Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Thyroid and Women’s Health Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Thyroid health is important for our overall wellbeing. But did you know that it can also affect women’s health concerns? In general women are more likely to be diagnosed with thyroid issues. In fact, up to …
Thyroid Health and the Adrenal Glands Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND When it comes to holistic health care 2 of the most common things to talk about are thyroid health and adrenal health. What is interesting about these 2 topics is that they are more …
How the Thyroid Impacts Weight Management
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
One topic that comes up often around summertime is weight management. Everyone wants to be ready for the beach! And one part of managing our weight is by working with our thyroid. Everyone knows the thyroid controls weight! But just how does it do this? Well, it works by increasing or decreasing our metabolism. In the medical world, this is known as basal metabolic rate or BMR. It is the number of calories you use to just live. Sleeping, breathing and even sitting are all things that contribute to the BMR. Being highly active and engaging in physical exercise will cause it to increase. BMR is usually calculated based on the following factors: age, gender, height, and weight. (1) In addition to the thyroid, other hormones can and do affect weight. For right now I will just be focusing on weight on weight. Let us get into it, shall we?
Studies show that people with low thyroid function had lower BMRs, compared to those with a higher-than-normal amount of thyroid hormone, who had higher BMRs. (2) Meaning, those with a decreased thyroid function gained weight easily; while those with an increase in thyroid function were able to lose weight.
Now, it is especially important to first determine if weight loss or weight gain is related to the thyroid. Bloodwork is always a wonderful place to start. While you are waiting for the test results you should start a food diary of anything you eat throughout the day. It is especially important to be honest about what you are eating if you want to try to balance your food intake. I know it might be embarrassing to write down or tell a nutritionist you had 4 slices of pizza, 3 times this week; but it’s easier to understand what we need to do when someone is honest about what they eat; rather than saying what they think we want to hear. Why do I am harping on this issue? Even with a thyroid disorder, what we eat is one of the most important things to help regulate our weight. While it is true that having a lower/higher level of thyroid hormone will make it easier to gain or lose weight, it is not the only concern regarding a healthy weight. Having a healthy or unhealthy relationship with food is just as important to talk about. (3) If you have a thyroid disorder and an unhealthy relationship with food, it is like throwing gasoline on a fire; it will only make it worse.
SO, WHAT CAN WE DO?
Well first, get blood work down then do your food log. Once you have your blood work and food log feel free to contact an Invite Health nutritionist. I am always happy to go over your food log. Email me at carcidiacono@invitehealth.com, if you are interested in working with me! Next, work with a nutritionist to determine what is going on with your thyroid. Is it higher than normal? Lower? Is there an autoimmune problem going on?
SUPPLEMENTS FOR WEIGHT MANAGEMENT and thyroid health
In addition to working on the thyroid and what you are eating, there are supplements that studies show can help with weight loss and weight gain.
HELPFUL WEIGHT LOSS DRINKS
*The following smoothie recipes can be used as a meal replacement
1 scoop of InVite Health Weight Management Protein
1 scoop of Oranges Hx
1 scoop of Collagen Hx
1 dropper-full Green Tea Tx
Open 1 capsule of Probiotic Hx Weight into the shaker or blender and mix.
Cut up and remove the pits from cherries! You can use as many or little as you like
Make any brand of Jell-O and add the cherries. While it is still liquid add the contents of 2 Trim Hx. Portion this delicious treat into 8 portions (each portion will be about ¼ cup not counting the cherries).
Allow it to cool and harden for a nice nighttime treat!
HELPFUL WEIGHT GAIN DRINKS
*The following smoothies will be best eaten in between meals for weight gain benefits (not instead or in place of one of the three meals eating each day)
Retro Weight Gainer
Milk of choice – Add 1 scoop of each of the following:
Weight Management Powder
Cocoa HxⓇ
Organic Greens Plus
Collagen HxⓇ
1 Avocado, or banana or 1 tablespoon coconut oil
Superfood Weight Gainer
Milk of choice and 1 avocado and 1 scoop of each:
Weight Management Powder
Reds Hx
Purples Hx
Yummy muffins!
