Coconut Oil for Sluggish Thyroid

One common reason for unexplained weight gain or the inability to lose weight is a thyroid hormone problem. This is particularly common in women, who do not restore their thyroid balance after pregnancy.

For some adults, the thyroid becomes sluggish, preventing the woman from reaching a healthy weight. Although there is medication that you can take that will increase thyroid hormone production, there may be an even simpler way to kickstart your thyroid into restoring its original efficiency.

What is the easiest way to restore thyroid function at home? Eating more coconut oil.

Signs of a Sluggish Thyroid

Many women and men suffer from thyroid issues without knowing it. The modern lifestyle filled with stationary activities, lack of sun exposure, and a diet high in junk food is providing our bodies with anti-nutrients that prevent our body’s systems from operating properly.

According to studies, over 30 million Americans are estimated to have malfunctioning thyroids. If you have any of the following symptoms, your thyroid may be malfunctioning:

Foggy Brain

If you have trouble focusing or often forget things, this can be a sign of thyroid problems, particularly in conjunction with other signs of a sluggish thyroid.

Constant Fatigue

Feel tired all the time, even when you do get enough sleep? This can indicate a sluggish thyroid.

Mood Swings

Thyroid hormones also help regulate mood, anxiety, and depression. If you suffer from any of these problems, your thyroid could be responsible.

Digestive Problems

Both constipation and diarrhea can be influenced by thyroid hormone production. Typically, a sluggish thyroid will lead to constipation because the entire digestive process is slowed.

What Causes Thyroid Issues?

According to recent studies, the two main causes of a sluggish thyroid are a depressed immune system and chronic inflammation. Both of these are caused by an unhealthy lifestyle lacking in good nutrition and frequent exercise. Thyroid problems are considered an autoimmune disease, where the body attacks beneficial hormones and systems because it is stressed and taxed at all times and has basically learned to view everything as an attack.

How Coconut Oil Can Help

Coconut oil is one of the most beneficial fats available for human consumption. Coconut oil has tons of beneficial nutrients that not only provide nutrition but also can have positive effects on regulating the body’s systems. 90 percent of coconut oil is saturated fat, which although demonized in today’s health culture, is unlikely to have negative effects unless consumed in high doses just like any other fats. In fact, saturated fat may be healthier than some fats (particularly synthetic trans fats) because it is usable by the body for essential functions where fat is required for optimal performance.

According to numerous studies, coconut oil has many of the following benefits in the body and for the regulation of thyroid hormones:

Coconut Oil Increases Energy

Coconut oil is a type of fat known as medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs). These fats are able to increase the amount of energy a person feels after eating them when compared with other forms of fat. In a study published in the American Journal of Clinical nutrition in 1986, study participants who ate MCT fats increased their oxygen consumption by 12 percent, but study participants who ate other fats only increased oxygen consumption by 4 percent. As recent studies have found that weight loss actually occurs through exhaling and the release of carbon dioxide, the increased oxygen consumption indicates that coconut fat is better at boosting weight loss than other sources of energy.

Coconut Oil Helps You Eat Less

Eating too much food and the wrong kind of food is what causes thyroid production to slow. However, eating coconut oil can suppress the desire to eat more and to eat junk food. Coconut oil is somehow more sustaining than many other foods. According to a study published in the International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders in 1996, it was found that when men ate MCT fats in place of other fats, they actually consumed 256 fewer calories per day.

Coconut Oil Heals Inflammation

Coconut oil is mainly saturated fat. Unlike oxidized vegetable fats, saturated fat has been shown in some studies to have a positive effect on cholesterol levels and chronic inflammation. Cholesterol levels rise when there is too much oxidation and damage to the blood vessels. Cholesterol is a healing response, but when the body is chronically injured and irritated, there is too much cholesterol, which can cause problems. Replacing oxidized and unusable fats (like trans fats) with coconut oil can help reverse some of the damage of inflammation and will naturally lower cholesterol levels. As thyroid issues are thought to be tied into chronic inflammation, reducing inflammation by consuming coconut oil is likely to reverse some of the inflammation-related problems in the thyroid.

