Raw Juice therapy and Smoothies for Graves’ Disease and Hyperthyroidism

How it works:

Raw juices of fruits and vegetables contain a lot of  vitamins, minerals, trace elements, enzymes and natural sugars which helps normalizing all body functions or whose who might be affected by a disease. They supply the necessary elements for the body’s own healing activity and cell regeneration, thereby speeding the recovery process and healing.

The juices extracted from raw fruits and vegetables require no digestion and almost all their vital nutrients are integrated directly in the bloodstream. They are also extremely rich in alkaline elements, which is highly favorable for normalizing acid-alkaline balance in the blood and tissues as there is over-acidity in most conditions of illness. The generous amounts of organic minerals in raw juices especially calcium, potassium and silicon help the restoration of  biochemical and mineral balance in the tissues and cells, thereby stopping the premature ageing of cells and disease.

Raw juices contain certain natural remedies, vegetal hormones and antibiotics. For example, it is found by scientists that string beans contain substance that imitates insulin. The hormones, necessary for the pancreas to produce insulin are present in cucumber and onion juices. The fresh juices made of garlic, onions, radish and tomatoes are found to contain antibiotic ingredients, which doesn’t mean that you should not take the one prescribed by your doctor, but can add fresh juices of these vegetables to speed up the healing process.

You can make raw juices from practically anything that is “juicable”. I have tried juicing all kinds of fruits and vegetables and honestly, some came out very tasty, while others I can’t really drink. You should also juice vegetables and fruits that can be consumed naturally in a raw form (for example I would not juice potatoes).

6 Main types of Fruit and vegetable juices 

1. Juices from sweet fruits such as prunes and grapes.
2. Juices from sub-acid fruits like apple, plum, pear, peach, apricot and cherry;
3. Juices from acid fruits like orange, lemon, grapefruit, strawberry and pineapple.
4. Juices from vegetable fruits, namely, tomato and cucumber.
5. Juices from green leafy vegetables like cabbage, celery, lettuce, spinach, parsley and watercress.
6. Juices from root vegetables like beetroot, carrot, onion, ginger, potato and radish.

There are some recommendations that you can follow in order to get the best of the vegetables and fruits. I am not saying that you should not experiment, but generally limit the number of vegetables/fruits to 3 or maximum 4 in one juice. Otherwise you wouldn’t know what exactly you are drinking. 

10 General Recommendations for Raw Juice preparation

1. Juices should be made only from fresh vegetables and fruits, don’t try to add canned or otherwise processed vegetables or fruits.
2. Make only the quantity you’ll drink immediately, because raw juices tend to oxidize and their medicinal properties may just vanish.

3. 

   Use preferably organic or locally grown vegetables and fruits.

4. Combine juices from sweet fruits (grapes or prunes) with juices of sub-acid fruits (apple, pear), but avoid combining them with acid fruits (lemon, pine apple), vegetable fruits (tomatoes or cucumber) or vegetables (onion and beetroot).
5. Combine juices from sub-acid fruits with juices of sweet fruits (or acid fruits), but not with other juices.
6. Combine juices from acid fruits with those of sub-acid fruits (apples, pear) or vegetable fruits (tomatoes, cucumber), but not with other juices.
7. Combine juices from vegetable fruits (tomatoes, cucumber) with those of acid fruits (lemon, orange, grapefruit) or of green leafy vegetables, but not with other juices.
8. Combine juices from green leafy vegetables with those of vegetable fruits or of the root vegetable, but not with other juices. (Lettuce and pineapple is not a very tasty combination, believe me).
9. Combine juices from root vegetables with those of green leafy vegetables, but not with other juices.
10. You can add different leafy herbs, like Lemon Balm or Mint, for example to vegetable juices. You may also use the vegetable residuals for soups or casseroles.  

11. 

    When vegetables are not “juicable”, like bananas, cantaloupe,  or papaya, they are simply mixed to produce a smoothie.

A proper selection of juices in treating a particular ailment is very essential. For example, insomnia can be helped with apple, grapes, lemon, lettuce, carrot and celery. Sore throat will benefit from: Apricot, grapes, lemon, pineapple, prune, tomato, carrot and parsley. Eye problems: Apricot, tomato, carrot, celery, parsley and spinach.

I am also featuring on my blog about Graves’ Disease and Hyperthyroidism some recipes of Fruit Smoothies and Raw Juices by Mariquit Losaria Orendain, who is my guest writer this month and agreed to share some of her raw juice recipes with us. They are tasty (I tried them already), nutritious and easy to implement. Thank you Mariquit! Click on the link to read them now:

Fruit Smoothies and Raw Juices by Mariquit Losaria Orendain

So speaking, Raw Juice Therapy may be very helpful, if followed with some precautions. I also included a few Green smoothies in my book “Ultimate Diet Secrets for Graves’ Disease and Hyperthyroidism”, which was just updated in August, 2013. This are some examples of what recipes for smoothies you can find there:

Orange – banana – chard smoothie

Orange – banana – plum – lemon – more chard smoothie

Banana-lime-apple-milk-chard smoothie

Banana – lemon – apple – milk – plum – mint smoothie

Simple Sprout Smoothie

Antioxidant Veggie Smoothie

Feel free to check it out: “Ultimate Diet Secrets for Graves’ Disease and Hyperthyroidism”

or just go straight to the “Books” section: 

Can gluten free diet help Graves’ disease/Hyperthyroidism? Can it cure it? 

by Svetla Bankova

A million dollar question. That’s exactly the question that I’ve been asked over and over again in the past 10 years. The answer though is – it depends. But as Hippocrates said: “All diseases begin in the gut.” Was the man right so many centuries ago? I did some research and here are my thoughts on the subject:

If an individual has a healthy intestines and stomach, products like wheat, rye and barley are very unlikely to cause any problem. However, if there is an inflammation of the intestines or because of the over-processed and canned foods we constantly eat,  there are no healthy bacteria to help the digestive process. 

