How to Optimize Your Diet for Hypothyroidism

[In my clinical practice, I see so many women struggling with thyroid conditions leading to issues with weight, energy, fertility, and more. Medication can sometimes – but not always – help.

While food alone is not a quick fix, many doctors underestimate the essential role of diet for hypothyroidism, and some fairly simple adjustments can go a long way to support both relief from symptoms and true healing. ~ Holistic Squid]

The thyroid is the master gland in the body that orchestrates far more than we give it credit for. It produces hormones which are responsible for everything from regulating breathing, heart rate, body temperature, cholesterol regulation, and metabolism, among many other things.

Simply speaking, when the hormones are under producing it's called hypothyroidism, if they are overproducing it's called hyperthyroidism.

When diet can help hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism is caused by two reasons. The most common is Hashimoto's thyroiditis – an autoimmune condition, and less common is iodine deficiency. Both are affected by diet.

Conventional hypothyroid treatment usually overlooks using the diet as a means for treatment. Since the thyroid functions by secreting hormones, usually the prescription for treating underactive thyroid is replacing the hormones. However, foods can play an important role in supporting or suppressing the way the thyroid works.

The role of gluten in diet for hypothyroidism

If you have Hashimoto's thyroiditis, diet plays a huge role in being able to manage the health of your thyroid gland, and the ability to create thyroid hormones.

According to Dr. Alessio Fasano, the leading researcher in autoimmune diseases, by definition of autoimmunity you also have intestinal permeability, also known as leaky gut syndrome. One of the food sources of leaky gut is gluten-the icky, sticky protein molecule found in wheat, barley, rye, and spelt (source).

Eating gluten triggers the lining of the gut to release a protein, zonulin, that interferes with the cellular lining of the gut allowing undigested proteins to enter into the bloodstream.

This causes the immune system to react and attack the undigested protein, resulting in a cascade of immune responses, ultimately leading to the immune system attacking the thyroid if genetically susceptible.

There are a variety of other foods that can cause a cross reaction, creating a similar immune reaction to gluten. Some of these foods include dairy (both proteins of dairy including whey & casein), corn, soy, chocolate, yeast, coffee, and some non-glutenous grains such as millet, amaranth, buckwheat, sorghum, oats, and rice.

The best way to determine what foods cause an immune response for you is through a blood test. This can be done through a food sensitivity test that will test for IgG and IgA immunoglobulins, such as Cyrex labs Array 4. This is a great test to confirm what foods are wreaking havoc on your immune system.

Seven foods to include in your diet for hypothyroidism

#1 – Healthy carbs

When the thyroid is underactive, you must always look at the adrenal glands too. Both are endocrine glands that lean on each other for balance of hormones – such as cortisol, DHEA, T3 and T4.

Though a reduced carb diet can help some, trying to cut carbs too much can be counterproductive for supporting the thyroid, as this can make blood sugar irregular and affect the amount of hormones the thyroid and adrenals are able to produce. 

Rather than cutting out carbs all together, it's more important to look at the quality of carbs. Your carbs should come from fruits, veggies, potatoes – both white and sweet, and raw dairy (if you tolerate it), as they are natural, unprocessed, and nutrient-rich.

#2 – Eggs

Eat them any way you like – boiled, scrambled, fried, poached, or if you are brave crack a pastured egg yolk into your smoothie. The yolk contains most of the nutrients, but the white contains tyrosine, an amino acid that is the basic building block for the thyroid hormones T3 and T4.

#3 – Leafy greens

All dark leafy greens including spinach, Swiss chard, kale, mustard and collard greens provide a plethora of nutrients, namely magnesium to support thyroid health.

#4 – Nuts

Raw nuts can be sprinkled onto a salad or yogurt, used to crust fish before broiling, or just popped into your mouth as a snack. They are a great source of magnesium and Brazil nuts, specifically, are an excellent source of selenium, which decreases thyroid antibodies.

#5 – Grass fed red meat

Both beef and lamb, all cuts and cooking techniques are great sources of zinc. I really enjoy combining them to make Greek meatballs or burger patties.

#6 – Seaweed

The most common one that I enjoy is kelp. I scrunch a sheet of kelp into a metal tea strainer and add it when making broth or soups. I also use kelp flakes as a seasoning when cooking. Seaweed salads, seaweed snacks, and other forms of seaweed such as nori, kombu, dulse all provide iodine which is also necessary for building thyroid hormones.

#7 – Oysters

Eat them raw (in South Louisiana we live by the rule that you only eat raw oysters in months that end in the letter R), chargrilled, or cooked into a soup or stew. They have the highest amount of zinc of any food and they also have some magnesium in them too. It's a two-fer. Zinc helps to activate the inactive thyroid hormone and magnesium supports the adrenal, to support the thyroid.

A day of meals for supporting thyroid health

It can be easy to get hung up on the list of foods that may be problematic when planning your diet. However, when you put your focus on the foods that support your thyroid, it's easier to make changes. Here is what a day's worth of meals would look like:

Breakfast  – 2 fried eggs and veggie hash

Lunch – Oyster stew made with kelp in the broth – recipe coming soon!

Supper – Greek meatballs with creamed spinach & artichokes, and a baked sweet potato

Snacks – a handful of nuts, seaweed snacks

What has worked best for YOUR diet for hypothyroidism?

For more reading on fine tuning your diet for hypothyroidism check out Hashimoto's Thyroiditis: Lifestyle Interventions for Finding and Treating the Root Cause.

Daphne Olivier is a registered, yet unconventional dietitian who runs My Food Coach, her nutrition coaching practice. She has a passion for real food and how it affects the body. Daphne works with individuals and groups, in person and online. 

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