If you suffer from a disorder of the thyroid gland or you want to prevent a thyroid disease, be sure to avoid certain foods that may have a very negative impact on its operations and impair your health.
Thyroid what is it?
The thyroid is a small butterfly shaped gland located in the base of the neck and regulates many functions. This gland secretes hormones necessary for good health because they regulate the metabolism: mood, weight, sexuality, etc. When not working properly, the thyroid gland can lead to many disorders.
Here are six foods to avoid if you suffer from thyroid disorder
1. High-sugar foods
If you have a thyroid disorder, you must seek to stabilize the sugar levels in the blood by avoiding products rich in refined sugars (especially if you have an autoimmune thyroid disease).
Why? Sweet food can have a negative impact on pancreatic function, leading to insulin resistance, and therefore affect the thyroid gland which will reduce hormone production. You must therefore bear in mind the need to consume sugar as little as possible.
2. Fried food
If you take medication for your thyroid, have in mind that fried foods contain high amounts of trans fat that can impede their effectiveness, with a negative impact on the natural production of hormones from the thyroid gland. Most doctors do not recommend this type of food for people with thyroid disorders, so try to avoid them as much as possible.
3. Soybeans
Soybeans should be consumed in very moderate amounts because this food inhibits the absorption of your medication by the body (if you are taking medications to replace thyroid hormones).
It is recommended to wait at least four hours after taking thyroid medication before consuming soy, so that your body can metabolize each component individually: magnesium, calcium, nutrients, etc.
4. Cruciferous vegetables
Although cruciferous vegetables are essential for a healthy balanced diet, they should be avoided if you are being treated for thyroid disease (at least until it is stabilized). These foods, called “goitrogenic” such as watercress, turnip, radish, cabbage and horseradish, block the absorption of iodine by the thyroid gland.
However, you can eat them from time to time, in very small amounts and don’t remove them completely from your diet. You can compensate for this “lack” of cruciferous vegetables with all other vegetables, to vary your meals as much as possible and keep a balanced diet.
5.Coffee
An excessive consumption of coffee can alter the functioning of the thyroid gland (a moderate amount of coffee in general poses no problem).
In fact, drinking too much coffee can affect the functioning of the adrenal glands, causing in turn a malfunction of the thyroid gland and adrenal fatigue. Indeed, when you drink coffee, the adrenal glands release hormones (epinephrine and norepinephrine) that increase the blood pressure by stimulating the blood vessels. If you usually drink a lot of coffee for a long time, maybe you should think about stopping (or reducing) your consumption…
Foods that contain gluten
Gluten contains gliadin, a completely foreign protein to the human body. Therefore, when you eat foods rich in gluten, your thyroid is exposed to this protein. Why? The thyroid produces an enzyme whose structure is very similar to gliadin, it is the transglutaminase.
So when you eat gluten, the immune system triggers an attack reaction against gliadin and the similar enzyme in your thyroid. The thyroid may suffer from gluten consumption damages after six months, so the process is very long. If you have an autoimmune thyroid disease, you should get tested for celiac disease/gluten intolerance test regularly.
Whatever your food preference, keep in mind that maintaining a healthy thyroid is essential. Some foods mentioned in this article, such as fried foods are to be avoided as much as possible, others like green vegetables have more benefits than risks, so it is possible to reduce their consumption without the need to ban them completely. The most important is to keep a healthy and balanced diet.