Such a person may develop the so called leaky gut syndrome. This leaky gut syndrome will occur if the lining of the intestines become impaired or inflamed and this will allow toxins and gluten, as well as other substances that are not supposed to be there to enter the blood stream, thus, alarming the immune system that there are invaders in the blood. Some researcher also believe that the leaky gut syndrome is caused mainly by antibiotics which can destroy the healthy bacteria in the large intestine, create conditions for yeast overgrowth and cause, finally, Celiac disease. While I do believe that antibiotics play certain role, that’s not all. The average person today consumes daily tons of medications ranging from painkillers to antidepressants and anxiety medications. If you think that these medications are not affecting the stomach flora, think again. Plus, you can add all the foods (all, with an exception of the organic), that contain all kinds of preservatives, stabilizers and chemicals that nobody knows what are there for and what they do to us. When the yeast (so called candida albikans) in the large intestines overgrows due to the above mentioned reasons it causes inflammation of the small intestine, which, in other perfect conditions will prevent the toxin and chemicals to get into the blood stream.

I would think that this is how some of the autoimmune diseases are born, or at least that could be one of the reasons. Celiac disease, accordingly, is connected with this leaky gut syndrome and pertains to allergic reaction to gluten. It usually affects the small intestine and prevents the body to properly absorb food. Some of symptoms of celiac disease are diarrhea, abdominal pain, gas, irregular menstrual periods, weight loss, muscle cramps, skin problems of different kinds, mostly rashes, hair loss. These symptoms, as you may have noticed already, are very similar to some of the Graves’ disease and hyperthyroidism symptoms, and in fact some of hypothyroidism symptoms as well. 

The evidence on the connection between Celiac disease and thyroid disorders is just piling up in the last few years, especially with the drastically increased number of children, diagnosed with Graves’ Disease. Why? Because children are more prone to eat unhealthy snacks, and school food, where parents have no control over it. (My daughter’s school served to children free milk with a lot of sugar in it, while a bottle of water cost $1/bottle. I am wondering why water is more expensive than milk in this school?)

Anyhow, a study in the Journal of Pediatrics found that 11 of 15 children who have been diagnosed with Celiac disease and thyroid disorder at the same time after following up a gluten- free diet for about 12+ months, saw drastic improvement in their thyroid levels. Another study (below) found that people with Celiac disease are way more likely to have elevated thyroid antibodies, compared to those who did not have problems with their guts (37.5% vs. 4.4%). The study also demonstrated a positive correlation between anti-tTG and thyroid antibody titers in patients who had Celiac disease.  And as we all know, one of the ways to reduce anti-tTG levels in this case is to go gluten-free.

Duntas L. Does celiac disease trigger autoimmune thyroiditis? Nat Rev Endocrinol. 2009;5(4):190-191.

Cassio, A., Ricci, G., Baronio, F., Miniaci, A., Bal, M., Bigucci, B., … & Cicognani, A. (2010). Long-term clinical significance of thyroid autoimmunity in children with celiac disease. The Journal of pediatrics, 156(2), 292-295.

Elfström, Peter, et al. “Risk of thyroid disease in individuals with celiac disease.”The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 93.10 (2008): 3915-3921.

Naiyer AJ, Shah J, Hernandez L, et al. Tissue transglutaminase antibodies in individuals with celiac disease bind to thyroid follicles and extracellular matrix and may contribute to thyroid dysfunction. Thyroid. 2008;18(11):1171-1178.

So, will gluten- free diet help Graves’ disease and improve your thyroid levels? Very likely the answers is yes, especially if you were not so much into the “healthy eating” thing. And I would suggest everyone who is diagnosed with hyperthyroidism to get tested for Celiac disease, just in case.

Celiac disease is also believed to be a great companion of other autoimmune disorders like Lupus, Graves’ Disease, Diabetes I, and Rheumatoid Arthritis etc.   If you don’t want to get tested to whatever reason (the test is actually a biopsy of the small intestines), try to be on a gluten-free diet for at least a month or 6 weeks and see if your symptoms improve or not. You may not have Celiac disease, but you can be just sensitive to gluten products.

Don’t also forget to get checked for Yersinia enterocolitica (bacteria) and Helicobacter pylori infection. Both are found in the gut and scientifically proven related to autoimmune thyroid diseases like Graves’ disease and Hashimoto’s. I can’t stress that fact more, especially when it comes to children (and I’ve written a whole book on this subject: “Children with Graves’ Disease and Hyperthyroidism”- a book for their parents). 

Most doctors believe that celiac disease is incurable. I don’t know that, but if you try to eat gluten- free products (specifically avoid products with wheat, barley and rye) for some time and also use probiotics to support the digestive process you may eventually see great improvement, including in your thyroid antibodies. Probiotics are also found in the yogurt that contains “live cultures” like Streptococcus Thermophilus,  Lactobacillus Bulgaricus, Lactobacillus Lactis, Lactobacillus Casel, Lactobacillus Acidophilus and Bifidobacterlum spp. The yogurt containing these cultures will say on the label “live and active probiotic cultures”.

I personally take probiotics daily as a supplement because I consider most of the foods sold in stores as “dead” food. Even though I prefer to cook from scratch, I can’t completely avoid the artificial products, stabilizers, coloring and flavors that are used in food processing today. 

Another product that can greatly benefit your stomach and intestines is the Aloe Vera gel, which I already mentioned for other purposes. As you can see it doesn’t have only one benefit, but many for that matter! So, finally, get your Aloe Vera! (link is provided for your convenience here).

I’ve wrote and listed most of foods that are good for you, if you are diagnosed with Graves’ disease and hyperthyroidism, including some recipes and recommendations about what foods to avoid in my recently updated book “Ultimate Diet secrets for Graves’ Disease and Hyperthyroidism: (it’s also available in paper)

And for those who want to know more about the healing properties of real foods, please, go ahead and download your own, free copy of “Food Remedies”, written in 1908 by Florence Daniel, but still valid today. (Courtesy of my website for you being a valued reader!)

Food Remedies, by Florence Daniel, 1908 (scroll down to download)

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August 2, 2017

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Simona’s Story about Graves’ Disease and healing

As one Cree storyteller said: Stories are Beings. You invite them to live with you. They will teach you what they know in return for being a good host. When they are ready to move on they’ll let you know. Then you pass them to someone else. 

Stories will also sustain you in times of challenge, frustration, and failure and it will confront you in times of confusion, pain, and loss, as they do with me. 

I am so happy to share this story with my dear readers! Below is the Simona’s story, and with her permission I am publishing it hereby. She sent it to me as a response to my article about Graves’ disease overweight that I recently wrote. I was touched by her story, because it resembles my own, to a very big extend. I know that I am not the only one who conquered Graves’ Disease, one or another way! I am not the only one who came out with  more knowledge and understanding of what is this disease is all about. Enjoy reading!

