Are you taking good care of your thyroid?

What? Thyroid? Well... I don't know, you'll probably answer. How exactly does one take care of a thyroid gland? Where is the gland, first of all? These are all good questions.

The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland. It is part of the endocrine system and is located in the throat, near what we call the "adam's apple". The thyroid secretes hormones (messenger-like chemicals that our body produces so that different part of the body communicate with one another).

According to Harvard Women's Health Watch, 1 in 10 women over 50 HAS hypothyroidism or inadequate thyroid hormone levels. Some research points out that 25% of adult American women presently have clinically detectable thyroid dysfunction. Apparently, thyroid disease is becoming more common in our society. So, what can we do to protect ourselves?

Here are some of the easy steps you can take.

1) Drink lots of purified water.
2) Use unrefined, whole sea salt
3) Eat seaweed regularly (3-5g per day of powdered kelp; or 1 once per week)
4) Consume an abundance of raw fresh organic vegetables and fruits (for vitamins and minerals)
5) Include lots of green leafy vegetables in your regimen (green smoothies are even better!)
6) Use a water filter to get rid of chlorine in your water supply (that includes a shower filter as well)

Next week, I'll finish this list with 9 more things you can do to keep that thyroid gland of yours happy and running smoothly.

Until then, here's a nice simple green smoothie recipe, to get you going!

3 peaches
1 big handful spinach
Water, to taste

Blend together until smooth. Peaches are sweet enough not to add any sweetner in there but, if you want to, you can add some dates or agave nectar. If you have coconut water available, you can substitute that for the water and get a bonus dose of precious electrolytes! Enjoy!