Foods to Eat:
| CATEGORY | FOODS TO EAT | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| VEGETABLES | Alfalfa
Artichokes Avocado Beets Bell Peppers Carrots Celery Cucumber Leeks Mushrooms Okra Peppers Potatoes Sea Vegetables Squash Pumpkin Tomatoes Zucchini |
Avocado and potatoes are great source of tyrosine – hypothyroidism has been linked to low levels of this amino acid.
Artichokes double up as a powerful liver detoxifier. Sea vegatables are rich in iodine too – you can try kelp, kombu, wakame, arame and dulse. |
| BEANS | Azuki Beans
Black Beans Lima Beans Mung Beans Navy Beans Pinto Beans Red Kidney Beans Split Peas |
Beans are a rich in Iodine. They are also a good source of fiber, which is helpful as many people with hypothyroidism also suffer from constipation. |
| HERBS | Black Pepper
Chilies Garlic Ginger Cinnamon Tumeric Peppermint Cilantro Parsley Rosemary |
Some of these herbs are brilliant for warming you up and raising your metabolism – try black pepper, chilies, garlic, ginger, cinnamon and tumeric.
Cilantro will help detox metals out of your system, especially mercury, a proven toxin for the thyroid gland. |
| FRUITS | Apples
Apricots Bananas Blueberries Blackberries Cherries Cranberries Dates Grapefruit Kiwi Papaya Pineapple Prunes Raspberries |
Cranberries are a great source of iodine. A half a cup contains 400mcg of iodine. I recommend buying fresh or frozen cranberries and adding them to smoothies. Supermarket cranberry juice usually either contains a lot of sugar or unhealthy sweeteners.
Prunes and dates are useful but only in small quantities. |
| GRAINS | Amaranth
Quinoa Buckwheat Brown Rice Wild Rice |
Although buckwheat is technically a fruit, buckwheat products are very nutritious.
You can find all these products in various flours, pastas, cereals and crackers. |
| OILS | Coconut Oil
Olive Oil Raw Butter |
Coconut oil has a naturally stimulating effect on the thyroid gland. |
| NUTS | Brazil Nuts
Macadamia Nuts Hazelnuts Coconut Meat |
Brazil nuts are very high in selenium, which is needed to convert the thyroid hormone T4 to T3. Be sure to only eat 1 or 2 though, any more is too much! Only a little selenium is necessary for the thyroid to function properly. |
| FISH | Sardines
Red salmon |
Sadly the global fish supply is poisoned with PCBS and mercury, substances that poison your thyroid and the rest of your body, so it is recommended to cut down your seafood consumption. Limit your fish dishes to a maximum of one serving a week.
Try taking an Omega-3 supplement – deficiencies of this fatty acid have been linked to lower thyroid hormone levels. |
| ANIMAL PRODUCTS | Chicken
Turkey Beef Lamb Eggs |
Without adequate protein the thyroid can’t function properly, even if you are taking suitable thyroid medication.
Be sure you get organic free range eggs. Chicken and turkey contain tyrosine, an important amino acid that combines with iodine to make the thyroid gland function properly. Commercial meat is packed with antibiotics which are disruptive to the thyroid gland – all meat consumed should be organic if possible. Processed meats, like lunch meat, bacon and spam, are loaded with dextrose, nitrates, sulphates and sugars. Smoked or vacuum packed meats are also best avoided. |
Foods to Avoid
| CATEGORY | FOODS TO AVOID | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| VEGETABLES | African Cassava (used in tapioca)
Asparagus Bamboo Shoots Broccoli Brussel Sprouts Cabbage (including Kimchi and Sauerkraut) Cauliflower Corn Kale Kohlrabi Leafy Greens (Turnip Greens, Mustard Greens, Collard Greens, Spinach) Radishes Rutabaga Sweet Potatoes Turnips Wasabi Watercress |
Although these vegetables are goitrogenic, they contain important fiber, vitamins, minerals, and anti-oxidants, and they are too nutritious to completely avoid.