“Hi Svetla,

10 years ago I was diagnosed with Graves’ disease. I went to see my doctor after I’ve put on 10 kilos (~22 pounds) in the space of 2 months. I knew something was wrong, since I’ve always been very, very active, athletic, toned and never overweight. I was my doctor’s first case of someone gaining weight with an overactive thyroid. He thought the lab has made an error and re-tested.

The 10 kilos “stayed” with me for over 5 years and to all your readers – I don’t think there is much you can do until you sort out your life and your priorities one way or another. I believe it was my body’s self-preservation instincts at work. I was doing more things in a day that most “normal” people would do in a week. I was running a business, looking after a family and a household, I was studying, I was managing a few investments properties, I was looking after a big garden, I was entertaining, I was renovating and extending the house – all this at the same time and it had to be done perfectly… Since there wasn’t enough hours in a day, I stretched my waking hours to the max and slept for only 4 or 5 hours a day. I think it was my body’s way to make me stop and say – I am not doing this anymore – you go on without me – if you can that is.

It was depressing and I refused to accept it. It took a long, long while to accept myself as the “new” me. My hormone levels were 2.5 times the maximum. I was so exhausted that I couldn’t take a shower at the age of 35 – I couldn’t keep my hand up long enough to wash my hair and had to put a chair in the shower – only then did I realize – the weight gain was the least of my problems.

I had to accept that I am not well, that I have no energy to keep on doing all the things I used to do, take it easy and be kind to myself. I cut back my workload, I learned to ask for help if things were getting too much, I’ve learned to say “no” (this one is still a work in progress) and I’ve decided I loved myself more than ever before – after all there was 10 kilos more of me to love.

Only then did things go back to normal including my weight. I got rid of everything that was too much – including a chronically unhappy, bully of a husband – that did have a lot to do with things being a lot more normal and peaceful.

I am now the biggest procrastinator there is. I know tomorrow is another day and the sun will come up again – I don’t have to finish everything today. There can’t be anything that urgent to warrant a sleepless night (except a sick child).

I have put myself back in the center of my Universe and a day when I can wake up, have a shower and function is a very happy day. I am very grateful for everything I have and don’t need to push myself for anything else – just wake up, have a shower and be able to function – I will never allow myself to forget how nothing mattered when I was so unwell.

In Bulgaria there is a saying: “If someone says this job is urgent – sit back and wait – if it is that urgent – someone else will do it – if it hasn’t been done – it means it wasn’t that urgent to start with”. A psychologist told me that procrastination is your body’s natural instinct to avoid unpleasant tasks. It is not that bad when you think about it. Listen to your body! I hope that this can be helpful to your readers. Thank you for your informative emails. Take care.

Kind Regards,

Simona,  Australia”””

In fact, I did recently published an article about hyperthyroidism and weight gain, with possible reasons and some suggestions. Feel free to check it out.

Hyperthyroidism Weight Gain

I also published some of the stories from “Life Stories for Graves’ Disease and Hyperthyroidism”, which we created together with other readers back in 2009 (check them below). If you are one of these people, don’t hesitate to email me an update about what happened to you for the past 4 years, I want to know! (Click on the book to learn more and get your own copy).

I’ll also be more than happy to publish your story, anonymous or not, regardless if it was successful or not yet, regardless if you went through RAI, thyroidectomy, medication or used natural methods to treat Graves’ Disease, Hyperthyroidism or Thyroid eye disease. People have to be aware of all different options for treatment and to know that there were other people in the world who went through the same problems. Share your experience, let’s help others too! Email me your story at mythyroid@gravesdiseasecure.com, and if possible with your picture, if not, that’s still fine.

Read more stories below:

Goitrogenic foods for Graves’ Disease. My story: by Margaret M., Australia

Jan A.’s Story about Graves’ Disease and Ophtalmopathy

My Graves’ Disease story.  The Thyroid Stimulating Hormone issue; by Christine R., Douglasville, PA, USA

Hyperthyroidism Recovery- by Carol Blake-Hodge

TSH Levels. A Story by Barbara Oczachowski

Hyperthyroidism weight gain. Can hyperthyroidism cause weight gain?

Diet is usually a word used for, and by people who are overweight. This is not the typical case here though. People with Graves’ disease and hyperthyroidism, or overactive thyroid, usually don’t have these types of problems, I mean gaining weight. Quite the opposite, one of the symptoms of hyperthyroidism (induced to whatever reason) is the uncontrollable weight loss. People with hyperthyroidism are usually skinny, with high metabolism, increased appetite and overactive in general. Practically, they are almost always hungry. At least I was when I had hyperthyroidism. My colleagues at work were shocked how much food I can eat during my lunch break, but thought I am really lucky for not gaining weight at all. I did not have the same opinion, though, knowing how I feel. 

Many hyperthyroidism patients recently report exactly the opposite-  gaining weight. Hyperthyroidism weight gain is not so untypical today. It is logical to lose weight if you have hyperthyroidism, because the whole metabolism is accelerated and all the body processes speed up due to excessive release of thyroid hormone in the blood. Why then many people gain weight instead? Listen to this:

“Hi, just wanted to find out what do you think about weight gain. When I first found out that I had a hyperthyroid I weighed 120 lbs. Now, after about a year I can’t seem to loose any weight. I am up to 150 and I am sick of gaining more even though I work out like crazy. Doesn’t seem fair and I need some advice please!”

“I have steadily been gaining weight. I thought it was the beta-blockers I was on, so I greatly decreased how much I was taking. I still seem to be gaining weight and it is depressing. I’m tired all the time to begin with, but the weight gain is just too much to deal with on top of everything else. I’ve already suffered a miscarriage due to the hyperthyroidism and it’s taking forever to get any help.”

“Clearly, weight gain is a big problem for those who are hyper. I was diagnosed with Graves 3 years ago.  My weight was stable until my methimazole (tapazole) was increased to 20 mg…then I gained 30 lbs in two months and have never been able to lose it (even started a three month low-cal, healthy diet and personal trainer-NOTHING came off!”

