Hypothyroid symptoms – Nutrition

If you are living with the symptoms of a hypothyroid, the best way to support your thyroid gland is better nutrition.  Your thyroid controls how your body metabolizes food, and the way you use energy.

This means making changes in the food you are eating.  "Health" foods are foods full of nutrition, such as vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. 
 You don’t have to go crazy, making one or two small changes a week adds up pretty quickly to a permanent lifestyle change.

The more support you give your thyroid to heal, the better you are going to feel.

Selenium, Zinc, Iodine(mentioned in the previous article) antioxidants, and B vitamins are all very important to thyroid function.

Here are some great food sources for:

Selenium – brazil nuts, mushrooms, sunflower seeds, tuna, and beef

Zinc – fresh oysters, sardines, lamb, turkey, soybeans, split peas, whole grains, sunflower seeds,               almonds, brazil nuts, and walnuts

Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) – mushrooms, wheat germ, brewer’s yeast, almonds, and wild rice

Vitamin B3 (niacin) – wheat bran, brewer’s yeast, rice bran, liver, and poultry white meat

Vitamin B6 (pyroxidine) – bananas, beans, salmon, tuna, trout, sunflower seeds, 
              wheat germ, liver, walnuts, brown rice, and brewer’s yeast

Antioxidants - (vitamins A, C, and E help neutralize oxidative stress that can damage the

                          thyroid gland)

Vitamin A (beta-carotene form) – asparagus, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe, carrots, winter 

                                                  squash/pumpkin, spinach, broccoli, kale

Vitamin C – kiwifruit, collard greens, mustard greens, papaya, peppers, strawberries

Vitamin E – asparagus, peanuts, leafy green vegetables, almonds, sunflower seeds, whole grains

You will find some of the same foods repeating themselves on the list.  
This is great because you can get multiple benefits from one food.   
If you are taking hormone replacement and you are going to take supplements, especially supplements with iron, please be sure to not to take them at the same time as your thyroid hormone replacement.  Usually you want to wait at least 3 to 4 hours in-between so the supplements do no inhibit your absorption of your replacement hormone.  Check with your health practitioner on which supplements are best for you, and how much to take.

 When you can, try to eat whole foods that are free from pesticides, hormones, and other toxins. One nice thing about the "whole foods" movement is that it makes it easier to get things like raw milk, locally made cheeses and beef that is hormone free.

Slowly start to incorporate these foods into your daily life, and your thyroid will thank you.