Foods to Avoid If You Have Hypothyroidism

I am finding out that there is so much that I do not know about my thyroid condition.  I have hypothyroidism, I was diagnosed about 5 years ago and I am supposed to take Levothyroxine daily for it.  My problem is that with my new insurance I had to find a new doctor, so I have not had any of my medication for months.  My doctor’s appointment isn’t for another month. So I have been doing some research to find out all that I can about this, what I should eat etc.

I have found that there are certain foods that I should be avoiding or limiting. I am still researching this, so please don't take my word for it. Verify it! 

One of them is soy.   I don’t think that will be a problem unless there is hidden soy in the food that I am eating.  I guess I will need to check that out.

I eat a lot of veggies but found that people with hypothyroidism may want to limit their intake of broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, turnips, and bok choy.  I love broccoli and brussel sprouts so this one may be a little more of a challenge. If you cook these veggies than it can reduce the effect that they have on the thyroid gland.  So I need to make sure to limit myself to no more than 5 ounces a day.  I can do that.  I admit this kind of confuses me so I have a lot of research to do.  Broccoli and cauliflower has selenium in it, which is good for your thyroid.  So I guess in moderation it is ok.  LIke I said I am still learning about this.  :)

I have found that people with thyroid issues should limit their intake of gluten.  Apparently gluten can irritate your small intestine which can interfere with the absorption of your thyroid medicine.  Wow, I have been taking meds for my thyroid for many years and I have never been told that.  If you are going to continue eating gluten, then make sure to take your meds a couple of hours before you eat anything with gluten in it.

Did you know that fatty foods can interfere with your thyroid’s ability to produce hormone?  Some professionals recommend that you don’t eat fried food and reduce the amount of fat you eat from butter, mayo, margarine and fatty cuts of meat.

 Your metabolism is slowed down because of the hypothyroidism.  That makes it easy to put on the weight, and from experience I can tell you that it is so difficult to lose it because of the slow metabolism.  So of course, that means reducing or avoiding sugary foods, they have lots of calories and no nutritional value.  I think it is time for me to cut back on my sugar intake.

Did you know that people with an underactive thyroid have an increased risk for high blood pressure? Too much sodium from processed foods can increase that risk. So you should read the nutrition label to find food that is low in sodium.

I always thought that getting a lot of fiber was good for me. Little did I know that if you get to much it can complicate my hypothyroidism treatment. You should only get 25-30 mg each day. The amounts of fiber from whole grains, veggies, fruits, beans and legumes that are above that level can affect the digestive system and interfere with medication absorption.  Wow, another one that I have to start thinking about more.

I wasn’t very happy to find that caffeine has been found to block thyroid medication absorption. I used to take my meds with my morning coffee.  Not a great idea. People who have taken their meds with their coffee have been shown to have uncontrollable thyroid levels. So you should only take your meds with water. And it is recommended to wait at least 30 minutes AFTER you take your meds before you have a cup of coffee.

I don’t know about you but I know I have some homework to work on.  I need to cut back on my sugar intake.  If it is more than 5g per serving I am going to cut it out. I need to look into cutting back or cutting out gluten from my diet.  I’m not sure where to begin with this so I really need to start researching. AND as much as I hate to think about doing this, I think it is time to cut out coffee again or at least cut back on how much I drink each day.  Oh my so many changes, but it’s going to be all about the baby steps with this one.  Trying to make too many changes at once would just be setting myself up for failure and I truly don't want that.  Even small changes will be a help right?   A work in progress.  

I have so much research to do. :)

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