The traditional medicine keeps a silence on this question, as it cannot find any logical explanation. There are a few possible reasons for that phenomenon though:

1. The clinical picture of the hyperthyroidism condition has changed. Clinical picture pertains to the most typical symptoms, according which the medical authorities determine their diagnosis. For example, the classical clinical picture of celiac disease, which includes persistent diarrhea, has changed recently. Graves’ disease symptoms also can alternate; initially the patient can be diagnosed with certain symptoms that may change over time, become more or less severe, or new symptoms to be added and others to disappear.
2. It is well known that the appetite of hyperthyroid patients increase dramatically and they eat more than usual. The problem is with the content and the quality of the consumed foods. If a decade ago the foods were not so genetically modified and very close to “natural” or “organic” they can be easily discharged from the body, due to the increased metabolism. But in the past years it is well known that we consume foods that have no nutrients and are genetically modified; they also contain a lot of processed sugars and artificial coloring. The body, unrecognizing these materials as food, may stock them, as it does with the aspartame. They are stored in the body, regardless of the increased metabolism. This may dramatically cloud the clinical picture of hyperthyroidism and many people may remain undiagnosed.
3. Medication: patients who are treated with medication (PTU or Methimazole), but still reported and considered hyperthyroid, may be affected with this symptom because pretty much any anti-thyroid medication slows down the metabolism and blocks the thyroid hormone production. To some crazy reason some doctors will keep their patients on anti-thyroid medication regardless of the fact that their thyroid tests are reading “normal” or even “hypo”. Probably, just in case?
4. Hyperthyroidism can increase cortisol levels and make you gain weight, and this is another possible explanation, but if this is true, nobody can say for sure.

Regardless of the reason, these are my short and simple suggestions to control your weight:

1. Eat HEALTHY, so you can help the symptomatology of hyperthyroidism or Grave’s Disease. Try the so called “elimination diet”, or gluten free diet for that matter. Gluten seems to be an important contributing factor for autoimmune disorders. 

2. Use probiotics, they are known to improve the “good bacteria” in intestines and help the elimination of substances that no longer need to stay there.

3. Consume a lot of fibers, or foods containing fiber.

4. Try eating sprouts, they are the best source for vitamins and minerals.

5. Drink plenty of water and herbal teas.

6. Eat less meat, more green leafy vegetables (I am not saying you have to become vegetarian).

7. Stay positive! Regardless if you believe it or not, your psychological condition has a lot to do with how you feel. It’s not a secret that people who feel depressed eat more. And people with autoimmune disorders like Graves’ disease or Hashimoto’s often feel that way because they often feel helpless.

Do you have any experience about this problem? What makes you feel good and what makes you feel bad, or loose/gain weight?

Share your thoughts with us: it may help other people as well.

Click here to write and share your wisdom and experience:

Or even better….This is the updated version of my book “Ultimate Diet Secrets for Graves’ Disease and Hyperthyroidism”, with the newest information on the diet field, why gluten free diet, or carbohydrate diet, or probiotics are good for your health; new herbs that I discovered or found to be helpful for hyperthyroidism and some new ideas for dealing with this disease: 

What might be the BEST, HEALTHY, LOW-IODINE Graves’ Disease DIET? Do you know what your thyroid is craving for?

What do you need to eat, if you want to heal your Hyperthyroidism or Graves’ Disease and BE Healthy again? 

I am a Graves’ Disease survivor.

I also know that there are many factors that may contribute to your Hyperthyroidism and Graves’ Disease and some of them of course are FOOD, DRINKS, HERBS or generally Graves’ Disease DIET!

Because the truth is- it is important what you eat and what you drink, if you are suffering from Graves’ disease, Hyperthyroidism, goiter or thyrotoxicosis in general.

Just for the last calendar year I have received over 5 765 emails from people suffering from Graves’ Disease or Hyperthyroidism, telling me about their symptoms, life stories, asking for advice about Graves’ Disease diet or just saying thank you for the information.

There were a lot of emails from people asking what foods are good and what foods to avoid, what diet to follow in order  to help NATURALLY their Hyperthyroidism or Graves’ Disease condition?  Needless to say, you can’t find any information about this on Internet. There are pieces of advice here and there, sometimes contradictory, which leave the suffering people even more confused.

As you probably already know, I had  terrible Graves’ Disease some years ago too. Luckily, I don’t have that any more. I know also that I worked hard, and I am still doing that to keep myself healthy. It wasn’t an easy path to go.

I recall, looking for such information as well, when I was sick with Graves’ Disease. Even though I never was on a special diet, during the past few years I have learned a lot about healing foods and dangerous foods.

Food can make you sick (as in Hamburger thyrotoxicosis) and others of course can help your healing process (like vegetables from Brassica family).

Due to all these demand of such an information, I decided to make available to you all that I know about  Hyperthyroidism diet or Graves’ Disease diet, what foods are best for you, what to eat and what to avoid, what to drink or not….

It seems that the books I wrote so far helped many people:

I also realized that the information I share in my first book “Life Manual for Graves’ Disease and Hyperthyroidism”, especially for diet is not enough. I didn’t have the knowledge or experience to write more, unfortunately. Even though I believe that proper diet counts for about 25% of the whole healing process, it still deserves its attention.

The main purpose of this new book is not only to give you HOPE. It’s a book to tell you that besides all known medications, RAI and surgery – there are many other ways to help your health condition. And of them is your DIET ! What you eat and don’t eat may have a tremendous impact on your health.

We are what we eat, there is no doubt about that.

I also share many cases of other people, who were able to change how they feel, and cure their hyperthyroidism just by avoiding certain foods, ingredients and substances (especially when it comes to Aspartame). Is that possible? You’ll see that this is possible, by all means. I know that from personal experience.

I experimented and tried so many things, foods, recipes, herbs and I continue to do this, even today. My life became a small laboratory for Alternative Therapies and experiments in life style and I am opening this laboratory for you today. And here is your journey to a REASONABLE, BALANCED, LOW IODINE, THYROID FRIENDLY DIET….So here are my Graves’ Disease and Hyperthyroidism diet suggestions:

httpv://youtu.be/BsSNwqaCNk8

“Ultimate Diet Secrets for Hyperthyroidism and Graves’ Disease”:

And this is what is included in this 120 pages ebook itself, all supported with beautiful pictures so you don’t have to wonder what is this:

◊12 dangerous foods and substances that should be avoided if you have Hyperthyroidism…

◊15 healing foods and ingredients, and their variations, so you’ll be safe when you consume them

◊31 Goitrogenic foods for Hyperthyroidism and Graves’ Disease (Goitrogens, for example, are foods that naturally inhibit the uptake of iodine and work much like certain anti-thyroid drugs (like Methimazole, Propylthiouracil, Carbimazole), inhibiting thyroid hormone synthesis, release or action.

