Thyroid Diet Chart: How to Build a Balanced Diet Plan for Thyroid Health
What Tests Need to Be Done for Thyroid? | What to Include in Thyroid Diet Plan? | Conclusion | References
Are you tired of having bad hair, gaining weight, having dry skin, and always being tired? Are you fed up with taking your thyroid medication every day? I know what you're feeling! My mother felt the same way when she had thyroid symptoms.
If you notice symptoms such as hair loss, dry skin, weight gain; this is an obvious indication that your thyroid gland has been compromised. And if you know you have thyroid disease, I'm sure you're taking your medicine as prescribed. Tell me one thing, though:
Why is your weight still stuck or increasing if you're taking thyroid medication? Why are you still unhappy with your skin and hair? Why are you still experiencing mood swings? Likewise, I was surprised to know that, despite taking various thyroid medications, my mother still had the same symptoms.
This is because you are not being detected properly and have not started with an optimal medication.
And have you ever wondered why all people with thyroid disorders take the same kind of medications? The reason for this is that medications are designed for the disease rather than our individual body types. It can never be personalized according to our digestive system, body type, body conditions, etc.
To reverse the thyroid, we must first understand what our bodies require. We cannot take medications for the rest of our lives, and these medications are indirectly destroying our liver.
What Tests Need to Be Done for Thyroid?
As a result, it's absolutely important to understand the proper way of thyroid testing and get it done on your own. Generally, we get recommended for TSH, T3 and T4 levels Right! Unfortunately, these tests are incomplete. They will only detect 30% of your problem.
Addition to these, you should also go for TPO, AG and TG tests, which are the antibodies' tests and are leveled up majorly in the case of Hashimotos, which is an autoimmune condition. Your first target should be to get thyroid free.
Autoimmune condition is when your own immune cells attack your body. But How is it possible? Why is your immune system doing so?
This is because you are either eating incorrect, or your lifestyle is imperfect. Something that is not appropriate or acceptable to your body. In short, your poor lifestyle - mainly your diet, is not good and is triggering your immune system to attack its own body. Our diet and lifestyle are things that we can design based on our body's needs and condition.
So, what is the right thyroid diet to reverse your thyroid? Let's find out!
Also Read: Here’s How You Can Get Rid of Your Thyroid Symptoms
What to Include in Thyroid Diet Plan?
1. Green Vegetables
Always add as many vegetables to your plate as possible. Yes! You read it right. Vegetables are always the best choice to add as these are rich in vitamins, minerals and fibers. Not just this, these are also low in calories, hence reducing the risk of obesity and heart related diseases. Add vegetables such as carrots, celery, ginger, garlic, spinach and asparagus, etc.
Not only these, you can also add all the cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, kale to your thyroid diet occasionally as these are low in calories and rich in Vitamin C, E and K. This also helps in preventing cancers. Hence eliminating it from the thyroid diet is the worst decision you can ever make.
Always ask your advisor to tell you the reason to eliminate any food category from your diet as every food has its own benefit. I'm sure you must not be knowing the reason.
Do you know why is it advised to quit these vegetables? Because they interfere in the absorption of iodine. Iodine is important for balancing the thyroid hormones and the normal functioning of the thyroid gland.
Therefore, don't take it regularly and in a raw form. But definitely you can take it once or twice a week and after heating or boiling them properly, as this will help in detoxification as well which will further help in both weight loss and glowing skin.
Heating these vegetables inactivates 30% of goitrogens, which is responsible for interfering in the absorption of iodine. [1]
2. Adding Gluten Free Grains
Gluten-free grains are probably terms you've come across while scrolling through Instagram or reading an article. Gluten-free is the latest craze.
But the question is whether it is truly that effective and highly nutritious, or if it is just a rumor.
Luckily, it is a boon to the world.
Gluten free grains such as oats, jowar, bajra, ragi, buckwheat and quinoa are easily available in the market and can be moderated into various food varieties.
These are helpful as these can be easily digested and do not cause or increase your thyroid symptoms. These also help you in losing weight as oats and quinoa are quite rich in proteins.
You're probably wondering: why not gluten?
When you consume gluten, it gets absorbed. Your immune cells attack it, becoming confused with thyroid cells. This, in turn, causes you to develop thyroid autoimmune disease.
Gluten can even damage your gut lining and disturb your hormones. This can sometimes result in inflammation. That is why gluten-sensitive people are more likely to suffer from thyroid issues.
If you are worried about the usage of gluten free foods. I have made a diet plan for thyroid in which you can get the ideas for the gluten free and dairy free recipes. It will surely help you in adapting the gluten and dairy free diet for thyroid.
3. Adapting a Sugar Free Diet
Sugar, as we are all now aware, is a poor choice for our meal plate. Sugars, whether white, brown, or artificial sweeteners with the tagline "Sugar free," are all the same. These all affect the body in the same negative way.
Do you know if you take sugar it also interferes with your immune system the same way gluten does?
It also hampers the symptoms of your thyroid problem. It has been seen that eliminating sugar completely has reversed the thyroid symptoms as well as also reduced the antibodies levels in blood tests. [2]
The excessive intake of sugar is not only responsible for causing you diabetes and thyroid but also increases your weight and reduces the glow of the skin.
Cutting off sugar can be tough and not even needed. The best way is to replace the white or brown sugar that is available in the market. So what can we do?
Switch your white sugar to natural sugars such as stevia. Stevia leaves, stevia drops or stevia tablets are easily available in the grocery stores which you can use in your tea, coffee and dessert, etc.
4. Add Superfoods
We all have also started adding seeds and nuts in our diet, which is a half battle won situation. This is advised because they are quite rich in selenium and zinc.
Now the question is why do we need selenium and zinc in thyroid? These two minerals play a major role in the production and functioning of thyroid hormones.
Zinc helps in converting the inactivated T3 into the activated T3. T3 is also responsible in maintaining the metabolism, therefore you feel tough to lose weight. Moreover, Zinc is also responsible for the secretion of TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) from the brain.
Similarly, Selenium is also important as it reduces the antibodies which are present in your body as it is also responsible in the synthesis of thyroid hormones. It also protects the thyroid gland from getting damaged.
Out of all the nuts, Brazil nuts contain selenium. But we Indians cannot get it easily in the market and we are also not sure about the quality, if exported from outside.
Similarly, seeds like pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, coriander seeds and flax seeds can be included in the thyroid diet to get some amount of zinc.
But these seeds and nuts like almonds are heat producing in nature and do not match the daily intake of zinc. [1]
So what is the right and the fulfilling choice?
Here is when a supplement enters your life. A supplement rich in zinc, selenomethionine, and iodine can be a great addition to your lifestyle. These essential micronutrients help balance hypothyroidism symptoms and manage Hashimoto's condition, supporting your thyroid's functionality.
Also Read: No. 1 Natural Thyroid Capsules with No Dangerous Side Effects
Conclusion
- Thyroid is a lifestyle disease and can be treated or reversed with consistency. Lifestyle disorders means you need to change your present lifestyle to a healthy one.
- Diet is the primary change that you need to consider. Adding not just healthy options but choosing them in a correct way and time is the actual challenge.
- To reverse the thyroid symptoms you should add green vegetables without distinguishing between cruciferous and non cruciferous ones as cruciferous vegetables can also be taken after heating them properly.
It is always important to fulfill your complete nutritional requirement by choosing the correct supplement for yourself, as I have mentioned above.
References
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Autoimmune Thyroiditis with Hypothyroidism Induced by Sugar Substitutes . |
