Chapter 1: Setting up your Hypothyroidism Holiday Kitchen

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

― Hippocrates

Throughout history in various different cultures all around the world food has been used for its wonderful healing properties. The problem is with our current culture today is we are eating food like products. Our generation is the age where we are consumed with overly processed, genetically modified, artificially flavored and preservative loaded foods.

We are in such a state of denial. Every Cell in your body responds to the foods you consume.  These foods have a direct impact on your hormones and in return your hormones have a direct impact on every major system in your body. So many of us have these crazy phantom-like health problems.  Our body is lacking certain nutrients that heavily influence the function of every cell in our body while certain foods can inhibit your body’s ability to absorb the replacement nutrients needed.

Did you know that products we use every day may contain toxic chemicals and has been linked to women’s health issues? They are hidden endocrine disruptors and are very tricky chemicals that play havoc on our bodies. “We are all routinely exposed to endocrine disruptors, and this has the potential to significantly harm the health of our youth,” said Renee Sharp, EWG’s director of research. “It’s important to do what we can to avoid them, but at the same time we can’t shop our way out of the problem. We need to have a real chemical policy reform.” The longer the length of ingredients on your food label means how much more unhealthy it is for you to consume. When an item contains a host of ingredients that most likely you can’t even pronounce or remember to spell you can bet your lucky dollar that the natural nutrients are long gone. These highly processed frank n foods are very difficult for the body to break down and some of the chemicals will become stored in your body. Look at it another way. When is the last time that you see an Azodicarbonamide grazing in a field or Sodium benzoate being grown in a garden?

Here’s a list of the top food additives to avoid:

    Artificial Sweeteners. …

    High Fructose Corn Syrup. …

    Monosodium Glutamate (MSG / E621) …

    Trans Fat. …

    Common Food Dyes. …

    Sodium Sulfite (E221) …

    Sodium Nitrate/Sodium Nitrite. …

    BHA and BHT (E320)

These chemicals will increase production of certain hormones; decreasing production of others; imitating hormones; turning one hormone into another; interfering with hormone signaling; telling cells to die prematurely; competing with essential nutrients; binding to essential hormones; accumulating in organs that produce hormones. Woah! That’s a lot of work being done by these fake food chemicals. Another thing you should think about is to start making your own all natural cleaning supplies and being aware of the chemicals that you may purchase for your home, body and yard.  There is no one size fits all program when you are dealing with your body. When you start to eat smarter and are aware of what foods feed your body, despite the condition, you can start to feel better and manage your health better.

I write from the deepest part of my soul. I want you to understand that everything that I write, if you were to apply it to your life can and will make the difference between you having the energy to live your life as you want, or merely dragging yourself through life.

Remember, what we eat, governs what we become.

There is a major disconnect between what we believe to be healthy foods and what research tells us is healthy In fact, many of the health foods today that people go out of their way to eat daily are extremely thyroid suppressive.

As consumers we put our trust in the research and development of scientific studies, the FDA and the CDC. 

I can’t stress enough the importance of reading the ingredient labels on the foods that you are consuming. Food manufacturers are brilliant and they hope you don’t realize how tricky and clever they can be. Before you purchase that item, make it a point to know and understand each ingredient on that label. If you see a word on the label that you can’t pronounce or can’t define much less understand what it means. My personal rule of thumb is that if I can’t pronounce that food ingredient OR, I don’t know what the food ingredient is, then I don’t eat it!

There are literally thousands of food additives that can cause health-related problems. The book Consumer’s Guide to Food Additives is a great source that defines each individual, and often unpronounceable, ingredient or you can just go ahead and open up your web browser on your phone and google the item. 

Here is a list of a few things you can go ahead and mark off your list of things you need to avoid while purchasing your groceries.  

GMOs: Scientists don’t know exactly the implications of these genetically modified foods. They have not been tested on the long term effects on humans. It may take a few generations to see exactly how they change our DNA, scramble our genes like eggs and rearrange our chromosomes. There have been studies performed in mice that show a great deal of evidence to indicate that the GMOs can cause a host of illnesses. Peer review studies implicate GMO’s in the development of grotesque tumors, premature death, organ failure, gastric lesions, liver damage, kidney damage, severe allergic reactions, cancers, and a viral gene that disrupts human’s functions. Nearly all the corn and soy sold in the United States are GMO. Those are two things right there that you need to avoid completely when purchasing your groceries.