◊ Aspartame- the most dangerous substance you can ever imagine- especially if you have Hyperthyroidism or Graves’ Disease

◊9 Goitrogenic Herbs and recipes for herbal teas. 20 General Secrets of Holistic Healing

◊Food sources of iodine. Where does your iodine come from? Daily allowances for kids and adults (Well, this is iodine- our source of thyroid troubles)

◊7 Simple General Recommendations for Healthy Dieting. Keep up with them and you are safe.

◊ How sprouting and sprouts can boost your immune system. 5  easy sprout recipes. 5 veggie smoothies.

◊ Iodine content in foods (at least those foods that I know).

◊ Are you dehydrated? How much water do you need every day?

◊ 5 Case studies and observations on people diagnosed with Graves’ Disease and how avoiding certain foods and ingredients helped them cure (Aspartame for example)

◊ Why you need Flax seed oil again- 5 recipes you can apply immediately for better help, especially if you have Thyroid Eye Disease or goiter (some people say their goiter “shrunk” just by using Flax seed oil

◊ Recipes for Relaxant Tea, Insomnia Tea and Graves’ Disease tea.

◊ Over 70 Healthy Recipes for people suffering Hyperthyroidism, thyrotoxicosis or Graves’ Disease– all the recipes either contain goitrogenic foods, or are safe for us- not to mention that they are delicious! Easy for cooking (I tried almost all of them and I am not into the complicated-long time- many ingredients- cooking, I admit).

“Ultimate Diet Secrets for Hyperthyroidism and Graves’ Disease” EBook- now, for a limited time only $39.95

You’ll also get the following bonuses to help you cope with Graves’ Disease and Hyperthyroidism absolutely FREE:

BONUS #1 (Value $29.95- Yours Free)

Graves’ Disease & Hyperthyroidism Rainbow  Diet (value $39.95, yours FREE)

Graves’ Disease & Hyperthyroidism Rainbow Diet is an ebook about foods organized and grouped by color. How they affect our body and when we should consume them to improve our health.

◊Red foods that work in a red way–red vegetables, red fruits, red minerals and red vitamins–one of them surprisingly is chocolate.

◊Orange foods and foods that work in an orange way–we are attracted to orange foods when our bodies need to release significant amounts of stress and toxicity.

◊Yellow Foods and foods that work in a yellow way. Problems with learning, concentration and memory indicate a lack of yellow energy in the body.

◊Green foods– they calm our emotions by providing the nutrients that body uses to balance all the energies.

◊ Blue and violet foods can help your Graves’ Disease. Learn what you need to eat, when you have thyroid problems.

BONUS #2:

Graves’ Disease& Hyperthyroidism Color Therapy (value$19.95- yours FREE)

Graves’ Disease & Hyperthyroidism Color Therapy Ebook will show you:

◊ The best color for your bedroom if you have Graves’ Disease (yes, every little thing helps)

◊ Color to chose, depending on how you feel

◊Which colors are good or bad for you, if you have any health problems

◊ Colors that can help you sleep and which not….and much much more

BONUS #3

 Low- Iodine Cookbook- created and delivered by the courtesy of Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association

This ebook contains 90 pages of recommendations and recipes especially tailored for people who are about to have RAI treatment for goiter.

Useful ingredients, allowed and not allowed foods, tasty recipes from people who survived the battle with Thyroid Cancer.

BONUS #4 (Value $19.95- Yours Free)

Vinegar For Your Health Ebook

◊ Recipes with Vinegar for different diseases

◊ Cancer, Eczema, Headache and Hair Loss, Depression, Eyes- tired and sore and 30 more Ailments

◊ How to make your own Vinegar

◊ Effects of Cider Vinegar on the blood

BONUS #5 (Value $19.95- Yours Free)

Vitamin World- Everything About Vitamins Ebook

Are Vitamins and Minerals important if you have Graves’ Disease or Hyperthyroidism? I know that they are!

◊Everything about Vitamin C, K and A

◊How to store Vitamins

◊ Vitamin B and Vitamin B6- why it is important i

◊Where to buy Vitamins

◊ How to use Vitamins and Supplements Safe

BONUS #6 (Value $29.95- Yours Free)

Top 10 Superfoods and Herbal Cures Ebook

◊ Healing Foods and Herbs for different health conditions

◊ Healing Foods for Anxiety and Depression

◊ Healing Foods for Hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s Disease

◊ For Lupus, Candida and Psoriasis and many other diseases

◊ Blueberries, Broccoli, Garlic and Apples- all these can heal if you know how

And so much more!

I would like to mention also that you are ordering “Ultimate Diet Secrets for Graves’ Disease and Hyperthyroidism” , as any of the books from this website risk free! All the Ebooks comes with 12 months guarantee.

Just remember, if you aren’t  satisfied for any reason, or it doesn’t live up to your expectations email me and I’ll refund your entire payment. No questions asked!

“Ultimate Diet Secrets for Hyperthyroidism and Graves’ Disease” + All Bonuses above totaling $234.30- ONLY for $39.95 today!

If you prefer the paper version of “Ultimate Diet Secrets for Graves’ Disease and Hyperthyroidism”, please, order from this link: http://www.Cafepress.com/gravesdiet or call: 1-877-809-1659, product # 030-505673001. Have in mind that all the bonuses listed come only as ebooks- after your order please send me an email.

P.S. Take care of your Health and your life today, before it’s too late. Hurry up, because with my over 15 000 subscribers this offer will be available for only for the first 100 people.

Enjoy your books and bonuses, if you have questions, you can always send me an email to mythyroid@gravesdiseasecure.com .

Svetla Bankova

Disclaimer: 

All the information in the books and articles is intended for educational purposes only. It is not intended, nor should be interpreted as medical advice or directions of any kind. You are strongly advised to consult your own medical doctor/ endocrinologist for all matters involving your health and medical care.

