The thyroid produces thyroid hormones that regulate blood pressure, body temperature, energy levels, heart rate, mood, and metabolism. When the thyroid is not functioning properly, one can experience a variety of symptoms, including problems with weight, hair loss, mood swings, fatigue, and other serious health issues. Luckily, there are several things you can do to improve the health of your thyroid gland. Maintaining a healthy body weight, adequate exercise, a proper night’s sleep, decreasing stress and smoking cessation can increase thyroid production. Limiting caffeine and alcohol consumption also helps to decrease inflammation in the thyroid gland and improve thyroid hormone production. In addition to these lifestyle modifications, there are several foods for thyroid health that can reduce many of the symptoms of thyroid issues.
Foods for Thyroid Healing
- Beans
Beans offer a great way to add complex carbohydrates, protein, antioxidants, vitamins, and 
- Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
Weight gain is another symptom of a thyroid problem. Eating a low calorie diet filled with fresh fruits and vegetables can help you successfully lose weight. For best results, include fresh vegetables and fruits with each meal. Certain fruits and veggies like sweet potatoes, cherries, green peppers, and blueberries have a plethora of antioxidants, which can help to reduce inflammation and damage to the thyroid gland. Those dealing with symptoms of hypothyroidism should limit the amount of raw cruciferous veggies. Raw cruciferous vegetables can block the iodine absorption, which is necessary for healthy thyroid function, however cooked cruciferous vegetables are still a healthy option.
- Iodine Rich Foods
Iodine is a precursor of thyroid hormones. Seaweed, including dulse, wakame, and nori, can be added to soups, salads, or sushi to increase the amount of iodine in your diet. In addition to this, seaweed provides several nutrients for thyroid health, including vitamin A, B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E, and vitamin E. Additionally, seaweed contains calcium and fiber. If you are taking an iodine supplement, talk with your doctor before consuming iodine rich foods like seaweed as consuming too much iodine can worsen thyroid conditions.
- Nuts
Nuts, especially hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, and macadamia nuts, are rich in selenium. Studies have shown that selenium helps to improve thyroid function naturally. Selenium provides antioxidant protection and helps remove free radicals. Furthermore, selenium helps to metabolize thyroid hormones. Maintaining a healthy level of selenium in the body can help prevent thyroid disease and increase your overall health.
- Omega 3 Fatty Acids
Omega 3 fatty acids are found in fatty fish like tuna, wild caught salmon, trout, and sardines. Hypothyroidism, when not properly managed, can increase your risk of developing heart disease due to increased LDL (bad cholesterol) levels. Omega 3 fatty acids have been shown to decrease inflammation, increase immunity, and decrease the risk of heart disease. In addition to this, these fatty fish offer a great source of selenium, which helps reduce inflammation in the body and improve the functionality of the thyroid gland.
- Whole Grains
One of the main symptoms of hypothyroidism is constipation. Whole grains like rice, bread, pasta, and cereal helps to regulate the bowels. However, too much fiber can interfere with synthetic thyroid hormones. Therefore, foods high in dietary fiber should be avoided two or three hours before and after eating to ensure your thyroid medication works properly.
Eating a diet filled with thyroid nourishing foods can improve your thyroid gland. In addition to that, regular exercise, stress relief techniques, and healthy lifestyle changes can also help improve your thyroid gland. Regular exercise helps to prevent constipation, helps balance hormones, and aids in weight management. Include both cardiovascular exercises and strengthen training exercises to improve your thyroid health and promote a healthy weight. Ideally aim for 30 minutes of exercise or movement daily. Stress reduction is equally as important and implementing stress reduction techniques like yoga, meditation, and journaling on a regular basis improves thyroid function. Increased stress levels can prevent the thyroid from producing enough thyroid hormone. Furthermore, stress can increase systemic inflammation.
If you are suffering from a thyroid condition and want to improve your health naturally, our team of thyroid specialists can help. After your health history has been taken, our team of thyroid specialists will offer suggestions to improve your health. These suggestions may include dietary changes, lifestyle alterations, hormone replacement therapy, and stress reduction techniques.