Soy: Soy products have hormone disrupting effects. Soy is also high in isoflavones (or goitrogens), which can damage your thyroid gland. Products containing soy protein appear in nearly every aisle of the supermarket. That’s because soy doesn’t just mean tofu. Traditional soyfoods also include soymilk, soynuts and edamame (green soybeans), just to name a few. Food companies also develop new food products containing soy protein from veggie burgers to fortified pastas and cereals. READ your labels. Dont worry you still can eat fried brown rice but replace it with Coconut amino’s instead.  Soy is estrogen mimicking, goitrogenic, hexane filled, protease inhibiting, GMO & an environmental destroying food.”

Hormones and Antibiotics: Most Livestock animals that provide meat and dairy products unless they are from an all organic farm are tainted with growth hormones, antibiotics and GMO feed. These chemicals pass through the food chain to us the consumers.  Growth hormones can cause opposite sex characteristics in developing children, early puberty, the development of cancer, and infertility. Even scarier is the world is becoming immune to antibiotics and these superbugs. Due from all the constant exposure from our food supply. Our bodies are becoming more resistant to the antibiotics that use to be able to easily treat an infection or a foreign body invader.

Pesticides: The use of pesticides in farming, on our foods and in our homes have become e rampant. The EPA knows what it’s doing to our bodies but the money is too good for them to stop allowing this to happen. It makes you wonder if they are bought off by the Round up giant Monosato. They do warn us of the birth defects, nerve damage and cancer that it can cause after being exposed or the other effects on our bodies after long term exposure but yet people still use weed killers and house hold chemicals every day.

 Neurotoxins: As I’ve said before unless you have a well your water supply is spiked with fluoride. Which is a neurotoxin that lowers IQ’s, has been linked to cancer, causes infertility, and hardening of the arteries. Every prepackaged food on the self has a chemical makeup of things to keep it from going bad and to taste better.

Monosodium glutamate (MSG): Never eat this neurotoxic, brain-damaging, genetically modified and concentrated spicy salt substitute. Causes brain damage in infants and unbearable migraine headaches in children, teens and adults. This is also used to make cheap, lower quality foods taste better aka “flavor enhancer”.

Aspartame, sucralose, sorbitol, saccharine, acesulfame potassium: These are all synthetic, IBS-causing, neurotoxic artificial sweeteners designed to make humans sick and fat.

Diacetyl: This synthetic artificial butter flavoring is often added to microwave popcorn. Able to cross the blood-brain barrier, this food additive nightmare causes beta-amyloid clumping associated with Alzheimer’s disease. You may not see the word diacetyl, so just look for “artificial butter flavor” and you’ll know.

Mercury, (listed as thimerosal), aluminum, formaldehyde and MSG: all very common ingredients in vaccines and flu shots.

Food can be a powerful medicine. I bet you never thought about your kitchen as a powerful belly-shrinking tool. Once you get your kitchen set up and stocked the right way, it certainly will make a difference in your health.  Simple food swaps, organizing your cabinets and the right tools at your fingertips can make all the difference. Creating a healthy kitchen environment that is inviting will put you in the right mindset that will mentally prepare you for success. The space around us makes a big difference between grabbing those bag of chips or that organic apple. 

Setting up your Hypothyroidism Holiday kitchen

All too many times when the holidays rolls around we try to do too much, too fast and it certainly comes back to bite us in the butt. Having a chronic illness already gives us day to day challenges.  Instead of jumping in with both feet blazing why not follow these simple tricks to make your life easier. You don’t need to do it all in one day. Approach it gradually. If you can get help from your loved ones then assign a task to everyone where you’re not overwhelmed or bombarded with things that need to be done.  Keeping your stress to a minimal is the key.  Stop expecting so much from yourself. Adjust your expectations and become more realistic of what your current abilities are. It’s not a downfall. It’s life and how it is for you. Don’t look at it like you’re less of a person. Everyone has their own issues and they might be better at hiding them than you. If you only have the energy for a few hours of activity, don’t push yourself, take your time and accomplish those activities as you can. You have to realize what is worth devoting your time and energy to, and try to stay clear of those things that don’t make the list. Of course, you want your house to be fully decorated with a holiday village, outside decorations, and other things but if you only have energy for a tree then only put up that tree.  We seem to forget what really makes the holidays memorable isn’t an impeccably decorated home. It’s spending time with each other, talking and laughing, and sharing wonderfully delicious foods. I prefer to not be curled on the couch in exhaustion and pain the day after and just focus on what’s really important. With these simple tricks in my book you can learn how to prepare slowly, always listen to your body, enjoy each moment and stay stress free. 