Try to eat them in moderation only. Eat them cooked if possible – the cooking process deactivates most of the goitrogenic compounds. |
| NUTS | Almonds
Cashews Flax Seed Hemp Seed Peanuts Pine Nuts Pumpkin Seed Walnuts |
Roasting and cooking reduces the thyroid inhibiting compounds. |
| GRAINS | Barley
Bulgur Durham Farina Graham Flour Kamut Kasha Matzo Meal Rye Semolina Spelt Wheat |
These grains all contain gluten. New evidence has shown a link between thyroid autoimmune disease and gluten intolerance and celiac disease. Your body recognizes gluten as a foreign invader, sending antibodies to attack, subsequently attacking your thyroid gland as well.
Since gluten can cause a reaction for up to 6 months from ingestion, it is important to eliminate gluten completely from your diet to halt the attack on your thyroid. 99 percent of people who are gluten intolerant don’t know they have this condition so if you have thyroid issues it is worth getting screened for gluten intolerance, although you can test negative have in fact you have some sensitivity. A good option would be to eliminate gluten for a month and see how you feel. Gluten in widely used in processed foods. Other items may contain gluten – cereals, pasta, bread, processed baked goods, soup mixes, salad dressings and condiments. Even toothpaste and lipstick! Goitrogenic compounds are activated in millet when it’s cooked. Oats are fine as long as they are labelled gluten-free. They are often cross contaminated with other gluten containing grains. |
| FRUIT | Grapes
Grape juice Nectarines Peaches Pears Strawberries Wine |
In California fluoride based pesticides are used on grape crops – fluoride is a goitrogen |
| BEANS | Garbanzo Beans
All Soy Products Edamame Tofu Tempeh Miso Soy Milk Soy Bean Oil Soy Flour |
Soy contains isoflavones, it’s effects are goitrogenic and unfortunately it blocks iodine absorption.
People with thyroid issues should seriously reduce or eliminate the amount of soy in their diet, as it’s a major endocrine disruptor. |
| JUNK FOOD | Processed Foods
Deep Fried Foods Foods Containing Sugar |
This group of “so called food” causes inflammation in the body and inhibits the thyroid hormone conversion of T4 to T3. |
| JUICE | Sodas
Reconstituted Juices Citrus Flavored Sodas |
Sodas and reconstituted juices are often manufactured using fluoridated water – fluoride is a goitrogen.
avoid Mountain Dew, Fresca, Gatorade and other citrus-flavored sodas and soft drinks – they contain bromine, a goitrogenic toxin. Bromine and fluoride are two important culprits responsible for such a rapid increase in thyroid disease world wide. |
| TEA | Black Tea
Green Tea |
Black tea and green tea leaves absorb a substantial amount of fluoride from the soil and air.
Fluoride is a very harmful toxin, interfering with fluoride absorption. |
| SEAFOOD | Farm Raised Salmon
Shark Swordfish Tilefish King Mackerel |
Farm raised salmon is really a grey color so it has to be dyed with chemicals to appeal to consumers. Studies have shown farmed salmon (like most farmed fish) contains alarming amounts of PCBs, mercury and other carcinogenic agents. Additionally, these fish are crowded with diseased water containing their own waste, chemicals and antibiotics.
Shark, swordfish, tilefish and king mackerel should never be eaten as the concentration of mercury is too high, poisoning your thyroid gland. Limit your intake of tuna to once a week – unfortunately there is no such thing as “a safe amount of mercury”. |
| DAIRY | Milk
Cheese Cream Milk Powder Butter Kefir |
Eliminate dairy for a few months and see if you feel better.
Many people with thyroid disease have an allergy or sensitivity to dairy, and they do see an improvement in their symptoms. If you think you are intolerant to dairy products, then either avoid them or consume them in limited amounts. Commercial dairy products contain antibiotics and growth hormones, so its much better to go organic. |