The Role of Nutrition in Thyroid Function

Why does your diet matter when it comes to thyroid disease? Basically, the process of thyroid hormone function involves rearranging nutrients. If those nutrients are there in the wrong amounts, then the thyroid is not able to function properly.

This rearranging process is also supported by a huge range of enzymes and other activating compounds (like antioxidants). These also depend on levels of nutrients – this all makes the role of nutrition in your thyroid function incredibly important, so let’s dive in.

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Table of Contents

Nutrition and Thyroid Function: The Basic Process
Iodine & Iodine-Rich Foods
Exploring Iodine-Rich Foods to Avoid
Goitrogenic Foods and Thyroid Health
The Best Foods for Thyroid Patient Nutrition
The Best Food for Thyroid Patients

Nutrition and Thyroid Function: The Basic Process

Let’s start by detailing some of the “big players” that we’ll discuss today. These include:

• Iodine
• Tyrosine
• Selenium
• Iron
• Zinc

The basic process we’re dealing with is that the body takes a protein, the amino acid called tyrosine, and makes that into a large chain (a complex). That complex “makes space” to fit thirteen different iodine atoms.

When it is all filled up, the whole complex bends and folds and those iodine atoms link up with adjacent ones and make thyroid hormone (the production of T3 and T4). Once formed, they are brought back across the thyroid cells, into the bloodstream, and released accordingly.

This process involves oxidizing iodine, which is accomplished through thyroid peroxidase, which is further dependent on iron. This also requires the metabolism and regulation of iodine, which largely depends on deiodinase enzymes (many of these need zinc).

Finally, there is a wide range of antioxidants used within the thyroid, mainly to protect it from damage that may be caused by iodine. That’s because iodine releases a great deal of free radicals, which need to be well managed or they may otherwise be harmful to the body.

Many of these antioxidants rely on selenium. The big ones there included glutathione and superoxide dismutase.

Iodine & Iodine-Rich Foods

When we think about iodine, much of it comes from our diet. But there is a bit of a paradox here that we need to be mindful of: The thyroid needs iodine so badly that a little bit too much can cause the exact same problems as not enough.

The reason for all of this is that the thyroid needs iodine, but it needs it in incredibly-exact concentrations. If there is too much, it can also start throwing out the iodine that it already has – leading to that effect where too much is the same as none at all.

When it comes to our thyroid specific diet and nutrition, the fact is that many foods contain iodine. One of the biggest issues is that, for those dealing with thyroid disease, it is almost too easy to get enough iodine.

Exploring Iodine-Rich Foods to Avoid

The most iodine-rich food is seaweed (aka sea vegetables). They possess so much iodine that they are not really safe. They almost always cause problems for those with thyroid disease.

The same is true for iodized salt. Salt can have naturally occurring iodine or iodine synthetically added into it. In both of those cases, the amount of iodine becomes problematic for those who already have thyroid disease. Both sea salt and Himalayan salt have naturally occurring iodine.

We also need to be mindful of seafood from the ocean, especially thin fish (as opposed to something like scallops). Dairy foods also may have iodine, but iodine in the form of a contaminant and a byproduct of processing.

There is also a fair amount of iodine that can be found in egg yolks.

Another thing to watch is the case of processed grains. Many people with thyroid disease may choose to cut out gluten and dairy, and they find that to be helpful for them.

But when we look at gluten on its own, they don’t seem to be a problem for the thyroid. But in the form that most people consume them, they end up carrying a lot of iodine. That means that the iodine with the gluten is not the issue, and not necessarily the gluten on its own.

List of Iodine-Rich Foods

To quickly summarize, I want to provide a list that you can hopefully copy and take with you. Here is a quick summary of the iodine-rich foods that may be worth avoiding if you’re struggling with thyroid disease of your thyroid health in general:

• Sea vegetables (seaweed)
• Iodized salt and salt with naturally occurring iodine (i.e. sea salt and Himalayan)
• Thin fish from the ocean
• Dairy foods
• Egg yolks
• Processed grains

Goitrogenic Foods and Thyroid Health

In addition to iodine-rich foods, we also need to keep in mind what are known as goitrogenic foods. These foods are talked about a lot when it comes to thyroid nutrition because they are seen as quite problematic.

By definition, goitrogenic refers to something that has the ability to generate a goiter. A goiter is an enlarged thyroid – therefore, it would seem logical that foods that are categorized as goitrogenic would be a problem for someone with thyroid disease.

To kick us off, here’s a list of commonly-observed goitrogenic foods:

• Soy
• Cruciferous vegetables
• Sweet potatoes
• Strawberries
• Tea
• Millet
• Coffee
• Peanuts
• Chickpeas

Remember, this is not an exhaustive list. In fact, there are very few plant foods at all that don’t at least have some goitrogenic properties.

This all goes to show that our modern diet comes from a wide range of foods from a wide range of places. We’re no longer limited to only locally-grown food or a limited variety of options in our diet, as would have been the case in past generations.

What all this does is highlight the importance of being cognisant of what is in our diet and what we are putting in our bodies. As mentioned earlier, iodine is easy to come by and it’s easy for iodine to trigger a less-than-healthy setup for our thyroid.

The thing to keep in mind is that you don’t want to live squarely off any of these foods. You want a good mixture of things in your diet. So, let’s talk about building that diet and how you can properly get the right nutrition for your thyroid.

The Best Foods for Thyroid Patient Nutrition

Simply put, the best foods for thyroid patients and thyroid nutrition are foods that are diverse. Foods that have a wide range of helpful nutrients that I mentioned earlier (things like selenium, iron, and zinc).

At the same time, we need to minimize the foods that have inappropriate amounts of iodine in them. But let’s talk about how we can get plenty of those good nutrients.

Broken down by each and starting with selenium, you can consider these foods:

• Brazil nuts
• Sunflower seeds
• Brown rice

For iron, you may want to consider adding some of the following to your diet:

• Meat (like dark poultry)
• Lentils
• White beans
• Leafy greens

Finally, for zinc, we may want to consider the following:

• Pumpkin seeds
• Lentils

The main thing to know here is that diet can make a big difference to your thyroid health. The truth of the matter is that studies that were done on regulating iodine specifically were shown to reverse thyroid disease for most adults (60-78% of adults).

If you carefully regulate iodine and get a wide range of healthy foods, there is a good chance of recovering completely from thyroid disease.

The Best Food for Thyroid Patients

When we talk about thyroid health and nutrition, we don’t need to look at foods alone. We need to focus on our diet and holistic view of iodine in our system. If we can regulate that, we can take massive steps toward optimal thyroid health.

Many people pursue diets that may be good for some, and may have merits in some cases, but don’t have the studies to back them up (especially for those actively struggling with thyroid disease). Iodine regulation can solve that.

I hope you’ll take this to heart and take the opportunity to help manage and potentially reverse thyroid disease through iodine regulation. If you want to learn more, I’d love for you to check out the Thyroid Reset Diet or take the Thyroid Quiz today to get started.

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

1. Schedule a Thyroid Second Opinion with me, Dr. C, Click Here for Details
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Dr. Alan Glen Christianson (Dr. C) is a Naturopathic Endocrinologist and the author of The NY Times bestselling Hormone Healing Cookbook, The Metabolism Reset Diet, and The Thyroid Reset Diet.

Dr. C’s gift for figuring out what works has helped hundreds of thousands reverse thyroid disease, heal their adrenals, and lose weight naturally. Learn more about the surprising story that started his quest.