Reasons You Want a Nutritionist on Your Care Team

If you suffer from hypothyroidism, having a doctor who listens and is willing to work with you is key. But did you know that seeking guidance from a nutritionist can also be a valuable tool in restoring your health?

When our bodies struggle to manage many simultaneous symptoms, the foods that we eat can play a vital role in how we feel, how we heal, and even how much energy we have. Choosing foods that nourish your thyroid and help it function properly is an important step in restoring your health.

Whether you’re newly diagnosed with hypothyroidism or still struggling with lingering symptoms like fatigue, mood swings, thinning hair, or digestive issues, a nutritionist may be able to help you make nutritional choices for optimal thyroid health. 

In addition to personalized dietary guidance, a nutritionist can also teach you new ways to cook and prepare your food, listen to your struggles or concerns, and encourage you along the way.

We look at six reasons having a nutritionist on your team is advantageous.

To Find the Root Cause

One of the most critical steps in healing your thyroid is finding the cause of your condition. It should be one of your first steps to getting better. That’s why the traditional method of simply prescribing medication, without a deep dive into your specific symptoms and history, usually isn’t enough to help you feel better.

There’s a reason that your thyroid is under-functioning, and working with a nutritionist in collaboration with a physician is helpful in looking at your thyroid health from all angles.

Of course, it’s not always as easy as it sounds. Because the thyroid gland is highly nutrient dependent, poor nutritional status is one of the root causes for thyroid function. However, other potential causes could be autoimmunity, family history, damage to the pituitary gland,, certain medications, pregnancy, or other large hormonal events, A skilled professional on your team can make this discovery journey a lot more simple and straight-forward.

To Learn the Connection Between Your Thyroid and Your Gut

One of the many systems in your body affected by hypothyroidism is your gastrointestinal tract. A lack of thyroid hormone slows the movement of food through you digestive tract, which can leave your belly bloated and your intestines backed up (hello, constipation!). 

There is a growing debate over if gut problems cause hypothyroidism or if they are caused by it. Working with a nutritionist can help you to get your tract back on track.

To Reverse Nutritional Deficiencies

Key nutrients drive thyroid hormone production. Nutritional deficiencies can affect your thyroid, worsen symptoms, or prevent thyroid medication from doing its job. It can turn into a guessing game to determine the nutrients you need. 

Working with a nutritionist to detect the vitamins and minerals that you lack, and balancing them back into your diet through food and supplements may make a positive difference in certain cases of hypothyroidism. 

Talk to your Paloma practitioner about how this can be targeted to your specific causes.

To Identify Dietary Triggers

Food sensitivities are becoming more and more common, and in many cases, people don’t even know they have them. Dietary triggers can lead to increased gastrointestinal permeability, chronic inflammation, and a possible elevation in thyroid antibodies that would show the presence of Hashimoto’s.

Working with a nutritionist may help to determine if there are any foods that trigger inflammation or other symptoms in your body and help you to avoid those foods.

To Lose or Maintain Your Weight

Weight gain is one of the main (and truly most frustrating) symptoms of hypothyroidism due to a slowdown of your metabolism. That slowdown makes it even more difficult to lose the weight you’ve gained, and you can begin to feel hopeless.

Working with a nutritionist can help you jumpstart stalled weight loss and understand your body’s specific requirements. 

To Get a Diet Tailored to Your Health Needs

There are a lot of popular and trendy diets floating around these days:

·       Intermittent Fasting

·       Keto

·       Low Carb

·       Paleo

·       Vegan

·       Vegetarian

·       Whole30

But should you try one? Will it be good for your thyroid? An online search will probably turn up mixed results, leaving you more confused than ever. Having a nutritionist on your team to review your options and formulate a plan specifically for you and your health needs is invaluable.

Being diagnosed and living with hypothyroidism can be overwhelming at times. The merry-go-round of symptoms can keep you stressed and fatigued with no end in sight. One symptom may finally ease just as another one pops up, like a game of whack-a-mole.

Having a nutritionist to guide you on your path can help reduce your stress and take a lot of the uncertainty and guessing out of your path to healing. In addition to an expert on diet, you will have an advocate, a cheerleader, and a sounding board to help you along your way.

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Get started with a Paloma Nutritionist today!