Foods You May Want to Avoid for a Happier Thyroid
Wondering Which Foods You May Want to Avoid for a Happier Thyroid?
Millions of people suffer from hypothyroidism. Women are more likely than men to develop some type of thyroid condition, but many are not even aware they are suffering from it until it begins to severely affect their lives.
In both hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s, the thyroid can become underactive. Medication is often required for people suffering from these two conditions in order to feel their best. However, there are some natural ways that you can help improve your thyroid health.
Most conventional primary care physicians and endocrinologists are unfortunately not educated in the type of comprehensive thyroid care that will allow you to live fully and healthfully. For the best possible treatment, you’ll want to hire:
1) A doctor who specializes in integrative lab values and personalized thyroid medication for hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s
These physicians can to help keep your thyroid condition in check by monitoring serum lab results in order to individualize your prescription type and dose.
2) A functional medicine practitioner
These doctors can to help you find the root causes of your thyroid imbalance and pinpoint ways to support your thyroid as naturally as possible.
The good news is that while you seek out your superstar physicians, you can get started boosting your thyroid health in one of the most simple and natural ways to support your thyroid health: Eating healthy foods…and avoiding the unhealthy ones!
*Not medical advice.
*First orders only. Discount subject to change at Paloma’s discretion.
Cruciferous Vegetables
You may wish to avoid eating large amounts of brassica or cruciferous vegetables, including turnips, cabbage, rutabagas, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, and bok choy. Although they contain minerals and vitamins, they can really be goitrogenic. This is especially true for patients who consume a lot of them frequently.
If you do choose to eat them, consider enjoying about 30 grams of brassica a day or less. Cooking or fermenting these foods can help to reduce the goitrogenic effect.
Be Mindful of Carbs
Certain carbs, too little carbs, and too many carbs can exacerbate your thyroid condition. Finding the right balance for your body can take some trial and error.
A good rule of thumb is to eat a diet of whole foods in balanced quantities; focus on getting enough protein, fats, carbs for your body type and any current underlying conditions. This balance can change over time and it is important to revisit it.
Feeling weak, light headed, or irritable? You may need to up your carbs if you are currently on a low carb diet.
Feeling sluggish, craving lots of sugar, and have the desire to eat carbs with every meal and for every snack? This could be a sign you are overdoing it in the carb department.
Consider increasing or scaling back a little bit on carbs and adjusting your other macros, then take note of how you feel!
Soy
The isoflavones found in soy may stop the thyroid gland from functioning properly. Large amounts of soy may even worsen hyperthyroidism. This can also lead to iodine deficiency (see below for more info about iodine), which further exacerbates a sluggish thyroid.
Even if you replace meat and dairy with soy products such as tofu, soy yogurt, soy milk and more, these can still affect your thyroid. This is also especially true if you have a genetic predisposition toward thyroid issues.
Too Little Iodine or Too Much Iodine
Many thyroid patients have switched from iodized table salt to Himalayan salt or sea salt. This is because iodized salt—and any excess amount of iodine—can be a trigger for hypothyroidism.
It can be beneficial to supplement seaweed and low-toxin, wild-caught ocean fish for iodine, especially if you have hypothyroidism. Be sure to talk with your integrative doctor about testing your iodine levels before supplementing, as getting too much iodine can also cause issues for your thyroid.
Gluten
When you omit gluten-containing foods from your diet, you help to decrease inflammation in your body. Limiting or avoiding gluten (as well as reducing inflammation in general) naturally improves autoimmune Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.
Many individuals have improved their symptoms and felt a lot better after consistently following a gluten-free diet, and noticed even more improvement when they went grain-free. It is a lot easier to follow a gluten-free or grain-free diet these days than it used to be; there are a plethora of gluten-free options for most of your favorite foods!
Now that you know Which Foods You May Want to Avoid for a Happier Thyroid, do you feel ready to give eating healthier a try to improve your hypothyroidism or Hashimoto’s?
You can find a trove of delicous free recipes inside my blog archives! Consider these ancestral diets which have been shown to improve thyroid function:
Action Steps:
Download your free Thyroid Checklist here (no signup required)
Sign up to receive your free Quantum Thyroid Bundle.
To make batch cooking for the Paleo AIP or Paleo diet a breeze, be sure to check out my CAPSULE MEAL PLANS. These plans help you to quickly and easily stock your fridge with a week’s worth of home cooked, comforting meals…all without dirtying too many dishes or burning yourself out.
