Dietary Principles For Patients With Thyroid Disease, Different Ways Of Eating For Hyperthyroidism And Hypothyroidism

The thyroid gland is an organ that exists inside our body. It is not very eye-catching, but its role is very huge. It is hidden in the front and lower part of the neck, on both sides of the trachea, and looks like a small butterfly.

It doesn't look big, but the thyroid hormone it secretes controls the metabolism of the whole body, affects growth and development, and even affects our intelligence.

Once it develops a condition, such as hyperfunction (like hyperthyroidism), or hypothyroidism (like hypothyroidism), the body will fall into a state of disorder.

Many patients think that as long as they take their medicines on time, everything will be fine. However, they neglect the foods on the table that can have negative effects or are harmful instead of helping.

According to traditional Chinese medicine, "medicine and food come from the same source." Among them, medication assumes the responsibility of "attacking evil spirits", while diet therapy focuses on "strengthening the body." Only when the two cooperate properly can the road to recovery be smooth and fast.

Today, we will focus on the "invisible landmines" that people with hypothyroidism must be aware of in terms of diet, and see how to eat so that they can actually support their health instead of causing adverse effects and causing trouble.

When it comes to iodine supplementation, don’t be “one size fits all”

Speaking of thyroid, many people's first reaction is to "eat more kelp to supplement iodine."

This concept is actually a big misunderstanding, especially among patients with hypothyroidism.

In the past, iodine deficiency was indeed the main cause of hypothyroidism, such as endemic goiter.

However, since our country began to popularize iodized salt in the 1990s, hypothyroidism caused solely by iodine deficiency has now become extremely rare.

In clinical practice today, the vast majority of cases of hypothyroidism are actually caused by an autoimmune thyroiditis called "Hashimoto's disease."

For this type of patients, a high-iodine diet is not only of no benefit, but is like a "fuse" that can activate the autoimmune mechanism of the thyroid gland, making the condition more serious.

Therefore, patients with hypothyroidism due to Hashimoto’s thyroiditis should moderately limit their iodine intake. It is not a case of “more is better”.

When cooking dishes, there is no problem in using ordinary iodized salt. However, for seafood with extremely high iodine content, such as kelp, seaweed, seaweed, and shrimp skin, you must control your mouth and reduce the amount you eat as much as possible or not eat it at all.

Cruciferous vegetables should be eaten with caution

Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, radish, cabbage… these are all common dishes on the dinner table, which are both healthy and delicious.

However, you may not know that they are cruciferous vegetables and contain a substance called thiocyanate.

This substance has such a characteristic that it will combine with the "iodine pump" on the thyroid cells, which is like blocking the channel of the thyroid gland to collect iodine, thereby interfering with the synthesis of thyroid hormone. If it is taken in large amounts for a long time, it may cause goiter.

Don't be nervous after hearing this, we are not saying that we should completely "cut off" these vegetables.

The key lies in "quantity" and "eating method".

First of all, as long as you don't eat every meal every day, it won't be a big problem.

In addition, thiocyanate is afraid of high temperatures, so cooking these vegetables until they are cooked and cooked through can greatly reduce its impact.

Don't be greedy for fresh food and eat it raw, especially if you squeeze it into juice and drink it in large quantities, this will put a heavier burden on the thyroid gland.

Low fat and high protein, "reducing the burden and refueling" the body

Many friends suffering from hypothyroidism will notice that their weight is gradually increasing. After going to the hospital for a check-up, their blood lipids will also increase.

The reason for this is that the metabolism of patients with hypothyroidism slows down, which in turn leads to a decrease in the body's ability to metabolize fat. Therefore, special attention must be paid to the key point of low-fat diet.

High-fat foods such as fatty meats, fried foods, cream cakes, animal offal, and various nuts must be eaten with caution, and avoid them as much as possible.

However, for people with hypothyroidism, their gastrointestinal motility is relatively slow and their digestive function is relatively weak, so the absorption of protein will be affected to a certain extent. However, the body extremely needs protein to maintain normal physiological functions.

At this time, high protein becomes particularly important.

You can eat more lean meat, skinless chicken, fish, eggs, milk and soy products. These high-quality proteins are easy to digest, and can help us maintain muscle strength and avoid excessive weakness caused by low metabolism.

Between one subtraction and one addition, it not only reduces the metabolic burden on the body, but also supplies necessary nutrients.

High fiber and low salt, say goodbye to bloating and edema

Constipation and edema are two troubles that patients with hypothyroidism cannot avoid.

Due to the lack of thyroid hormone, the peristalsis of the gastrointestinal tract will show a "lazy" state. Food travels slowly in the intestines and water is reabsorbed many times, which can easily lead to constipation.

At this time, high fiber foods It is our good helper.

Replace the staple food with some cereals, such as brown rice, oats, and corn. Eat more yams, leeks, and celery. These can effectively promote intestinal peristalsis and help defecation.

In addition, many patients with hypothyroidism will suffer from "myxedema". This kind of edema is not caused by drinking too much water. Instead, it is caused by the accumulation of a substance called mucopolysaccharide in the body.

But having said that, if you consume too much salt, it will also aggravate the symptoms of edema.

Therefore, in terms of daily dietary intake, the taste should be light and the intake of salt should be reduced. When cooking dishes, be sure to add an appropriate amount of salt and soy sauce. At the same time, you need to avoid foods with high salt content such as pickles and bacon as much as possible. In this way, it is very helpful in reducing edema in the body.

Keeping warm from the cold starts from the “mouth”

People with hypothyroidism are most afraid of cold because their metabolism is low and their body produces less heat. Cold hands and feet are the norm.

In this case, keep warm It became a top priority.

In addition to wearing more clothes, you should also pay special attention to your diet.

Those raw and cold foods, such as iced drinks, ice cream, sashimi, and cold dishes, will further damage the already weak yang energy in the body, making the feeling of chills and fatigue become more serious.

Especially when the weather turns cooler or in winter, you should eat hot and warming foods.

You can drink warm soup in moderation and eat some warm meats such as beef and mutton to help your body resist the cold.

At the same time, the immunity of people suffering from hypothyroidism is relatively low. Even a trivial cold is likely to induce more serious complications if not treated in time.

Therefore, you must protect your intestines and stomach properly and avoid eating raw or cold foods. In fact, this adds an important line of defense to the body's immunity.

After all, regulating the thyroid is a delicate job.

For those with hypothyroidism, diet is a key part of a "protracted battle."

Keep a few key principles in mind: limit your iodine intake (or follow your doctor's advice), cook cruciferous vegetables low in fat and high in protein, high in fiber, reduce salt, and avoid cold or raw foods.

By integrating these details into three meals a day and cooperating with medication, the troublesome problems such as heaviness in the body, fear of cold, and edema can be gradually improved.

Every thought we put into our diet is saving for our own health, keeping our bodies on the right track and slowly returning to its own rhythm.