I just have a few questions for you.
Q: There are so many diet books out there. How is The Thyroid Diet different?
A: It's different because it addresses thyroid disease as a potential cause of weight problems, but covers how even after diagnosis and treatment, many patients still struggle with weight. So it not only provides help to those who are battling weight problems who don't yet know they have a thyroid problem that is one of the root causes, but it helps those already diagnosed deal with the ongoing battle to manage weight and metabolism. Most practitioners dismiss the weight and metabolic impact of thyroid disease, but I've interviewed and featured information from the innovative, leading-edge experts who understand that there is a fundamental link.
Q: You've been a patient advocate for almost a decade now. What prompted you to write this book now?
A: My own battle with weight has been at the core of it, plus the many thousands of letters I've received from readers over the years. Many of us complain about fatigue, and depression, hair loss, and such, but it seems that the weight gain, and the inability to lose weights on many diets, is the thing that causes many of us the greatest heartache. I set out to figure out, once and for all, how to deal with my own weight, and felt that it would be a help to put what I found, along with the findings of experts and patients, into the book.
Q: I've recently reviewed this book on my website. Would you mind providing my readers with a brief outline of the diet?
A: The diet focuses first on optimizing your thyroid treatment-- The most essential step for anyone who is hypothyroid and can't lose weight is to make sure thyroid treatment is optimized. This means optimal TSH level for you, optimal drug, and in some cases, the addition of T3, or a switch to a drug that contains T3. The diet itself is low-glycemic (low-sugar), with emphasis on sufficient lean protein, low-glycemic vegetables, some low-glycemic fruit, good fats, lots of fiber, and very limited starchy/high-glycemic carbohydrates.
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