the purest form of chocolate you can eat. It is raw and much less processed than store bought cocoa powder. It's full of antioxidants, magnesium, iron, potassium, calcium, zinc, copper and manganese.
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