Always to remember to be kind to yourself.

2-3 weeks before Thanksgiving or Christmas day 

Plan the guest list

Ask guests if they have any dietary restrictions

Try to collect RSVPs

Decorate with seasonal decor

Plan your menu

Assign a dish or beverage to each guest this way everyone shares in the day

Write your grocery list

Make sure you have the necessary kitchen tools

-Roasting pan

-Baster

-Meat Thermometer

-Serving platters and utensils

Menu items can include

-Turkey and Gravy

-Ham

-Gluten Free Stuffing

-Mashed Potatoes

-Sweet potatoes

-Glazed carrots

-Green bean Casserole

-Cranberry sauce

-Side salad

-Gluten free dinner rolls

-Dessert

The week before Thanksgiving or Christmas

Prepare the Kitchen

-cleanout the fridge

-dig out what pots, pans or slow cookers you will use

-cleanout coolers for beverages

Prepare the house

-Each day pick a room to clean

-Plan the table seating

-Plan the table settings

Day before Thanksgiving or Christmas

-Bake your pies

-Prepare make-ahead side dishes

-Set the table

My favorite Turkey Gravy

    6 cups turkey pan drippings or 6 cups chicken stock

    1/2 cup King Arthur Gluten-Free Multi-Purpose Flour (or your flour of choice)

    1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

    1/ 2 cup Kerry Gold Butter, ghee or coconut oil or non-dairy whipped butter

I prefer to use the pan drippings and add chicken stock if need be. I also like to boil the gizzards, neck, onion, celery, carrot, onion, bay leaf, and peppercorns in my chicken stock if I don’t have enough pan drippings. I cook it for about 25 minutes. Brig it to a boil and simmer for 25 minutes. 

If you decide to cook the gizzards, neck, onion, celery, carrot, onion, bay leaf, and peppercorns in the chicken stock to give it an extra sting make sure to drain it through a mesh strainer and throw away the gizzards, neck and an onion. 

Melt the butter in a sauce pan, add the flour, and stir with a whisk to combine.  Slowly add your stock as your was whisking the roux.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and yum!

It’s easier than you think to prepare a lavish holiday dinner with the main attraction being you; A gorgeous hypothyroidism ass kicker. Delectable side dishes and mouthwatering desserts will help you be the life of the party while feeding your friends and family this extraordinary Holiday dinner.

Thanks to the growing demand for hypothyroidism-based food, it’s easier than ever to eat the hypothyroidism way. So, whether you are a gluten free pro or someone looking to cut-down on your diary consumption, you certainly don’t need to miss out on a tasty centerpiece this holiday season. Here’s some of the authors favorite recipe choices in her book Hypothyroidism Holiday RECIPE Guidebook: Surviving the Season

You will also find 75 plus recipes in this amazing holiday book!

Finally a Holiday cookbook that will have you sincerely appreciating all the hard work that I put into creating it. This cookbook not only has recipes that caters to your hypothyroidism but the recipes are extremely easy to prepare while still being delicious as they promote your health, help you begin to heal, and you’re eating cleaner on top of it all. These recipes can be used year-round not only around the holidays and will be a great addition to your library. I hope you find this Holiday book a Godsend to the particularly crazy holiday season. This book includes a good variety of recipes that I know you will find to be delicious, full of flavor, healthy and just perfect for your Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner table. From appetizers to main meals, side dishes and desserts these recipes are just wonderfully delicious. I am not kidding when I tell you that the recipe options in this book are endless and you won’t be disappointed! You will be able to find that perfect recipe in this book that makes your taste buds soar, fits your dietary needs and has your family bragging on your cooking skills. They may even think you secretly took lessons from Gordon Ramsay or Julia Childs.

Hypothyroidism Holiday RECIPE Guidebook: Surviving the Season

Hypothyroidism Holiday RECIPE Guidebook: Surviving the Season

Needing more recipes? Order your book today and you will find 75+ recipes.