To a blender add ½ cup of oatmeal, 2 eggs, 1 banana, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 scoop of Weight Management Powder. Add 2 scoops of Multi Energy Powder. Start with 2 tablespoons of water, adding as you blend. Your goal is a mix that is thick, but you can still pour. Place in muffin tin and bake till a toothpick comes out clean. 350 degrees for about 10-15 minutes is ideal, but it is best to test!
SOURCES
Bug Bites and other Outdoor Irritants to the Skin Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Camping is a popular and fun summer activity! But camping and other outdoor activities can put you at an increased risk of skin concerns such as mosquito bites and poison Ivy! There …
Summertime Blues Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND You may have heard of something called SAD or seasonal affective disorder. This is sometimes referred to as the “wintertime blues”. What you may not be aware of is that while SAD is typically associated with winter it can …
Hot Weather and the Impact on Blood Sugar?
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
Everyone knows hot weather can make you feel hot and sticky and just plain old yucky! But what most people do not realize is that hot weather can also lead to fluctuations in our blood sugar. This means that hot weather can make it more difficult for those with diabetes to regulate their blood sugar levels. Let us get into it, shall we?
One way that excessive heat can affect our blood sugar is by triggering an increase in how much we sweat. This increase in sweating can lead to dehydration which in turn leads to an increase in our blood sugar! Extreme heat can also trigger our body to produce cortisol, the stress hormone! Among its many functions in the body, this hormone helps to regulate blood sugar levels. When you make more cortisol your blood sugar will be higher. In addition to affecting cortisol levels the stress of extreme heat can stimulate the hypothalamus and influence the way it affects insulin, thus affecting how well insulin works in our body. Sunburn, a common concern during these hot days, can also trigger the hypothalamus to change how insulin works. This can lead to insulin resistance and as a result the blood sugar will be higher. (2) Extreme heat not only affects how well we respond to insulin but can also affect the ability of our body to absorb any injected insulin! As a result, you will have higher blood sugar levels than expected. (3) In my years of working for Invite I have seen an increase in blood sugar levels in people during the summer quite often! In fact, in my clinical experience it is common for people to notice a change in their A1c or morning blood sugar readings during the summer. I have had plenty of people say Dr. Claire my blood sugar reading has been much higher than normal, but I have not changed my diet! What is going on?? I tell them it is simply extremely hot weather! I tell them how to adjust their supplements and that it will go back to normal when the weather does. And sure, enough, it does normalize as the weather cools down! So, if your blood sugar seems higher during extreme heat waves do not get upset, it is not something that you are “doing wrong” but is a natural side effect of the weather.
Now I know I have focused on high blood sugar but in some case extreme heat can lower blood sugar levels. While heat stress can increase blood sugar if a person’s blood sugar is already low or at the lower end of normal the heat can cause “the blood sugar levels to plummet.” (4) Studies have also found that heat can increase glucose metabolism in those that are overweight. (5) What this can mean for a diabetic is that the glucose will be metabolized faster than expected and your blood sugar may drop to low levels. Now remember how I said that extreme heat and sweating can affect our ability to absorb insulin leading to less medicine being absorbed? (3) Well, it is true HOWEVER in some cases the hot weather can increase insulin absorption leading to tooo much medicine and lower blood sugar levels. (6)
I bet I know what you are thinking, high blood sugar, low blood sugar which one is it? And just what type of diabetes is most affected by heat? Simply put, extreme heat just overall makes blood sugar harder to control. It can trigger either high or low blood sugar. The reason I have not talked about which type of diabetes is most affected by heat is because in my experience anyone with any form of diabetes is at risk for blood sugar regulation issues when there is extreme heat!
What can you do to help regulate blood sugar when there is too much heat?
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