Diet For Hypothyroidism: What To Eat And What to Avoid

Contributed by – Healthians Team

Do you suffer from sudden weight gain, lack of energy, loss in appetite? You might be a victim of hypothyroidism.

Thyroid disorders plague our nation with increasing number of cases everyday affecting people of all age groups. Although more common in women thyroid problems spares no one. Any disturbance in the levels of thyroid hormones can wreak complete havoc on our health. Our unhealthy living habits are the major cause of increase in number of cases of  hypothyroidism.

Thyroid gland is crucial for the normal functioning of our body. The butterfly shaped gland plays an extremely important role and is responsible for several bodily functions like:

• Maintaining body temperature
• Regulates cholesterol levels
• Maintain BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) and is responsible for regulating the metabolism
• Controls heart rate
• Affects menstrual cycle
• Helps in synthesizing proteins and metabolic process

Food plays such a major role, they can either make or break our health. The secret to healthy life is in choosing your foods wisely as per your health requirements. Let us discuss all about the dietary do’s and don’ts for hypothyroidism.

Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism is a condition where the thyroid gland is underactive and is unable to produce enough hormones. Also known as hashimoto’s thyroiditis is an autoimmune disorder where the immune system attacks and destroys the thyroid glands. The most common symptoms for hypothyroidism includes:

• Weight gain
• Depression
• Memory fog
• Weakness
• Dry skin
• Difficulty in losing weight

Getting diagnosed with hypothyroidism can be really scary and change your life forever. But proper and consistent lifestyle changes with perseverance can help you deal with it. The best way to deal with this disorder is take your life in control and make proper and healthy changes in your daily lifestyle starting from exercise routine to daily diet.

The Dietary Do’s For Hypothyroidism

The major and most important dietary suggestions or do’s to manage hypothyroidism are:

• Drink more water as staying hydrated can cure half your problems
• Eggs are a really good source of nutrients and should be included in the daily diet
• Have foods rich in antioxidants like tomatoes, bellpeppers, cherries, oranges etc.
• Foods rich in selenium like meat, chicken, tuna etc. are highly recommended
• Increase your fibre intake, include more whole grain, nuts and fruits
• A cup of green tea daily as it is a really good source of antioxidant
• Control your iodine intake
• Healthy seeds like chia seeds, flaxseeds are really beneficial
• Have more diary products as they are really good
• Foods rich in zinc are really good like chicken, shellfish etc.
• Include garlic, onions in your daily diet

The Dietary Don’ts For Hypothyroidism

Inorder to tackle hypothyroidism some foods have to be avoided which can otherwise hinder with your health like:

• Soy products are a complete no
• Donot indulge in alcohol consumption
• Smoking can be a really bad choice for someone suffering from hypothyroidism
• Avoid vegetables like kale, turnip, spinach, cabbages
• Fruits like strawberries, peaches should be avoided
• Avoid peanuts
• Processed foods are a really unhealthy choice, avoid them
• Regulate your caffeine intake as it can irritate your thyroid glands
• Avoid foods high in sugar content

A little change in our daily diet can boost our health and help us fight thyroid. Staying aware of one’s health conditions and working on it is the smartest way to live. Good health starts with healthy habits, start today on the path of healthy and a much happier you.