Five foods that are bad for your thyroid

Like wheat, dairy produce can also create inflammation in the body. Many people find casein, the protein in dairy products, difficult to digest and suffer from bloating and reflux as a result. Casein also aggravates any autoimmune issues. Photo| FILE

What you need to know:

  • She had been diagnosed with an underactive thyroid following the birth of her son seven years earlier, but the medication did not seem to address all her issues.
  • While her constipation and hair loss had subsided, her depression and fatigue had not. She also complained of dry skin.
  • Here are the five foods I asked her to omit from her diet to help her thyroid to function better:

When Natalia came to see me, she was already taking 100mg thyroxin. She had been diagnosed with an underactive thyroid following the birth of her son seven years earlier, but the medication did not seem to address all her issues.

While her constipation and hair loss had subsided, her depression and fatigue had not. She also complained of dry skin.

Here are the five foods I asked her to omit from her diet to help her thyroid to function better:

1. Gluten

Most thyroid problems are caused by autoimmune disease (the body starts to attack itself) and gluten is a strong trigger in such cases. Gluten is the protein found in wheat, barley, rye and, due to contamination, in oats. Not only can removing gluten from your diet help to improve thyroid health, it may also help reduce your risk of developing another autoimmune disease such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.

2. Dairy produce

Like wheat, dairy produce can also create inflammation in the body. Many people find casein, the protein in dairy products, difficult to digest and suffer from bloating and reflux as a result. Casein also aggravates any autoimmune issues.

3. Sugar

Adding sugar to your diet is like adding fuel to an already raging fire — it exacerbates inflammation in the body, making all autoimmune diseases worse.

Sugar also fuels the growth of all sorts of harmful microbes in your gut, increasing the likelihood of infections.

4. Cruciferous vegetables

Cruciferous vegetables include cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, sukuma wiki, and Brussels sprouts. While you do not need to stop eating these foods altogether, just do not overdo it and do not eat them raw.

This is because these vegetables contain goitrogens — compounds that can inhibit the absorption of iodine by your thyroid gland. Iodine is a critical component in the manufacture of thyroid hormones.

5. Soya

Soya mainly comes from genetically modified beans and is quite difficult to digest. That is why, even though soya beans appear to contain good amounts of protein, the enzyme inhibitors mean that little is actually absorbed.

Furthermore, Soya  can irritate the gut lining, making any potential allergies and autoimmune diseases worse. Soy is also a source of goitrogens.