Living Foods. They’re foods that are alive—raw (not cooked) and filled with life. They’re also called raw foods or live foods.
You can plant them, pick them, sprout them or simply eat them. In each case—you get life! That’s because life comes from life. These foods are your “true north,” your path home to health in a jungle of dietary havoc, contaminated food and abounding confusion about what and how to eat.
Good health is the result of consuming whole, unprocessed, clean food with a large percentage of that being raw and alive. These foods are chock-full of nutrients, water and fiber that flush away toxins, waste and “sludge” from our cells and intercellular fluids.
They help us prevent disease. They alkalize our bodies and help us restore our pH balance. And they give our cells vital light rays of energy to help them communicate more effectively.
Since your thyroid is a key gland that’s tied to every other system in your body, it needs to work flawlessly. When it’s out of balance, you’re out of balance. If you have a number of the symptoms of low thyroid, chances are that you could benefit by working on your thyroid health by eating more living foods.
Some foods boost thyroid function, which makes them perfect for treating hypothyroidism, while others suppress thyroid function, which can help people with hyperthyroidism. And there are certain foods that are best avoided by anyone who is concerned about having a healthy thyroid gland and overall good health.
The following raw foods are among the most helpful for restoring thyroid balance whether you have an underactive or overactive thyroid:
- Fresh raw vegetable juices
- Low-sugar fruit, especially lemons, limes, cranberries and other berries, and green apples
- Raw nuts and seeds
- Seaweed for its rich iodine content (for hypothyroid)
- Chlorophyll-rich green juices such as watercress, collards, chard, kale, kohlrabi
- Leaves, beet greens and parsley (vary the cruciferous greens with other non-cruciferous greens, such as lettuce, beet greens, watercress and spinach, if you have hypothyroidism)
Adapted from Cherie Calbom’s The Juice Lady’s Remedies For Thyroid Disorder (Charisma House, 2015). To order the book, click here.
Cherie Calbom, M.S., C.N., is the author of more than 20 books, including The Juice Lady’s Big Book of Juices and Green Smoothies and Remedies for Stress and Adrenal Fatigue. She holds a Master of Science degree in whole foods nutrition from Bastyr University. Cherie and her husband, John, offer juice health retreats throughout the year, along with health and healing conferences. For more information, visit juiceladycherie.com.
