What Foods Are Good For Hyperthyroidism: 7 Key Foods!

Do you focus on your diet and what you eat every day? If not then try to fix your diet routine. Make a list of certain foods that will help to boost your immune system1 as well as a healthy life. Food is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle which many people neglect knowingly and unknowingly, that’s not a good thing. A healthy diet will keep you away from any kind of disease and is also good for the proper functioning of your body. You must be wondering What foods are good for hyperthyroidism.2

Some food will help to cure or control a particular disease. Sometimes, people don’t know what kind of food items they need to eat in a diseased state. That’s why it is important to know what to eat or not when you suffer from a disease. Do you want to know what foods are good for Hyperthyroidism? then go through this article.

1. What is Hyperthyroidism?

In the human body, there is various kind of glands that regulate the proper functioning of the body and internal organs. One of these glands is the Thyroid gland, which lies in the throat region. This gland secretes the thyroxine and triiodothyronine hormone3, which helps in the regulation of heart rate, and muscle contraction, and maintains metabolic functioning as well. Any kind of imbalance in the secretion of thyroid hormones results in a disturbance in the metabolic rate, heart rate, blood pressure, and body functioning.

Hyperthyroidism is a situation when the level of secretion of thyroid hormone by the thyroid gland is increased from the normal level. As a result, heart rate fasts, blood pressure imbalance, metabolic rate increases, and body temperature imbalances. The proper functioning and activity of the body become affected due to the abnormal secretion by the thyroid gland. Hyperthyroidism is the result of an overactive thyroid gland.

1.1 Symptoms:

  • Increase Heart Rate
  • High Metabolic Rate
  • Weight loss
  • Increased appetite
  • Hand Trembling
  • Irregular Menstrual cycle
  • Muscle weakness
  • Sleeping problem

It has been observed that hyperthyroidism is more common in women than men.

2. How Can You Improve Hyperthyroidism?

Well, medical science has so many ways to cure Hyperthyroidism, but a proper diet is the best way to reduce the symptoms of hyperthyroidism4. Sometimes people don’t know what foods are good for hyperthyroidism, due to which they eat any food that worsens their condition more.

3. What Foods are Good for Hyperthyroidism?

Food good for hyperthyroidism
Image by Olearys on Flickr

Although no one can prevent or cure any disease permanently just by eating healthy dietary supplements5; a healthy diet will help to improve the symptoms. Hence, you can’t cure hyperthyroidism by just eating foods, these foods will improve your condition and give you ease during your medications.

3.1. Cruciferous Vegetables

Cruciferous vegetables are a good source of vitamins A, C, and K. They also contain some amount of minerals like folate. Except for this it also reduces thyroid hormone production which is the ultimate reason for hyperthyroidism.

For hyperthyroidism patients, cruciferous vegetables are good to consume because they mainly interfere with iodine and ultimately interfere with hormone production. In this way, it reduces the level of thyroxine and also reduces iodine uptake by the thyroid for the production of hormones. Hence, it keeps the body in a normal state.

The best cruciferous vegetables for hyperthyroidism patients are broccoli, cauliflower, collard greens, turnip roots, kale, arugula, mustard, bamboo shoots, and Brussels sprouts.

3.2. Healthy fats

A healthy fat contains omega-3 fatty acids and unsaturated fats that reduce the risk of disease. Fats are essential for the body because they absorb vitamins like A, D & E. Lack of fats in your diet will result in vitamin deficiency and a weak immune system. In hyperthyroidism, fats are essential to protect the thyroid gland and also balance thyroid hormones.

Always make sure to eat nondairy fats as they are good in low-iodine diets. For healthy fats, you can add avocado, unsalted seeds, and nuts into your diet. Some oils contain healthy fats which you can use to cook food. These are such as olive oil, avocado oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, coconut oil, and flaxseed oil.

3.3. Certain Spices

Turmeric
Image by Darya Pino on Flickr

Indian cuisine is always unique for its taste and use of spices. Spices play a significant role in the Indian culture not just because of taste or flavor, but also of their health benefits. Indian spices have nutritional value to cure any disease or health issue. Well, not all spices are good for hyperthyroidism, but some spices will help to reduce thyroid disease and manage thyroid function.6

Green chilis and turmeric are the best spices to cure overactive thyroid diseases such as hyperthyroidism. The anti-inflammatory properties of turmeric help to fight autoimmune thyroid diseases like Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.7

3.4. Low Iodine Foods

Iodine plays an important role in the synthesis of thyroid hormones8. When the level of iodine increases, it will increase thyroid hormone, which ultimately causes overactive thyroid disease. Hence, it is important to take a low-iodine diet.

Low-iodine foods that are good for hyperthyroidism such as egg whites, non-iodized salt, canned fruit, unsalted nuts, bread without salt, oats, honey, potatoes, maple syrup, and many other food items that have low iodine content.

A low-iodine diet is also important for those persons who are going to take radioactive iodine treatment.

3.5. Selenium Containing Foods

Oatmeal
Image by Ella Olsson on Flickr

Selenium is a micronutrient with antioxidant activity. It helps in the removal of free radicals produced at the time of thyroid hormone production. In Graves disease, selenium supplements are not only good for thyroid health but also the metabolism of thyroid hormones.

