Ever been tricked by these "superfoods?
If you’re a woman in 2025, you’ve probably grown up seeing the major push towards salads as “superfoods”.
I know I definitely was caught up in that fad for a long time. In college, all I would eat for dinner was a cup of spinach with some nuts and dried fruit… I would choose the giant salad when eating out as a way to be “healthy” thinking I was making the better choice for my body.
And I would wonder why I was still hungry, irritable, and had a tummy ache.
Never once did I draw the line between my poor digestion and the fact that I was eating foods that are literally ingestible.
In fact, consuming too many raw veggies (and grains for that matter) can become a breeding ground for harmful bacteria in the gut.
Here’s a few more reasons why you want to ease up on the massive amounts of raw veggie intake if you’re trying to heal your metabolism:
Above ground plants release a variety of different chemicals as “defensive mechanisms” against predators. These toxins include: oxalates, PNG, Lectins, Lignans, PUFAs, Pectin, and Lignin. These toxins actually BLOCK the absorption of the nutrients found in plants so you are not able to use them easily.
Goitrogens. These are another defense chemical but deserve their own bullet. Goitrogens are substances that suppress thyroid function by inhibiting the formation of thyroid hormone. They are found in ALL cruciferous vegetables, including (but not limited to), soybeans, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, boc choy, and cabbage.
Cellulose: in a healthy person, small amounts of non-chemically altered cellulose is fine. But in someone who already has hypometabolic function, cellulose can become a breeding ground of bacteria in the gut. Humans cannot digest roughage and too much can tend to do more damage than good.
Nutrients: nutritionally, the nutrients in raw veggies do not compare to animal foods. The make up of these nutrients are also not in a form that humans can use, so your liver has to perform multiple steps in order to make it bioavailable. This is taxing on the liver.
If you are wanting to heal your thyroid and overall hormonal function, stick to foods that are easy to digest. Quality animal products, raw dairy, broth, pastured eggs, and well cooked root veggies (less defense chemicals but should always be consumed with a fat and protein). These are true superfoods contributing to optimal metabolic and hormonal function. Loaded with bioavailable vitamins and minerals.
A healthy gut is essential to happy hormones. If you want to heal, stop pounding the salads and broccoli. They’re not the superfoods we think they are.