9-Tips-To-Achieve-Better-Thyroid-Health-During-Menopause
Erica Montes, Guest
Thyroid Nation

It’s important for women going through peri-menopause and menopause to keep a close watch on their energy levels and overall thyroid well-being. Here are some tips to achieve better thyroid health during menopause:

  1. Get Your Thyroid Checked – The first thing that you need to do is to find out whether you actually have thyroid issues or not. You can begin with thyroid hormone testing and checking the TSH levels and thyroid antibodies. This will help you detect a possible thyroid problem. Just make sure that you opt for exams at regular intervals as you enter the periphery of menopause.
  2. Focus On Key Nutrients – To manufacture and metabolize thyroid hormones properly, you need to ensure that your body gets sufficient amounts of key nutrients on a daily basis. Including food rich in Vitamin A and D, Iodine, Selenium, Iron, Copper and Zinc can help you balance thyroid levels naturally. You can easily get these nutrients from:

Selenium – Sunflower seeds, tuna, mushrooms

Iron – Spinach, pumpkin seeds, lentils, oysters

Zinc –  Turkey, sardines, walnuts, lamb

Copper – Oysters, beans, lobster, crab meat

Vitamin C – Cauliflower, guava, citrus fruits

Vitamin A – Pumpkin, squash, cantaloupe, carrots, broccoli, wweet potatoes

Vitamin E – Almonds, beans, asparagus

  1. Cut Down On Foods That Restrict Thyroid Function – There are certain foods or food groups that can restrict thyroid function. These include soy, the Brassica family of vegetables, and gluten (to name a few). Moreover, foods with high levels of unhealthy fat and sugar, as well as processed foods, are a no-no. Similarly, your intake of caffeine and alcohol needs to be limited if you want to maintain good thyroid health.
  2. Include Healthy Fats – Not all fats are bad for your health. For instance, you can include avocados, fish, nut butters, coconut milk products and olive oil in your diet and you’ll be good to go. Here are some of the best recipes that will keep your thyroid from malfunctioning.
  3. Try Some Herbs – Certain medicinal herbs also help menopausal women balance their thyroid levels. Sage, Nettle, Ginger, Echinacea, Licorice, and Black Walnut are some of the herbs that are considered immensely effective. *Please consult your doctor before adding herbs/supplements to your diet. 
  4. Avoid Stress As Much As Possible – Stress is a factor that can have an adverse effect on your endocrine system and, therefore, on your thyroid function. For those who lead a hectic life, minimizing stress can be difficult, but it’s not impossible. It’s very important to find out how you can avoid at least some daily life stress. For example, find a hobby that relaxes you (e.g. reading, writing, knitting, painting, etc.).
  5. Do Some Moderate Exercise – The importance of exercise can’t be mentioned enough. Try to include moderate exercise in your routine on a regular basis, as this will benefit your overall health and wellness, including the endocrine system. *Remember, over-exercise can actually harm the adrenals and thyroid. Start slow and see how you feel. If your symptoms get worse after exercise, it is probably a good idea to scale the difficulty back for a while. 
  6. Use Headsets To Talk On The Phone – Holding a phone close to your thyroid may have negative effectsSince you can’t completely eradicate this necessity from your life, switch to headsets when you want to talk on the phone.
  7. Get Plenty Of Rest – There’s a connection between the thyroid and adrenal glands. Getting enough rest is one of the ways to keep your thyroid and adrenals balanced. You can improve your sleeping patterns by watching how many hours before bed you eat, and keeping away from screens for a while before bedtime.

It is rather difficult battling menopause and thyroid dysfunction at the same time. With these tips in tow, at least you can try to address the latter. 

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