- The health of your thyroid
is greatly influenced
by your eating patterns.
Therefore understanding the key nutrients
is especially important when your thyroid
is under-active.
(chimes)
In this video, we'll look
at some science-based
food recommendations for
those with hypothyroidism.
Firstly, it's important to note that
food on it's own cannot
cure a diagnosed case
of hypothyroidism.
Hormone replacement therapy
with prescription medication,
such as Levothyroxine
or desiccated thyroid
is necessary to restore thyroid function
in virtually all cases.
In saying that, if you have
underlying nutrient deficiencies
or food intolerance
that remains untreated,
thyroid medication becomes a band-aid
that doesn't help protect
the thyroid gland itself.
There are three main nutrients involved
in thyroid health that
you should be aware of.
The first for iodine,
which the thyroid requires
in order to produce thyroid hormone.
That's why a deficiency in iodine
can lead to an under-active thyroid.
However, a lack of iodine
is rarely the cause
of hypothyroidism in developed countries,
where it is added to
certain foods and abundant
in the food supply.
Nevertheless, including iodine-rich foods
in your diet is a good idea to be safe.
Navy beans, potatoes, eggs, cow's milk
and iodized salt are great
food sources of iodine,
although levels often
depend on iodine content
in the soil.
Seafood is also iodine-rich,
as marine animals
can concentrate iodine from sea water.
Not that if you have Hashimoto's disease,
which is, a majority of
all hypothyroidism cases,
then speak with your
doctor before you increase
your iodine intake, because
in some rare instances,
it can actually irritate the thyroid,
especially if you already
have swelling around there.
The next important nutrient is selenium,
which is an essential mineral that helps
your body recycle iodine.
In fact, the thyroid has
the highest selenium content
per gram of tissue of all our organs.
It's thought that low selenium levels
contribute to hypothyroidism
through alternate mechanisms
related to iodine.
For this reason, it's
fundamental to eat a diet
that contains many selenium-rich
foods, such as eggs,
legumes, brazil nuts, tuna and sardines,
and beef and chicken.
The last thing I want
to talk about is zinc.
This is an essential
mineral that's required
to regulate a hormone that stimulates
thyroid hormone production.
It's called TSH.
In fact, the metabolism of
zinc and thyroid hormones
are closely interlinked.
Which is why a deficiency
can lead to hair loss,
known medically as alopecia.
Studies show that zinc
deficiency is very uncommon
in the developed world.
But hypothyroidism can result
in acquired zinc deficiency.
So it's still recommended to eat a variety
of zinc-rich foods such
as oysters and shellfish,
beef and chicken, legumes, nuts and seeds,
and milk and yogurt.
In the case of hair loss, zinc supplements
are warranted, too.
So there you have it.
Iodine, selenium, and zinc
are the foods that you
need to be aware of.
Be sure to include foods
rich in these nutrients
in your every day eating pattern
to optimize thyroid health.
Just know that you're more at risk
of a deficiency in one or
more of these nutrients
if you are vegetarian or vegan,
which is when I would
talk with your doctor
about supplementation.
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