Hypothyroid Diet Thyroid problems can be easily addressed and controlled through dietary measures, whether it is a hypothyroid diet or a hyperthyroid diet that you need.
Hypothyroidism occurs when the thyroid gland doesn't produce enough thyroid hormones. This results in a slowing down of your body's metabolism, commonly causing symptoms like tiredness and weight gain.
The thyroid gland (an endocrine gland) secretes thyroid hormones into the bloodstream. Hormones are chemicals that are produced by the body and help regulate the functioning of your cells and organs.
While some people believe that a low-calorie diet can help an individual suffering from the disorder to lose weight, a diet that is too low in calories can slow down your metabolism, defeating and nullifying those weight loss efforts.
An effective diet for hypothyroidism would therefore require an adequate amount of calories, but this caloric intake may be broken up into multiple light meals through the day. According to some experts hypothyroid diets should comprise of forty percent protein, thirty five percent low glycemic carbohydrates and twenty five percent fat.
A thyroid diet is an important part of the intervention and you would be well advised to consult with a nutritionist or dietitian. While it is best to have a wholesome and healthy diet there are some aspects that you need to pay particular attention to.
- Iodine is a necessary component of the two thyroid hormones. For this reason, it is vital that you have an adequate intake of iodine through fish, iodized salt, eggs, radish and shellfish.
- Low glycemic foods are another area of concern as insulin resistance is closely associated with this disease.
For this reason a low carbohydrate, high protein diet is often recommended, which should include protein, fat, fiber, and carbohydrate, but consumed at intervals, allowing the glucose to enter the bloodstream gradually, in turn helping regulate the amount of insulin released. This ensures an efficient use of calories, providing less opportunity for storage of those calories. - A high protein diet also helps because our body requires more energy to absorb protein as compared to carbohydrate and fat, implying an increase in metabolic rate with increased protein intake. Some good sources of lean protein are fish, white meat, legumes, lean cuts of beef, and egg whites.
- Multi vitamin and calcium supplements can also be added, while turnip, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, radishes, kale, rutabaga, millet and soy should be excluded from any hyperthyroid diet.
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