Are Beets Safe For Your Thyroid?

Hi, Dr. C –

I read your Hormone Healing Cookbook and wanted to try the recipe for beet cookies. But I have thyroid disease and heard that beets could be a problem for blood sugar. Are they safe for me?

– Elizabeth

Hi Elizabeth,

Great question. The short answer is that beets (also known as beetroot) and carrots are good for thyroid disease sufferers and they are healthy foods.

The full answer illustrates the complexity of foods being more than the sum of their parts. This blog will give you the full story of the various paradoxes and the benefits of using beets for thyroid conditions.

Enjoy!

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Big Picture: Beets & Your Thyroid

But, I want to dig a bit deeper into it for you. That way, you can learn how researchers came to this conclusion about beets for thyroid patients.

The closest thing to an actual risk out there came from one study. This was an isolated, unpublished study that centered around people who had a history of hormonally sensitive breast cancer.

It suggested that those same people who consumed unusually high amounts of carrot or beet juice may have a higher rate of developing thyroid nodules, an issue I discuss in my blog post about how to shrink thyroid nodules naturally.

However, as I mentioned, this study was isolated and not reproduced. In fact, it suggested that beets were beneficial in more typical dosages.

So when discussing vegetables like beets and carrots, are they good for thyroid health or is there a hidden danger when adding these to your diet?

The Full Story

So, what’s the situation with beets for thyroid health? Let me start with something of an education.

Beets contain something in them called “betaine.” Betaine is an amino acid, an important nutrient that provides essential benefits to your body. Betaine is an antioxidant and may help fight heart disease and promote optimal protein synthesis within the body. Carrots do not contain much betaine but can absorb it during preparation, allowing it to transfer into your body.

An additional benefit of consuming beets is that they support methylation, which is critical to the overall body as it regulates hormones and provides detoxification.

MTHFR abnormalities are common in nearly 100 percent of autoimmune thyroid disease patients. The appropriate dosage of beets for thyroid patients is 1/2 cup in a cooked or juiced form, and servings should be served 2 or 3 times per week.

While betaine in beets and carrots is good for thyroid patients and for overall health, what else do these root vegetables hold?

Nitrates and Nitrites

All this talk about beets for thyroid patients brings us to a larger topic of discussion for today: nitrates and nitrites.

They may sound similar, and while they are often confused with one another, there is a lot of data suggesting that high amounts of nitrites can correlate with certain risks.

Here’s where you can find nitrates:

• Vegetables
• Lettuce
• Spinach
• Cabbage
• Beet Root (the taproot portion of the beet plant)
• Rocket
• Radish
• Drinking Water

On the other hand, you can find nitrites in:

• Processed Meats
• Animal Food Products

Nitrates are Not Nitrites

While some out there may assume that nitrates are bad, the list above is anything but. When considering what is good for the thyroid, beetroot, carrot, and other vegetables are not our enemies due to nitrates, which are different from nitrites.

Dietary nitrates may have special benefits when it comes to things like:

• Antioxidants
• Nitrosamine Formation
• Blood Circulation
• Vascular Health
• Blood Pressure
• Athletic Performance

Are Nitrates Active in Beets?

I’m often asked if nitrates are an active ingredient in beets. So, is that true?

Well, no, beets are the active ingredient in beets! For thyroid patients and most other people, beets present no undue threat.

In cases like these, I believe that it only creates confusion when one tries to equate the effects of whole foods to one constituent.

The same goes for food like bacon. Just like beets, bacon is the active ingredient in bacon, and not much else. That goes for saturated fat, salt, or nitrites – it’s just bacon.

Most epidemiologic studies that I have seen are clear. Somewhere under 20-30 grams of bacon daily is harmless for most risks. Going above that, though, does raise the risk of stomach and esophageal cancer.

While it may not present the health risk it has been accused of, cutting down on bacon and substituting beets and carrots is good for thyroid patients and anyone else wanting to reduce cholesterol and support their overall health.

Nitrates, Nitrites, and Thyroid Function

I recently came across a meta-analysis that was written to understand the effects of nitrates and nitrites on the thyroid. Here is what they found (and what I found most interesting):

“Animal studies have mainly confirmed the anti-thyroid effects of nitrate/nitrite, especially in high-extreme doses, a hypothesis not yet confirmed in human studies.”

