Diets for the Thyroid Gland

The thyroid gland controls the body's metabolism. Metabolism affects how the body digests food; it also affects the hormones and cell rebuilding. All these things create heat in the body. In turn, the thyroid gland regulates the body's heat. Some people have an under-active thyroid. This means the thyroid works slowly, puts out less heat and slows metabolism. Other people may have an overactive thyroid, creating a higher metabolic rate and more heat. A doctor needs to treat these conditions, but the thyroid gland also benefits from the right foods.

Avoid Goitrogens

• Broccoli is a goitrogen food.

  Goitrogens foods suppress the thyroid's proper function. Goitrogens include vegetables in the brassica family like broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, cabbage, mustard, kale, turnips and rape seed. Non-vegetable goitrogens include soy, pine nuts, millet, and peanuts. Avoid or at least minimize consumption of these foods, especially someone who has hypothyroidism, to prevent further thyroid gland complications. Goitrogens also will alter the function of the thyroid in those with hyperthyroidism. Goitrogen foods interfere with how the thyroid takes in iodine, causing the thyroid to grow larger. This may cause hyperthyroids to put out even more hormones.

More About Soy

• Soy is often used in vegetable oil and causes problems with the thyroid gland.

  Soy products have negative effects on the thyroid gland and increase a person's risk of thyroid disease. Many food products contain soy or soybean oil. On food labels, it's sometimes called vegetable oil, hydrogenated fat, partially hydrogenated fat, margarine or shortening. Ray Peat, Ph.D., a physiologist, writes," Unsaturated oils block thyroid hormone secretion, its movement in the circulatory system, and the response of tissues to the hormone. The thyroid hormone is required for using and eliminating cholesterol, so cholesterol is likely to be raised by anything, which blocks the thyroid function."

The Thyroid Diet

• The Thyroid Diet helps the thyroid gland.

  "The Thyroid Diet" written by Mary Shomon, a thyroid patient advocate and researcher, suggests a low-glycemic index diet. A low-glycemic index diet resembles a low carbohydrate diet, but focuses on eating good carbohydrates. The diet also considers Goitrogens and iodine. The diet offsets the metabolic problems that carbohydrates cause and helps increase metabolism.