When you don’t have a healthy thyroid, symptoms can be difficult to manage. Constant fatigue paired with mood swings and uncontrolled weight fluctuations along with all of the other less-than-fun symptoms has a way of making you feel like a stranger in your own body.
Foods that Boost Thyroid Function
With winter settling in, we’ve started looking at the things we’d like to change in the new year, and finding ways to reclaim agency when it comes to our health should be top of the list.If you’re struggling to figure out what to eat that will help increase your thyroid function, we’ve compiled a list of foods that can help boost thyroid function and support your winter health resolutions.
Common Thyroid Issues: Hypothyroidism and Hyperthyroidism
Hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism are both thyroid conditions that can have serious implications for your health and quality of life. Hypothyroidism is when the thyroid gland underproduces the necessary hormones your body needs to regulate metabolism and other essential body processes, while hyperthyroidism is when your thyroid overproduces these hormones.
Both conditions can lead to symptoms such as:
- Fatigue
- Muscle soreness
- Irregular periods
- Thinning hair
- Sudden weight gain or weight loss
- Depression
- Anxiety and mood swings
- Memory issues
How Can Food Help?
While medication remains the primary way to treat thyroid conditions, studies show there are links between certain nutrient-rich foods and a healthy thyroid. We know that changes in the diet can make a big difference to your overall health and well-being, and there are certain foods that might benefit thyroid health specifically, such as foods high in resistant starch. We recommend introducing these foods into your regular diet to see how they work for you. Think of it as a thyroid reset diet to help give your body the boost it needs to function.
What Foods to Try
When it comes to foods that boost thyroid function, medical professionals have focused on specific nutrients that they believe have the largest impact on thyroid function: iodine, selenium, iron, and magnesium. We’ve compiled a list of foods rich in these nutrients for you to try.
Iodine
Iodine is essential for healthy thyroid function and is thankfully fairly easy to find in your diet. One of the easiest ways is through iodized salt, but some other great sources include seaweed, eggs, cottage cheese, and yogurt.
Selenium
Selenium is an important nutrient that protects the thyroid from damage caused by oxidative stress. A really great source of selenium is fish, but you can also find it in eggs, chicken, sunflower seeds, and most grains. Oatmeal for breakfast is another food that boosts thyroid function and is a great way to stave off winter chill while also starting your day off with a good dose of selenium to boost your metabolism.
Iron
Iron has been shown to have a positive impact on thyroid function, and the bonus is many iron-rich foods happen to overlap with other nutrients that have been shown to support the thyroid, such as iodine and selenium. Some iron-rich foods that make for great winter ingredients include steak, spinach, lentils, and sweet potatoes.
Magnesium
Magnesium is another common nutrient that studies have linked to supporting a healthy thyroid. Our personal favorite source of magnesium is dark chocolate, but if you want some alternatives you could also try avocados, almonds, fatty fish like salmon, or a mix of seeds including pumpkin and chia as more foods that boost thyroid function.
What Foods to Avoid
While there aren’t any foods that doctors can point to as direct causes of thyroid conditions, there are foods that have a negative effect on thyroid hormone production. In general, we recommend avoiding overly processed foods such as chips or cookies and replacing them with foods high in resistant starch, such as oats, lentils, and cooked and cooled rice or potatoes.
There have also been studies that indicate a correlation between high amounts of soy products in the diet and under-active thyroid function. Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli or Brussels Sprouts have also shown a negative impact on thyroid health, although this effect is often canceled out when there is a healthy amount of iodine in the diet. While this doesn’t mean you have to cut out these foods that may not boost thyroid function completely, it’s important to be aware of how they could impact your health goals.
Many of the foods listed above have all been shown to not only support thyroid health but also overall holistic health. Eating foods that boost thyroid function, such as foods high in resistant starch, can also improve heart health, reduce inflammation, and even help with painful or irregular periods. You’re not just addressing one issue when you eat foods that boost thyroid function; you’re resetting your entire system to run more efficiently.
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