“Our meta-analysis of epidemiological surveys showed no significant association between nitrate exposure and the risk of thyroid cancer, hyper-, and hypothyroidism, and only a significant association was found between higher exposures to nitrite and the risk of thyroid cancer.”

What does this all mean for you?

As I mentioned before while discussing beets for thyroid patients, in terms of active ingredients, smaller amounts of nitrates and nitrites may not be harmful because the food itself is not defined by just one piece of the puzzle.

So while in many cases the betaine in beets and carrots is good for the thyroid, is it the same situation for nitrates? To understand, we need to look at the bigger picture. This means that dietary nitrates may come with some profound health benefits, but it does not mean we need to engage with them in large amounts.

Nitrates, Beets, and Your Health

The big takeaway message is that vegetables and foods high in nitrates likely come with health benefits. There is no evidence showing that they are harmful to those with thyroid disease. It’s more likely that nitrate-rich beets are good for thyroid patients.

That said, many lines of evidence have shown that smoked and processed meats, when consumed in amounts above 30 grams per day, can raise the risk of several cancers.

Thyroid cancer may be more probable for those who consume high amounts of dietary nitrites in general. So, it is all about keeping your consumption low.

Let’s Cook With Beets!

Before we go today, I want to share a colorful recipe that is rich in carrots and beets, good for thyroid patients, and filled with beneficial nutrients.

It’s one of my absolute favorites, and I think it will become a weeknight staple for you and your family.

Here’s my recipe for Cold Potato, Beet, Carrot, and Pea Salad with Dill!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup coarsely chopped red onion
• 2 medium beets (beetroots), tops trimmed
• 3 medium potatoes
• 2 medium carrots, cut into ½ inch pieces
• ½ cup chopped dill pickles
• ¼ cup chopped fresh dill
• ¼ cup macadamia nut oil
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tsp prepared whole-grain mustard
• ½ tsp Kosher salt
• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• ½ cup frozen petite green peas, thawed

The directions are simple. Cooking potatoes, carrots, and beets for good thyroid support is no different than any other kind of healthy cooking.

• To prepare the beets, first cut them in half. Steam until they are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, 20 to 35 minutes depending on size. Let cool. Use a paring knife to pull off loosened skins. Cut the beets for this thyroid-friendly recipe into ½ inch cubes.
• Place potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook covered, until almost tender, about 15 minutes. Add carrots and cook until potatoes are tender and carrots are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes more. Drain and let cool. With a paring knife, peel loosened skins from potatoes and cut potatoes into ½ inch cubes.
• Combine beets, potatoes, carrots, pickles, onion, and half the dill in a large salad bowl. Whisk together oil, vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper in a small bowl until blended. Pour over vegetables and gently fold to combine. Serve at room temperature or chilled. Just before serving, spoon peas over the top of the salad and sprinkle with the remaining half of the dill.

Enjoy! Using colorful produce like carrots and beets for good thyroid-friendly recipes is a great way to add color to your meals and support your metabolism.

Are You Concerned About Your Thyroid?

Your thyroid is essential to your health.

That’s why it matters to get an accurate read on how it performs and completes the puzzle of your overall health.

Take the Thyroid Quiz today to learn more. I hope it will help you.

P.S. Whenever you are ready, here is how I can help you now:

1. Schedule a Thyroid Second Opinion with me, Dr. C.
2. Need a personalized supplement? Check out my Thyroid Specific Formulations.
3. Download and use my Favorite Recipes Cookbook.
4. Check out my podcast Medical Myths, Legends, and Fairytales.

Using natural products like carrots and beets for good thyroid support is one way you can improve your nutrition, starting today. For additional help, see my Free Resources page.

Dr. Alan Glen Christianson (Dr. C) is a Naturopathic Endocrinologist and the author of The NY Times bestselling Adrenal Reset Diet, The Metabolism Reset Diet, and The Thyroid Reset Diet.

Dr. C’s gift for figuring out what really works has helped hundreds of thousands of people reverse thyroid disease, lose weight, and diabetes, and regain energy. Learn more about the surprising story that started his quest.