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Rev Up Your Thyroid With Protein Smoothies and Watch the Pounds Melt Away

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Is your thyroid an underachiever? A thyroid diet for weight loss can help! For millions of us, a sluggish thyroid is a big reason we find it so easy to gain weight and so hard to lose it. When our thyroid is slow, it doesn’t make enough of the hormones that keep metabolism speedy and energized. In fact, it’s the “single most underappreciated hormone problem that women have,” Dr. Oz recently revealed.

Luckily, the doctor’s coming to the rescue! With help from Ontario-based thyroid guru Natasha Turner, ND, Dr. Oz discovered easy tricks that can help jump-start the crucial gland — so we “burn more fat, feel more energized, and wake up our metabolism like never before.” Women using the strategies have lost up to 10 pounds a week, with no hunger and little or no exercise!

Thyroid Diet for Weight Loss

Eating for a healthy thyroid is just plain smart for everyone. After all, the gland regulates dozens of crucial body functions, from breathing to fat burning. “You can never boost your thyroid too much,” Dr. Turner said. “And if your thyroid is underperforming, improving its function can be life changing.”

Important: Many of us need prescription thyroid meds to protect our health, so talk to your doctor to find out if you need your thyroid tested.

If you skip breakfast or eat mostly carbs in the morning, you put your thyroid at risk. “One thing you need every morning is 30 grams of protein to fire up your thyroid,” Dr. Oz said. “Protein is a building block of thyroid hormones. A high-protein breakfast has been shown to increase levels of thyroid hormone and improve levels of other hormones that keep you craving-free all day,” Turner added. As protein-rich choices go, her smoothies have an edge. “You can literally cram your blender with the best ingredients for your thyroid — like protein, almonds, cacao nibs, [and] cinnamon — and have your meal ready 60 seconds later,” Turner said.

Besides the smoothie, you get three additional meals loaded with nutrients that enhance thyroid function while eliminating those that inhibit it. Healthy portions of protein, antioxidant-rich produce, and good fat are on the menu throughout the day; in the evening, you add gluten-free starch. “We’re going to feed your thyroid!” Dr. Oz promised.

In addition to plenty of thyroid-revving protein, Turner’s approach is rich in what Dr. Oz dubbed “the thyroid trio,” which includes tyrosine from beef and almonds, iodine from iodized salt and eggs, and selenium from brazil nuts and tuna. “Our thyroids need these nutrients to do their job — and many of us don’t get enough,” Turner noted. She adds that her plan limits foods like sugar, excess carbs, and gluten, all of which may inhibit thyroid function by irritating and inflaming the gland. To counteract existing inflammation, you’ll find ingredients rich in anti-inflammatory antioxidants and good fat, like veggies, nuts, cocoa, spices, salmon, and coconut oil.

Thyroid Diet Book and Real Life Results

Former breakfast skipper Carol Nielsen, 46, found morning smoothies and gluten-free meals an adjustment, “but I noticed dramatic improvements almost immediately, and that really motivated me.” The Ontario mom went on to lose 35 pounds! “People say I look happier and younger!”

Then there’s Veronica Torres Deally, 34, also from Ontario, who went on Turner’s regimen of smoothies, thyroid-revving meals, and ashwagandha supplements. “I was eating more than I used to and I still went from a size 16 to a 12 in just 10 weeks,”she says. “I also had problems with hair loss, and now my hair grows super fast. And I have so much energy. When you stick with this diet, it really pays off!”

More of Turner’s tips for how to improve thyroid health can be found in her book The Hormone Boost: How to Power Up Your 6 Essential Hormones for Strength, Energy, and Weight Loss ($15, Amazon).

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