Food that is rich in selenium is Brazil nuts, Fish and eggs, Organs, Cereals, Seafood, Fortified pasta, Oatmeal, and Spinach.

3.6. Calcium Supplements

One of the major symptoms of hyperthyroidism is bone weakening due to osteoporosis. Bone density decreases because of too much thyroid hormone and thyroid medication. That’s why the doctor recommended that patients with autoimmune thyroid diseases or hyperthyroidism need to take calcium in their diet.

As calcium is an essential element for bones, calcium-containing food is good for hyperthyroidism. For example, milk, ice cream, yogurt, cheese, fortified orange juice sardines, canned salmon, tofu, soy milk, and bok choy.

Vitamin D deficiency is also a major issue that has been observed in people suffering from hyperthyroidism. The best source of vitamin D is sunlight, so try to sit in sunlight for 10 minutes in the morning. Although it is not mentioned on the list of what foods are good for hyperthyroidism, vitamin D-containing food is also good for hyperthyroidism.

3.7. Iron-Rich Foods

This is the last one on the list of foods that are good for hyperthyroidism but very important. No matter what kind of thyroid disease you have whether hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid) or hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid), a deficiency of iodine is observed in both cases. That’s why iron-containing food is good for thyroid function and health.

Iron-rich foods are white beans, kidney beans, dark chocolate, lentils, raisins, fortified cereals, tofu, spinach, chickpeas, and green leafy vegetables.

These are some essential nutrients in this list of foods that are good for hyperthyroidism, which you need to add to your diet chart.

4. Foods to Avoid in Hyperthyroidism

Some foods may cause allergies and negative impacts if you take them during hyperthyroidism treatment. Hence, it is very important to note what foods are good for hyperthyroidism or what is needed to avoid during hyperthyroidism medication.

4.1. Fatty Foods

All junk food and fried food are the main sources of bad fats that cause many diseases. Fats disrupt the body’s ability to absorb thyroid hormones. This will ultimately affect thyroid health and cause hyperthyroidism.

4.2. Soy Foods

In some people, soy food causes an imbalance in thyroid hormone levels. This will affect the hyperthyroidism medication process, therefore it is important to avoid soy food during medication for hyperthyroidism. You can also do this thing to take a break of at least 4-5 hours between eating soy food and medication.

4.3. Gluten

A gluten-free diet is good for persons who have hyperthyroidism. This is because in some people it has been observed that gluten causes inflammation in them. But it is not common for all people. Some have a gluten allergy and some don’t. A study has also proposed the positive effect of a gluten-free diet on women with autoimmune thyroid disease.

Instead of all this, to avoid the chance of inflammation it is recommended to reduce or restrict gluten consumption. If you are suffering from hyperthyroidism then try to avoid barley, malt, wheat, and brewer’s yeast as they contain gluten.

4.4. Processed Foods

Processed food contains a high amount of sodium which is responsible for high blood pressure. In the case of an underactive thyroid, sodium uptake increases the risk of high blood pressure. While in hyperthyroidism, sodium consumption makes the condition more severe.

Hence, it is very important to avoid processed food or sodium consumption during thyroid disease.

4.5. Caffeine

Excess of anything leads to trouble. Similarly, excess consumption of caffeine causes symptoms of hyperthyroidism. Due to this, you can’t discriminate whether your body showing symptoms of hyperthyroidism or just the symptoms of caffeine. Hence, it is necessary to avoid caffeine during hyperthyroidism meditation.

5. Conclusion

Although hyperthyroidism is not a preventable disease you can control it through proper medication and a healthy diet. And most important is to know what foods are good for hyperthyroidism. If you have hyperthyroidism or Graves disease then add above mentioned food and nutrients to your diet.

Always try to eat home-cooked food instead of eating restaurant or street food items. The last important note is to talk with your doctor before changing your diet plan. So, don’t stress about hyperthyroidism, live a happy and healthy lifestyle with a healthy diet. If you have any doubts or want to know more about a healthy diet regarding thyroid disorders, then let us know in the comment section.

The Prevalence of Thyroid Disease In The United States
Icy Health
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  3. Brown, B. L., et al. “Specific antibodies to triiodothyronine hormone.” Nature 226.5243 (1970): 359-359. ↩︎
  4. Trivalle, Christophe, et al. “Differences in the signs and symptoms of hyperthyroidism in older and younger patients.” Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 44.1 (1996): 50-53. ↩︎
  5. Kofoed, Christina LF, et al. “Determinants of dietary supplement use–healthy individuals use dietary supplements.” British Journal of Nutrition 113.12 (2015): 1993-2000. ↩︎
  6. Walsh, John P. “Managing thyroid disease in general practice.” Medical Journal of Australia 205.4 (2016): 179-184. ↩︎
  7. Ragusa, Francesca, et al. “Hashimotos’ thyroiditis: Epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinic and therapy.” Best Practice & Research Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 33.6 (2019): 101367. ↩︎
  8. Rousset, Bernard, et al. “Thyroid hormone synthesis and secretion.” (2015). ↩︎

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Laveleena Sharma

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