Graves’ Disease Recipes and Recommendations

Here are some recommendations from one of my subscribers Paula Polson from Melbourne, Australia. She works as a Feng Shui consultant, geomancer and healer and has   20 years experience as an occupational therapist in acute psychiatry. 

“Dear Svetla,

I love the way the Internet is used by people like yourself to help others freely. It is such a wonderful thing. We humans are all in the same boat and as I understand it are basically one organism. Helping each other makes good sense.

In treating my sudden hyperthyroid condition I was aware that an exacerbating factor might be the mercury in my old fillings, but felt the cause might well be the constantly increasing number of mobile phone towers in my suburb. I found the following, plus of course my body’s amazing natural healing ability,  helpful enough to get my blood test results and functioning back to normal within a few  months.:

*Chinese medicine- acupuncture and herbs ( prescribed by a qualified practitioner.)

* Easily absorbable calcium (You can make a good one yourself. Put 2 eggs- preferably organic- in a glass container, and squeeze enough fresh lemon juice to cover them. Close the lid and put in the refrigerator. After 12 hours or so gently stir and turn the eggs. Leave for 24-48 hours, until the lemon juice has dissolved the hard shell, leaving the eggs protected by a thin skin. Then remove the eggs carefully, and use them normally later. Shake up the mixture and drink 1-2 tablespoons per day.

It tastes nice and lemony and is very easily absorbed calcium.)

* No wheat, dairy or sugar in the diet… well minimal anyway

* Virtually no processed foods- all fresh

* Protein powder, flaxseed oil tablets, vitamin B

* Lots of fresh green salads, fruit and water

* No soy products such as tofu or kelp-related products such as sushi

* Minimal fish such as tuna which contain mercury

* Much rest when I felt like it

* Sea -salt baths/ sea swims which help absorb and remove unwanted electromagnetic fields from the body

* Bioenergetic treatment from naturopaths

* Being in nature, e.g. gardening, walking my dogs. The natural world, and pets have many healing capacities which benefit us.

A couple of other tips:

*Gratitude is a very healing feeling. Acknowledging the health or good circumstances that we do enjoy actually benefits the mind and the body.

* Reduce unnecessary exposure to electromagnetic fields. Do not use an electric blanket- unplug it before bed. Keep clock radios at least 1 metre from the bed. Do not put mobile phones against the head. Keep transformers and wiring away from the bed. Ensure you do not sleep the other side of the wall from the electrical meter box, or from someone else’s electical equipment. The fewer electrical appliances in the bedroom, the easier for the body to heal. Do not use a microwave oven. Push your computer screen as far back from you as possible.

Underfloor electrical heating can be a serious health hazard. If you are on the first floor in a building close to powerlines, this may be affecting your health. If you have to put up with exposure to such things as mobile phone towers, high voltage powerlines, etc, there are now many companies that make products you can use to reduce their effect on us. Try Googling “radiation health electromagnetic fields”, etc. Or move house.

* Feng shui tips: Your bed position is very important. Your body does a lot of healing while you sleep, and should be well supported then. Sleep with your head against a solid wall, and preferably a headboard. Your bed should be diagonally opposite the door, not directly opposite, as this may be stressful. If your bed is on the same wall as the door this may be tiring. Ensure there is fresh air.

*Talk nicely to the body. One’s body, like everything else, is a conscious entity. Everything it does is to enable us to function and learn while we are briefly here on this planet. If we are grateful to it, patient with it, trusting of its own healing ability, and unafraid, it will be better able to serve us. If we just give it time, instead of running fearfully to all and sundry for help, it may well be able to right itself.

* If you are reasonably in tune with and respectful of your body you will know what it feels like eating, and when it feels like resting.

All the best, Paula”

Here are some other recommendations from one of my subscribers Sharon Levin from South Africa.  She works as a Counselor for addictions, NLP,  family, Life coach -and she is Head of the Fibromyalgia Support Network of Southern Africa. You can find more information about her on her website:

 www.fibromyalgiasa.co.za

“Dear Svetla,

I have found personally and with patients, that a holistic protocol for Graves’ Disease and Hashimoto’s, + for that matter,  all thyroid malfunctions (under or over-active newly diagnosed before either of the 2 auto immune diseases are definitely diagnosed by an Integrative endocrinologist), is imperative to slow down all symptoms:

ELIMINATE THE FOLLOWING:

