I’ve been sipping four to five cups of green tea daily because I heard it could keep my metabolism revved through the holidays. But I’ve actually packed on 12 pounds in the last month. What gives?
I suspect that an excess of fluoride in the tea leaves (the result of pollution in soil and air) is to blame for your weight gain. Here’s the problem: the thyroid gland needs iodine to produce the metabolism-revving hormone thyroxine. But fluoride blocks iodine receptors in the thyroid gland, which hinders the production of thyroxine. In addition, the thyroid uses fluoride to produce an imposter hormone that can trigger weight gain and fatigue. Even more troubling: This imposter hormone is measured as thyroxine in blood tests, which makes shortfalls almost impossible to detect.
To restore your thyroid function, you’ll want to stop drinking tea and aim to eat at least one serving of iodine-rich foods (like seaweed, dulse, eggs, potatoes, shrimp and cod) daily. Within four weeks, your thyroid will have the building blocks it needs to rev your metabolism and those extra pounds should start melting away.
