The Importance Of Iodine In Your Diet

The bottle of iodine in your medicine cabinet has nothing to do with sex appeal, but it’s different with the iodine you eat.

There she goes, trig and trim, tripping down the street in the manner gentlemen prefer. She has everything, including ample thyroxine.

Here she comes, plowing down the avenue, slow as a tramp steamer and approximately as majestic—Sluggish Susie, slow and fat, with mental activity no greater than the law allows, and the oomph quotient of a blimp.

Of course Susie is just an example, and anyhow maybe her name is John. She isn’t anybody you know. She is just a subject for our text on iodine, one of the big four minerals—the others are calcium, phosphorus, and iron— likely to be lacking in American diets.

Grasp the front of your neck in a choking stance and your fingers and thumb will be on opposite sides of your thyroid gland. This is a potent little twin-lobed organ that is something like a saddle on your Adam’s apple. It filters out of your bloodstream every unemployed molecule of iodine it can lay its glands on and from it manufactures a powerful secretion, thyroxine, which represents the naturally not inconsiderable margin that separates you from imbecility.

By this time you are aware that your body produces a vast amount of heat energy. The thyroid gland is the thermostat that controls the rate at which the furnace burns. Too little of it brings listlessness, loss of energy, obesity, sluggishness, lack of mental and physical pep and ginger.

 Too much of it jacks your thermostat so high that you become excitable, overheated, constantly hungry; the mind is over-active, jumps like a grasshopper instead of following through on ideas; your heart races and the eyes tend to bulge.
But ah—a perfectly adjusted thyroid and you’re a good bet for any man’s or woman’s interest!

Iodine enters this charming picture because it makes up two-thirds of the secretion of the thyroid. When you don’t get enough iodine, the gland works overtime to make up the deficiency but the best it can do is increase its own substance and then the neck swells unattractively with simple goiter. There are complex relationships between the thyroid and the sex glands and general activities involving energy, as the search for romance assuredly does.

Iodine shortage is particularly common in regions of the country once covered by glaciers. The Great Lakes and Pacific Northwest regions have soils and drinking water particularly poor in iodine. It is now common practice to include iodized table salt in the diet and in this way the incidence of simple goiter has to great degree been controlled. But there are other types of goiter (not all of them cause neck swellings) that are made worse by excess iodine. The warning of authorities is that any person over the age of thirty who has a swelling on the neck should consult a physician before taking iodized salt or other form of iodine therapy.

There is no practical danger of your getting too much iodine from foods, however. Rabbits whose foods were limited to Brussels sprouts, cabbage, or cauliflower have developed toxic goiters, the result of excess production of thyroxine. This is not the result of excess iodine, but of the richness of these foods in cyanide compounds of an organic nature. Through chemical processes the cyanide radicles tend to create a shortage of oxygen available to the body; this causes the thyroid, which controls oxidation processes, to step up production of its secretion. The possibility of your limiting your diet to Brussels sprouts is reasonably remote, although some "reducing’* diets of a faddish nature are just about as wacky, which gives us another chance to work in a plug for a reasonable variety of foods every day.

Sea foods are the most abundant sources of dietary iodine—fish, oysters, lobsters, sardines. Canned salmon is an excellent source. Vegetables may contain much or little iodine according to the nature of the soils they are grown in. This variability is characteristic of the mineral values of most plant foods, which naturally cannot be expected to abstract elements from soils that have been depleted by intensive cultivation or are naturally deficient.

Now that you see how the thyroid secretion regulates the rate at which you burn energy, it is easy to understand the functions and dangers of thyroid extract as a reducing drug. In the case of Sluggish Susie, a little thyroid  might be just what  the  doctor ordered
 

Tags: iodine, diet, foods, healthy foods, iodine therapy

What you Eat can Improve the way that you Think

It is often said that we are what we eat, but did you know that pertains to your brain activities as well? What you eat can improve the way you think as long as you choose the right types of foods. First, it is very important to remember not to skip breakfast. Too many people do so including children. It results in the brain not being able to perform at its optimum level for the morning.

Your diet needs to consist of foods that contain plenty of Omega 3 fatty acids. They are going to increase your stamina on an intellectual level. The main sources of Omega 3 fatty acids include fish, flax seed, and hemp seed. When you need a pick up of energy and brain power during the day, reach for a handful of nuts. They are going to give you the burst of energy and creativity that you need to get through the rest of the day.

Consuming large amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables is a great way for your mind to be able to process information. They offer plenty of antioxidants in them that will remove toxins from your body. Replace those drinks that are full of sugar with plain water or green tea as well. The way that you will feel both physically and mentally when you make such changes is unbelievable.

There are certain types of foods that you want to avoid as well. They will slow down you brain’s ability to function as well as it could. Two of them that many people consume large quantities of include alcohol and caffeine. Do your very best to either avoid them or to only consume them in moderation.

Avoid consuming too many processed foods as well. They may taste good but they are full of ingredients that really aren’t good for your body. Make sure you take the time to read labels. Find out what certain words on packaging means so you can identify what it really is. For example there are many different terms used to mean sugar so make sure you know what is in the food that you consume.

Taking a daily multi vitamin is a good idea as well. This can help to ensure you get the daily recommended intake of various types of Vitamins. These Vitamins are necessary for your brain to function at its very best. Should you find that you crave foods that aren’t good for you, at least try to cut back on them. Then you won’t feel deprived and at the same time your mental well being won’t be compromised.

When you body is lacking essential vitamins and nutrients it is harder for you to stay focused. It is also going to affect your mood and the actions you take throughout the day. When you eat the right foods your mind will be very healthy. You will have less stress and be able to concentrate on what needs your attention.

It is never too late to take an inventory of what you eat. Chances can be made that don’t result in you feeling like you are starving or missing out on great tasting foods. There is no reason why eating healthy has to taste terrible either. There are plenty of great recipes online that you can try out. A certified nutritionist can also help you to get on the right track.

Tags: essential vitamins, multivitamin, foods, tasty foods, brain, energy