1. Clinical Nutrition:  ALL iodine in foods, all FLUORIDE and CHLORINE, ALL PRESERVATIVES in foods and drinks.
2. Alcohol – fermentation processes encourage CANDIDA ALBICANS and further disrupt the cells (from tongue to insulin receptors, to pancreas and thyroid gland, upper and lower colon and Enteric Nervous System). Yeast growth/overgrowth is essential to halt at all costs. Wine, whiskey. Brandy – no different in conversions.
3. SUGARS- all to go. Safe is Stevia nutraceutical and sucralose in smaller dosages. Zylatol has not been proven to be helpful. No other sweeteners allowed.
4. In Graves Disease, asthma is shown to be prevalent.
5. HONEY+ PROPOLIS, is shown in all studies to affect the bronchioli + alvioli and the lungs’ systems as the queen bee leaves POLLEN in all captured honey – whether organic/creamed/etc. The pollen-filled honey disrupts the lung functions, and worsens  asthmatic Graves’ Disease thyroid function. Molasses is the better option.
6. Non-organic MILK, non-organic LAMB, are anathemas in Graves’ Disease, as is all other MEAT, bar OSTRICH which is free-range.
7. All colas disrupt the function of thyroxine, whether endogenous or given in tablet form. (Sugar, phynelanines, glucose etc and all preservatives and colorants with FIZZ) the problems. Pure apple and pear juices are 100%. Any other pure  fruit juices must not contain GRAPE JUICE for the same reason as the grapes in wine will ferment and cause havoc. Ciders – apple and pear again because they are pure will not effect the thyroid. Coming to the Festive Season, do not be lured into the ‘drinking with buddies alure’! Staying well all the time is, with knowledge, in our hands and intelligence must rule! Paying for an elusive ‘pleasure’ will only cause more pain and disruption for sufferers.
8. 
   Teas –  Chamomile FLOWERS tea, Cranberry, Raspberry, Elderberry flowers with apple and cinnamon are fantastic assistants for the endocrine system, drunk both hot and cooled!
9. Water – never tap water due to high fluoride, heavy metals, toxins from river effluents world wide. Bottled water is NOT OK unless there is NO SULPHUR, NO SODIUM, LOW POTASSIUM, CALCIUM, MAGNESIUM LEVELS. The latest studies show that MOST plastic bottled water hold much bacteria from materials used and are most harmful to the thyroid! Thus advise at worst double boiled water and then cool in GLASS and at best a good water filtration system. Drink a litter of water, plain or with the above teas a day.
10. All WHEAT, GLUTEN AND WHITE FLOURS, RICE, SPUD POTATOES OATS, BARLEY, RYE, SEMOLINA must be eliminated – these are thyroid’s enemies – replace with SPELT, NON- YEAST BREADS ORGANIC BROWN RICE CAKES, NON-SALTED CORN CAKES, QUINOA, POULENTA, MILLET AND SPELT CEREAL AND PORRIDGES, TASMATI/BASMATI RICE AND SWEET AND COOLED BABY POTATOES.
11. Keeping insulin low means keeping a glycaemic load and index ‘in-balance’ for the endocrine system to function better. Thus, when eating orange colored veggies like pumpkin, use your hand as the diameter =’s a quarter of a palm-ful only, 3 times a week. Goes for all orange veggies.
12. Ensure 2 am Flax seed capsules and 2 pm, either Krill oil seafood/Omega 3 pure Alaskan / Sardine fish oil/Vegetarian Algae capsules before sleep for optimal ‘oiling and greasing’ of the eyes, the brain systems, the body systems.
13. If you are stressed take the amino acid L-Taurine, 1 am, 1 noon, 1 4pm, 1 before sleep.
14. 
    The most nvb capsules for Graves’ eye disease and for the continual organ and normal function at optimal levels are : 3,200 mg of pure flax seed omega 3 caps- i.e. 2 am and 2 pm, krill oil, 1 capsule with algae omega 3 2 am and 2 pm as well as pure omega 3 Alaskan salmon oil or sardine oil.
15. Eyes must be lubricated every hour/ 2 hours with non- preservative eye gels and drops. 

Sharon Levin 

www.fibromyalgiasa.co.za 

fmssha@ibi.co.za

+27828768777

For more information, please contact directly Sharon Levin. Also- you are absolutely free to send me your tips and suggestions, whatever helped you may help other people as well.

Graves’ Disease Diet Plan- 8 Foods to avoid

by Svetla Bankova

Most of the patients suffering with thyroid problems believe that eating the right food or avoiding the wrong one will cure them from hyperthyroidism or Graves’ Disease.

This is true and not really true. No matter what you eat the next 24 hours it will not cure your hyperthyroidism overnight. But maintaining a proper diet in a long-term plan will cut a lot of your symptoms, will help your immune system to fight the overactive thyroid and basically will improve in a natural way the performance of your thyroid.

Main principles and Recommendations:

– Any food that naturally inhibits the thyroid overproduction is good, especially if you are diagnosed with overactive thyroid/ hyperthyroidism.

-These foods are called goitrogens and cruciferous vegetables, and they can act as antithyroid drugs (like PTU and methimazole)

– There are 2 major substances that work directly on the thyroid function: isoflavones and  isothiocyanates and they actually appear to reduce thyroid function by blocking the thyroid peroxidase hormone

Cruciferous vegetables and goitrogenic fruits:

• Broccoli
• Brussel sprouts
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Kohlrabi
• Mustard greens
• Rutabaga
• Turnips
• Millet
• Radishes
• Spinach
• Mizuna
• Garden cress
• Water cress
• Daikon
• Wasabi
• Bok choy
• Komatsuna
• Rapini
• Soybean and soy products, including tofu
• Peanuts
• Strawberries
• Peaches
• African Cassava
• Babassu

What foods should be avoided in your Graves Disease diet plan:

– Foods to be generally avoided: all foods with high iodine content- like sea food of any kind, kelp, nuts- especially walnuts and chestnuts.

– Drinks: avoid drinks containing caffeine, or stimulants, also sodas of any kind (because of the aspartame in them)

– Alcohol- avoid hard alcohol, glass of wine is considered acceptable, as long as it doesn’t cause palpitations

– Avoid MSG (Monosodium Glutamate), or so called (Chinese Restaurant Syndrome). This product is usually included in corn oil, hydrolyzed oat flour, yeast extract, malt extract, broth, stock, bouillon, flavorings, spices, etc.

– Avoid spicy foods

– Avoid aspartame- usually included in no- calorie or low calorie processed foods, diet products.

– Eat green leafy vegetables from Brassica family, and not only.

– Avoid processing goitrogenous and cruciferous vegetables, or cooking them, as they’ll loose their goitrogenic properties.

– Consume Aloe Vera Gel, and use other aloe products.

Herbs that can help hyperthyroidism:

– Lemon Balm tea

– Chamomile tea

– Valerian Roots tea

– Passiflora (passion flower)

– Lavender

Any calming herb is good.

Vitamins and Supplements:

– Vitamin B complex (all Vitamins in B group); Vitamin C- for the immune system; Vitamin A and Vitamin E

– Supplements: Selenium, Flax seed oil, L- Carnitine

Avoid supplements and multi- vitamins that contain iodine. Check the labels!

If you want more information about diet, including recipes for food, please, check my book “Ultimate Diet Secrets for Grave’s Disease and Hyperthyroidism” or click on the title below:

Diet for Hyperthyroidism

According recent researches 13 million Americans have a thyroid disorder and more than half of them are not aware of it. Twenty million people worldwide suffer from Hyperthyroidism and for 80% of them it is caused by Graves’ Disease.

One of the most important factors when treating Graves’ Disease or Hyperthyroidism with alternative methods is the Hyperthyroidism Diet.

Hyperthyroidism diet is not everything but counts for about 25% of whole healing process, to my personal opinion. I’ve been asked many times if Graves’ Disease patients have to avoid iodine rich foods. My answer is yes. Why to give your body something that it has already in excess? However, don’t go crazy about this- it’s not necessary.

Moderation is the key, plus, only hyperthyroidism diet will not cure you overnight, I guarantee you.

The following page provides a simple hyperthyroidism diet plan and also gives the iodine content in some foods.