Coconut Oil May Lead to Weight Loss

Coconut oil both suppressed appetite and boosts the energy expenditure of the body. Both of these effects lead to weight loss, which is good for the thyroid. When a person is overweight, the body struggles to produce the right amount of hormones, including thyroid hormones. Regulating weight and returning to a healthy size is one easy way to influence weight loss and healthy thyroid function.

How to Use Coconut Oil to Boost Thyroid Health

Coconut oil is one of the healthiest fats there is. You can use it in place of all vegetable and seed oils, except while frying. Coconut oil oxidizes around 350 degrees like many other vegetable oils, which means it can damage the body if it is consumed after heating to a high temperature. If you want to fry foods, use more heat-resistant animal fat. Use coconut oil on salads, as a replacement for vegetable oil, in recipes, in your coffee, in dressings and sauces, and anywhere you would use any other kind of oil. This will give you all the benefits of coconut oil and provide the added bonus of eliminating the side effects of unhealthier fats.

Make sure your coconut oil is fresh, however. Coconut can become rancid sooner than other oils, particularly if you purchase it raw and unrefined. When your coconut oil no longer smells strongly of coconut and either leaves a tingling sensation in the mouth or makes you cough, your coconut oil has gone bad. Replace it with fresher oil. Rancid oil, even rancid coconut oil, is not healthy to eat. However, you can still use it for topical applications after it starts to go bad.

What Else Boosts Thyroid Function?

Adding a couple of tablespoons of coconut oil to the diet every day may not be enough to reverse thyroid problems. Your thyroid took several years to harm, and it will take more than one simple oil to reset the damage. Luckily, you can improve your thyroid function with the following natural methods:

Eat More Minerals

Many individuals with thyroid problems are deficient in minerals such as calcium, zinc, iron, and magnesium. Make sure you get enough of these minerals through natural foods and supplement for any minerals that you may not be getting in your food.

Avoid Gluten

Gluten is dangerous for some people to eat. Not everyone can digest it properly. If you have a gluten allergy or even a sensitivity to gluten, it can cause inflammation in the body. The less inflammation the better, so if you think you may be sensitive to gluten, ask your doctor for a blood test to determine if you have a gluten allergy or sensitivity. If you do, stop eating it for as long as possible to reset your thyroid.

Relax

Stress can mess up the hormone production of the entire body. One particular stress hormone, cortisol, is responsible for the accumulation of belly fat. Try to relax and avoid stressful situations as much as possible.

Avoid Consuming Fluoride

Fluoride is effective at boosting the mineral absorption of teeth when applied topically, but when consumed in liquid form, it has mainly negative effects. In a study from 2012, researchers from the University of Kent found that individuals who consumed the highest levels of fluoride had the lowest levels of thyroid hormone production and were more likely to be treated for a sluggish thyroid. This confirms study data leading back to the 1980s that suggests that fluoride can slow the metabolism. Don’t drink tap water and look for bottled water that does not contain fluoride. You probably won’t be able to completely avoid fluoride, but keep it in mind along with your other hormone reset efforts.

Supplement for Health

Until your thyroid is balanced, taking supplements can help fill in nutritional gaps. Vitamin D, vitamin A, B vitamins, iodine, iron, selenium, copper, and omega-3 fatty acids, manganese, and chromium are all essential for thyroid hormone production.

Exercise Regularly

Exercise is essential for energy production and boosting metabolism and thyroid hormone production. Start small if you haven’t exercised in a while and add about 15-30 minutes of activity daily and build from there.

Coconut Oil Beneficial for Thyroid Health

Coconut oil is a powerful, healing oil that can help reverse the damage caused by an unhealthy lifestyle on the thyroid. Just adding coconut oil to your diet can make a noticeable difference in your health. When combined with other thyroid-boosting nutrients and activities, your thyroid will be healthier and happier than ever in just a few weeks.