
7 Best Foods to Eat With Hypothyroidism
Inside: 7 foods to eat with hypothyroidism, that help heal the thyroid. Best foods for thyroid health are very simple and most of them are food that are a part of regular healthy diet. Foods to eat with hypothyroidism or thyroid diet chart are a buzz, but they are easy changes that one can make!
Foods to eat with hypothyroidism and foods to avoid with thyroid have a special place in a thyroid patient’s life, because thyroid is a gland which is highly dependent on nutrition.
Hypothyroidism incidence is rising rapidly, especially in the cases of Hashimoto’s disease. At this point in time, the only treatment available for a thyroid condition is to take levothyroxine.
But most people have this question — What foods are good for hyperthyroidism?
Most of the physicians are not educated in nutrition so the most common answer that people get is food doesn’t affect your thyroid.
But that is not the reality; in fact it’s far from it!
The thyroid is a very dynamic endocrine gland in our body and it needs various nutrients to function properly, which we get when we eat correct foods for thyroid health.
Most of our current diets do not provide those nutrients to support our thyroid gland, in spite of the fact that foods to eat with hypothyroidism, are simply a part of foods that we eat with a healthy lifestyle.
So we all should be aware of the best foods for thyroid patients. We should know the best food which can help our thyroid gland to function optimally. Especially if you are thyroid patient it is important to know the best foods that should be part of your daily routine to help with your thyroid.
My goal as a functional medicine practitioner is to provide as many nutrients that we can through food and then use supplements if needed.
Because when we target a dysfunction in our body with the correct foods, we are re-balancing our body with the natural environment that our body should have been, so the disease balances itself out of our body!
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Best Foods to eat with Hypothyroidism
Good News is — Yes there are some “Best Food for Thyroid Patients“. Certain foods which when become a part of correct hypothyroidism lifestyle changes can help improve thyroid dysfunction!
And the next best part of these foods is; they’re not very unique or something, most of them are naturally present in our healthy diets, we just need to modify the amount we comsume!
Here are 7 Best Foods for Thyroid Patients —
1. Brazil Nuts for Thyroid
Brazil nuts are very high in selenium naturally and are our #1 food to add in thyroid diet chart, also the best food for thyroid patients.
Selenium is an important mineral that is needed for proper thyroid functioning. Hence brazil nuts are one of the most recommended thyroid healing food.
Most of the people these days are low in selenium and that contributes to the thyroid dysfunction.
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Brazil nuts help your thyroid in two ways —
Selenium in the form of selenoproteins is involved in the metabolism of thyroid hormones. These selenoproteins are part of two thyroid enzymes named deiodinaes and glutathione peroxidase.
Deiodinase enzymes is responsible for the conversion of T 4 hormone to T3 hormone. Thyroid hormone is produced in T4 form but the active form is the T3 form which your body can actually utilize for optimal functioning.
The other enzyme glutathione peroxidase is involved in antioxidant activities in thyroid, and protects the gland from reactive oxygen species.
One single brazil nut can give you 68 to 91 micrograms and most of the people with thyroid dysfunction need anywhere from 100-200 mcg of selenium.
So if you eat 1-2 brazil nut for thyroid a day that takes care of selenium intake and keep your thyroid in good shape.
Also brazil nuts reduce inflammation which is the root cause of Hashimoto’s disease which is major thyroid disease.
Brazil Nuts are also good sources of magnesium, copper, zinc, and also good fatty acids all of these support your thyroid function.
2. Oysters and Other Seafood
Oysters are one of the foods with the highest zinc content.
Zinc is another essential mineral needed for the thyroid to function properly and deficiency of zinc is the major reason for a low thyroid condition.
How is zinc in oysters improves thyroid dysfunction —
Zinc controls thyroid hormone production by regulating deiodinases enzymes. Zinc is also involved in conversion of T4 hormone to T3 hormone. The important thing to remember is that T3 hormones is the active form of thyroid hormone.
Studies have shown that zinc deficiency has been correlated with low T3 levels in patients.
Other seafood like a cooked lobster, king crab also has a good amount of zinc in them.
The good part about seafood is that they are low in calories and are packed with nutrients.
Related Article: Zinc Supplement to Improve For Thyroid Function.
Oysters also have other nutrients like vitamin C, Vitamin E, fatty acids that help with inflammation and improve immunity especially in the current scenario where we need to boost our immunity this could be a good way.