Audrey Childers is a published author, blogger, freelance journalist and an entrepreneur with over a decade of experience in research and editorial writing. She is also the creator and founder of the website the hypothyroidismchick.com. Where you can find great tips on everyday living with hypothyroidism. She enjoys raising her children and being a voice for optimal human health and wellness. She is the published author of : A survivors cookbook guide to kicking hypothyroidism booty, Reset your ThyroidThe Ultimate guide to healing hypothyroidism and  A survivors cookbook guide to kicking hypothyroidism booty: the slow cooker way. You can find all these books on Amazon.   This blog may be re-posted freely with proper attribution, author bio, and this copyright statement.

I don’t know where to start

Hang in there. This wont happen overnight.

I know, there is so much information overload that most people are confused as to where to start.  You can start by taking ownership of your health. I wanted you to understand or get a idea of how everything has a part to play in your body. I am on a  path to help you, lead you and inform you through this terrible illness. Being diagnosed with hypothyroidism isn’t just here take this pill and it will fix your issues. Hypothyroidism has a root cause. Once you start addressing the root of your problems then your body can start healing itself. Your body is an awesome design but there is a complex balance between everything. It’s a domino affect. If you have something in your body that is overworked  it will cause a major shift in your body. Don’t worry the good news is it can be healed.

Sometimes we have to do a little pruning of the branches, in order for the tree to be healthy again. A number of things can be the reason why you have hormonal imbalances, food intolerances, thyroid issues, adrenal fatigue, weight gain, insomnia, personality changes, leaky gut, depression, an autoimmune disorder, chronic pain, no metabolism and low sex drive, bloating, anxiety, menstrual problems and infertility. It starts with becoming aware and how your health can be influenced by many different circumstances.
How would you define good health? Logically one would define good health as absence of a disease or following some sort of ground rules that avoid developing a disease. This book can help you begin to understand what a Keto Autoimmune protocol is and start guiding you in the redevelopment and healing of your body. You will begin to understand how to fix your gut, strengthen your immunity and fight inflammation with an autoimmune approach. The Keto AIP removes all the common inflammatory food triggers that stimulate a possible autoimmune reaction in the body. Along with helping to reset those adrenals, boosting that energy and doing a little ass kicking to those hormones that have decided to act like a wild college student and pull an all-nighter the day before final exams.
Your health doesn’t have to be a difficult situation but a positive realization that things need to change. This new lifestyle change has many parts to it and I hope you will embrace not only the physical but the spiritual awakening. Common food intolerances that are known to trigger inflammation are eliminated in this Keto AIP protocol are Nightshades, Eggs, Grains (gluten), Dairy, Legumes, Corn, Soy, Dairy and lectins.

The Keto Autoimmune Protocol Healing Book for Women: Strengthen Your Immunity, Fight Inflammation and Love Your Incredible Body

theketoautoimmunebookcover

Poisoned Profit

Thehypothyroidismchick.com is dedicated to covering health and science news that matters most to our generation. We cover a wide range of stories, but ultimately we are driven by two core values: first, to contribute to our readers’ understanding of what is a very complex and constantly changing field of information, and second, to keep in mind the ultimate “smell test” — we want our stories to be the kind of things you talk about at a bar with your friends. Thehypothyroidismchick.com determines coverage based on relevance, clinical significance, and editorial integrity. We give no priority to commercial considerations, and will always clearly distinguish between factual content, commentary, and opinions to avoid misleading readers with institutional propaganda and speculation.

Disclaimer

The information and recipes contained in blog is based upon the research and the personal experiences of the author. It’s for entertainment purposes only. Every attempt has been made to provide accurate, up to date and reliable information. No warranties of any kind are expressed or implied. Readers acknowledge that the author is not engaging in the rendering of legal, financial, medical or professional advice. By reading this blog, the reader agrees that under no circumstance the author is not responsible for any loss, direct or indirect, which are incurred by using this information contained within this blog. Including but not limited to errors, omissions or inaccuracies. This blog is not intended as replacements from what your health care provider has suggested.  The author is not responsible for any adverse effects or consequences resulting from the use of any of the suggestions, preparations or procedures discussed in this blog. All matters pertaining to your health should be supervised by a health care professional. I am not a doctor, or a medical professional. This blog is designed for as an educational and entertainment tool only. Please always check with your health practitioner before taking any vitamins, supplements, or herbs, as they may have side-effects, especially when combined with medications, alcohol, or other vitamins or supplements.  Knowledge is power, educate yourself and find the answer to your health care needs. Wisdom is a wonderful thing to seek.  I hope this blog will teach and encourage you to take leaps in your life to educate yourself for a happier & healthier life. You have to take ownership of your health.

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