What Should I Eat With An Underactive Thyroid?

Hello and welcome to my musings on all things thyroid, food, and self-care. This week, “what should I eat with an underactive thyroid”?

Like you, I was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid quite some time ago and have gone on a rollercoaster ride looking for answers and solutions. I was SO FED UP with the constant tiredness, bloating, and feeling a bit “meh” in general. Fed up with the lack of support from my doctors and complete lack of hope. Fed up with not feeling like myself. And then everything changed.

Nutrition therapy and coaching changed my life and now I help others change theirs.

There is no magic solution to reverse all your thyroid symptoms. No magic pill or supplement to take. But it is most definitely possible. It’s possible to feel energised and ready to take on anything that life throws at you. To feel like YOU again.

And it all starts with food.

What the hell should I eat?

(print this out and stick to your fridge as a reminder!!)

7 Things To Eat To Boost Your Thyroid

Increase the nutritional value of food that you eat
Rather than following yet another fad restrictive diet out there, focus on eating real, unprocessed food and a balanced, wholesome diet. Make sure half of your plate consists of colourful veggies, complimented by complex carbs, high-quality protein with healthy fats, fibre and plenty of antioxidants.
Eat more quality protein
My favourite subject of all time! Protein is crucial for your body to make thyroid hormones and balance blood sugar levels well. Make sure to consume at least 1g of protein per kg of body weight. Especially important for brekkie. What to eat? Organic beef, pork, poultry, game. Don’t forget to include some organ meats, like liver! Fish, eggs, organic dairy, quinoa, legumes, nuts.
Consume foods rich in Zinc, Selenium and Magnesium
Sometimes we take levothyroxine, our labs are a-ok but we still feel crap. The culprit might be conversion issues from inactive T4 to active T3. To address that up your zinc, selenium and magnesium intake! What to eat? Brazil nuts, kale, spinach, chard.
Consume foods rich in vitamins A and D
Did you know you have thyroid hormone receptors throughout your body? In order to activate them, we must consume sufficient amounts of vitamin A and spend time in the sun to boost those vitamin D levels! What to eat? Eggs, oily fish, liver.
Cook cruciferous veggies
Cruciferous vegetables contain goitrogens that can interfere with thyroid function and hormone conversion. Thankfully there’s a solution – heat deactivates goitrogens so make sure you steam or boil your cruciferous veggies before eating them!
Avoid iodine if Hashimoto’s is the cause
Excessive intake of iodine has been linked with Hashimoto’s development. If you have determined that that’s the cause of your hypothyroidism, avoid any added iodine in your diet and in a supplemental form. Avoid seaweed, iodised salt, shrimp, and limit your whitefish and tuna intake.
Eliminate irritants
Yes, I am going to talk about gluten now as you might have guessed! If your symptoms persist or are getting worse it is recommended to try an elimination diet, which removes common irritants and allergens (like dairy and gluten) allowing your body and gut (where autoimmunity usually starts!) to heal.

This is usually carried out under a supervision of a nutrition specialist with the aim to possibly re-introduce some of the product groups after the healing phase and make sure your nutritional needs are met throughout the programme.

Good luck with putting the above into action! And definitely let me know how it goes or if you have any questions. Also, if you ever need more tailored advice on how to co-create a thyroid-friendly, healing meal plan, feel free to send me a message for a complimentary chat.