Since the onset of Graves’ Disease is a combination of factors, one of them certainly is our nutritional habits. A lot of people are concerned about what they should eat and not eat, what diet they should follow, especially when it is known that the iodine content affects the overproduction of thyroid hormones in your body. It is highly recommended by doctors and endocrinologist if you have hyperthyroidism or Graves’ Disease to avoid foods that have a high iodine content.

httpv://youtu.be/BsSNwqaCNk8

This is a list of some of the foods with their iodine content to help you determine what to include in your hyperthyroidism diet/ Graves’ Disease diet and what not:

Some of the vegetables are also rich in iodine:

If you would like to share also a diet, or you have a method that helped you, please, send me an email and I’ll make sure that it will reach other people suffering from Graves’ Disease mythyroid@gravesdiseasecure.com

Also my personal recommendation is to avoid fast food, over- processed food and try to include in your Hyperthyroidism Diet as much raw food as possible. The reason is that the raw vegetables and fruits contain a lot of vitamins and minerals which helps our immune system to recover, especially if you have condition like Graves’ Disease.

There are a few things that need to be taken into consideration when determining a diet for hyperthyroidism:

1. Hamburger Thyrotoxicosis– Thyroid hormones are orally active, which means that consumption of thyroid gland tissue can cause thyrotoxicosis, a type of hyperthyroidism. Several outbreaks of thyrotoxicosis have been attributed to a practice, now banned in the US, called “gullet trimming”, where meat in the neck region of slaughtered animals is ground into hamburger. Because thyroid glands are reddish in color and located in the neck, it’s not unusual for gullet trimmers to get thyroid glands into hamburger or sausage. People that eat such hamburger can get dose of thyroid hormone sufficient to induce disease.

2. Avoid Aspartame. Aspartame is the technical name for the brand names NutraSweet,  Equal, Spoonful, and Equal-Measure. It was discovered by accident in 1965 when James Schlatter, a chemist of G.D. Searle Company, was testing an anti-ulcer drug. But avoiding that one only can safe you a lot of health troubles, trust me!

I often receive emails from women, asking about this aspartame- the artificial sweetener usually used in diet coke and other products. I know we are often concerned about our weight and there is a steady tendency of substituting regular white sugar with artificial sweeteners. I personally, never did that. Partially because never had weight problems, and partially because I just don’t like the taste of the artificial sweetener.

The exact mechanism of acute reactions to excess free glutamate and aspartame is currently being debated. As reported to the FDA, those reactions include:(5)

     * Headaches/migraines

    * Nausea

    * Abdominal pains

    * Fatigue (blocks sufficient glucose entry into brain)

    * Sleep problems

    * Vision problems

    * Anxiety attacks

    * Depression

    * Asthma/chest tightness.

3. Avoid drinking Diet Coke or any other diet products, if you suffer from Hyperthyroidism– they cause more harm than benefits, because of the chemicals and artificial substances in it. As this is a chemical substance, the body doesn’t know how to process it and stores it in the system..How good is that for you?

In general about Hyperthyroidism diet- keep it simple, go green- as much as you can, avoid chemicals and don’t freak out about iodine!

To learn more about Hyperthyroidism diet, hyperthyroidism diet recipe and all you want to know about diet and hyperthyroidism, check my book below:

Goitrogenous foods & Cruciferous vegetables- will they help your hyperthyroidism? 

Many patients suffering with thyroid problems believe that eating the right foods or avoiding the wrong ones will bring them cure. But is that true?

Let me tell you a secret: no matter how much broccoli you will eat the next 24 hours it will not cure your hyperthyroidism overnight! But truth to be told, maintaining a proper diet in a long-term run can cut a lot of your symptoms, can help your immune system, and also can adjust the levels of the overactive thyroid gland.  Basically, it will improve in a natural way the performance of your thyroid! That’s for sure!

The question about goitrogenous foods and cruciferous vegetables, if they are helpful for hyperthyroidism or not, is still debatable all over Internet. And I just hate when doctors say: “Your diet has nothing to do with your disease, you can eat everything and as much as you want”. Really? Because junk food is not a healthy food! And some scientific research has indeed shown that goitrogenic vegetables affect your thyroid gland and thyroid hormones: it was found for example that  “after chronic radish feeding, increased weight of thyroid gland, decreased thyroid peroxidase activity, reduced thyroid hormone profiles and elevated level of thyrotropin were observed resembling a relative state of hypoactive thyroid gland in comparison to control even after supplementation of adequate iodine.”

Chandra AK, Mukhopadhyay S, Ghosh D, Tripathy S. Effect of radish (Raphanus sativus Linn.) on thyroid status under conditions of varying iodine intake in rats. Indian J Exp Biol. 2006 Aug; 44(8):653-61. PubMed PMID: 16924836

The role of goitrogens is to “inhibit naturally the excessive thyroid hormone” and to help the adjustment of the thyroid hormone levels in the blood stream. My personal experience and research in the past 11 years show that yes, goitrogens are good for us! Let me tell you how and why!

Food is very powerful- it can make you sick, or it can nourish you, we all know that.  People say that “you are what you eat” and I can not agree more with that statement! As Hippocrates said: 

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”

So let’s go back and find out what food can act as medication and why!

What are goitrogens? 

Goitrogens are foods that act very much like the most popular anti-thyroid medication (PTU or Methimazole let’s say). They have two major substances that appear to affect the thyroid function. These substances are called isoflavones and  isothiocyanates and apparently, they reduce thyroid function by blocking the thyroid peroxidase hormone, thus, naturally decrease the thyroid hormone overproduction. 

Isoflavones are typically found in their highest quantities in legumes and especially soy products,  including tofu and soy milk. The chemical structure of isoflavones is very similar to that of estrogen, and they also have antioxidant properties. However, soy and soy products are not generally recommended for hyperthyroidism diet, as they could be genetically modified, and may cause more harm then benefit.  

Isothiocyanates, on the other side, can be found in the so called “cruciferous vegetables”. Cruciferous vegetables (or Brassica vegetables) are also called “crucifiers”. Isothiocyanates are derived from the breakdown of glucosinolates—sulfur-containing compounds found in cruciferous vegetables like kale, broccoli, and cabbage. They also contain Vitamin C, folates, selenium, potassium, carotenoids, chlorophyll, fiber, flavonoids etc., to name just a few of their useful substances.