WHAT IS THE BEST DIET FOR HYPOTHYROIDISM?
Diet plays a critical role in every health condition! You are what you eat, right? 🙂
When we are discussing the best diet for pure hypothyroidism the main considerations are nutrient density, anti-inflammatory and calorie and carbohydrate sufficient. Let’s unpack these aspects.
Nutrient Dense
Simply put, nutrient density is a measurement of how many nutrients (vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants etc) that are in a unit of food. For example, the nutrient density of broccoli is going to be higher than white bread, even if it has the same amount of calories.
Some of the most nutrient dense food categories include:
| High Nutrient Density (Consume More) | Moderate Nutrient Density | Low Nutrient Density (Avoid) |
| Organ meats | Fats such as avocado oil, coconut oil, olive oil, butter, ghee. | Dairy products (aside from butter) |
| Meat and poultry | Legumes (soaked and sprouted) | Refined carbohydrates and packaged foods |
| Fresh fish, shell fish | Grains (soaked and sprouted) | Artificial sweeteners or sugar sweetened drinks |
| Eggs | Â | Processed vegetable oils (canola, corn, soy, vegetable) |
| Vegetables, especially leafy greens | Â | Alcohol |
| Fruit, especially berries | Â | Â |
| Nuts and seeds | Â | Â |
| Herbs | Â | Â |
Anti-Inflammatory
An anti-inflammatory diet is essentially a nutrient dense diet that is customized to your individual food intolerances. Some people are sensitive to nuts, some to grains, some to eggs.
Coming to understand your individual food intolerances can be done by eliminating foods and slowly reintroducing them, one at a time, or with the help of a medical professional.
As inflammation has a significant impact on your thyroid health spending the time now to find the best diet for you will result in long term benefits!
Calorie and Carbohydrate Sufficient
Your thyroid is one of the bodies control mechanisms to protect you from starvation. The thyroid hormones control the metabolic rate, or amount of calories that you burn throughout the day. If you are not eating enough, or if you are on a very low carbohydrate diet, then your brain can sense that you do need protecting! In this situation thyroid hormones are decreased so that you do not burn off any extra calories that you may need later if this period of starvation continues.
Although this communication system can sometimes back fire, meaning your brain inappropriately senses a calorie deficit, if you have any concerns that a low food or nutrient intake then eating more healthy food is step one.
The first step that anyone can take in their journey is to ensure their diet is nutrient rich and thyroid healthy!Â