3. Seaweed
Seaweed is one of the highest sources of iodine that we know, and is one of the food best for thyroid. Iodine, as we all know, is an essential mineral needed for thyroid functioning.
The thyroid gland has the highest concentration of iodine.
The thyroid gland absorbs iodine from seaweed and oxidizes it to make thyroid hormones.
Although most of our table salt is now iodized some of use might be using Himalayan salt only which doesn’t have iodine in it.
So you need to supplement iodine through other foods and seaweeds can be a good way to do that.
Sidenote – It’s always good to keep rotating your salts between Himalayan, Sea Salt and common table salt. Each of them have their benefits, and rotating them in food replenishes balance in body!
Seaweed also has other nutrients with potent antioxidant powers, and they can help with the protection of your thyroid from getting damaged regularly through inflammation.
It is an excellent source of fiber which keeps your gut is in good shape and can help with constipation which several thyroid patients suffer from.
4. Fish for Thyroid Patients
Fish is an excellent source of good omega 3 fatty acids, both EPA and DHA.
The main role by which these omega 3 fatty acids help thyroid functioning is by reducing inflammation. Which makes fish for thyroid patients so beneficial.
Hashimoto’s disease which is the major reason for low thyroid condition in the world these days is an autoimmune condition. The underlying destruction of the thyroid gland in Hashimoto’s disease happens because of inflammation. So by reducing the inflammation, these omega 3 fatty acids protect your thyroid gland from further destruction.
Fish is also a low carb food which is also needed for thyroid diet, as high carb foods can interfere with functioning.
Best fish for thyroid patients are fish which are high in omega 3 levels are Mackerel, anchovy, sardines, salmon, herring
5. Chia and Flax Seeds
For vegetarians or people who don’t want to eat fish, chia seeds and flax seeds are good sources for omega 3 fatty acids.
So for vegetarians dealing with thyroid issues chia seeds and flax seeds are a good alternative.
The fatty acids in chia and flax seeds are mainly ALA ( alpha-linolenic acid). This ALA needs to be converted to EPA and DHA. In some people, there are genetic variations that interfere with this conversion.
But still, Chia and Flax do provide a good amount of Omega 3 fatty acids.
Along with Omega 3 fatty acids they also have other benefits of high fiber content, low-calorie food, and a good source of protein.
6. Green Leafy Vegetables
Green leafy vegetables especially spinach, kale, mustards, dandelion are one of the best foods for a good thyroid diet.
They have a lot of benefits like spinach has a high iron source which is needed to support the thyroid gland, which makes spinach great for thyroid.
Kale has other benefits like antioxidant compounds quercetin, and Vitamin C, beta carotene, sulforaphane which all help thyroid gland in several different ways.
Consult Dr. Gupta for Thyroid Dysfunction
7. Spices
Turmeric spice has an active ingredient called curcumin which has been studied for the prevention of thyroid cancer and also for thyroid nodules.
The beneficial effects of curcumin come from its anti-inflammatory effect mainly modulating the nrf2 pathway.
Ginger is another spice that has several anti-inflammatory effects and can be useful.
Summary of 7 Best Foods to Eat With Hypothyroidism —
These are just the best foods for thyroid patients. That doesn’t mean these are the only foods that are beneficial for the thyroid.
Our dietary preferences also make a huge difference like people who are vegetarian might find it hard to get the required quantity of certain vitamins and minerals through their daily diet.
And they might have to pay more attention to certain foods like spinach, kale, fish, brazil nuts, chia seeds or might even resort to taking supplements to replenish those nutrients.
But the foods I mentioned above helps to heal your thyroid and can make a difference in your thyroid symptoms too.
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Related Read to 7 Best Foods to Eat With Hypothyroidism:
Research-Based Hashimoto’s Diet
Are You Taking The Right Selenium Supplement For Your Thyroid?
Your Anti-Inflammatory nutrition plan in a smoothie.
Zinc For Thyroid Heath – The Best form of Zinc Supplement and Dosage?
4 Toxins in Household Things that may be hurting your Thyroid
About Author

Dr. Anshul Gupta MD is Board-Certified Family Medicine Physician, with advanced certification in Functional Medicine, Peptide therapy and also Fellowship trained in Integrative Medicine.
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