Doctors tend to subscribe pills for life for hypothyroidism without any lifestyle suggestions.
That is sad because hypothyroidism can be managed and even cured using simple diet changes.
A study in the Archives of Pharmacy reviewed the data and revealed five food do’s and two don’t’s if you have been diagnosed with hypothyroidism.
University of Belgrade researchers consulted the scientific literature on the relationship between dietary factors and thyroid dysfunction.
These are the five do’s:
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1. Consume enough iodine. Iodine is present in foods such as seaweed, fish, shellfish, dairy, eggs, chicken, beef liver, and iodized salt. Excessive amounts of iodine can cause hypothyroidism, so do not take supplements that contain more than one gram per day.
2. Without selenium, your thyroid gland cannot make its hormones, so eat enough Brazil nuts, fish (especially tuna), pork, beef, turkey, chicken, eggs, beans, lentils, brown rice, and cottage cheese.
3. You must consume inositol, which is present in high-bran cereals, oranges, legumes, and nuts.
4. Carnitine is an amino acid involved in thyroid hormone production. All animal foods include it, such as meat, fish, dairy, and eggs. Vegans can obtain it from tempeh, avocado, whole grains, and peanuts.
5. Melatonin, the sleep hormone, is mostly produced by your body, but you can help it along with melatonin supplements as you age and your body produces less of it.
These are the two don’t’s:
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1. Don’t consume excessive amounts of goitrogens, which block your body from processing thyroid hormones. They are found in broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, rutabaga, radish, horseradish, turnip, and soy products.
2. Don’t consume resveratrol. It is an extremely healthy flavonoid that you can consume if you don’t yet have hypothyroidism, but if you do, you should avoid it. It is present in grapes, wine, grape juice, peanuts, pistachios, cocoa, blueberries, and cranberries.
Beyond diet, it is also important to exercise, keep your stress level under control, and keep yourself free of infections.
The problem with this study is that it was focused on managing thyroid hormone levels rather than actually curing hypothyroidism — which is actually not difficult to do.