Foods to Avoid to Heal Thyroid

Many people out there live with hypothyroidism, a.k.a, thyroid disease – it's pretty common. If you don't know what thyroid disease is, it's basically a disease that affects your thyroid gland. Everyone has a thyroid gland – it's an essential organ in our body that produces hormones that balance out the body's metabolic rate. However, for certain people, their thyroid glands can be affected and there are symptoms which can either swell or under-function the glands. And when the thyroid glands are affected severely, the results usually result to life threatening.

That's why those who deal with hypothyroidism on a day-to-day basis must be careful as to how to maintain their diseases. One of the many symptoms that can swell a thyroid gland is through the foods your eat and in your diets. However, there are foods to avoid to heal thyroid.

Some of us don't watch what we eat – it's true. I'd be on a diet one day and the next I'd be eating everything that was fried and loaded with sugar. Most of the time, it's willpower and we are unable to control ourselves. There are also times when we forget to eat healthy because stress is controlling our minds, our hormones are acting up, or the fridge is empty, so you look through the junk cabinet. But this isn't about maintaining proper diets to lose the weight, those with thyroid disease must know the foods to avoid to heal thyroid.

Foods such as seaweed, whole grain, apples, Brazil nuts, chicken, oysters, green tea, etc. can heal your thyroid gland, because most of them are high in iodine. But, there are foods to steer clear from that can affect the gland and can lead to fatal results. And always remember to take your thyroid medication every day.

Gluten

Most of us love gluten -- I mean love gluten. Wheat, rye, and other grains that are found in specific foods are all carb-filled foods that we eat almost every day. Actually, the majority of them aren't good for us in general, because it can cause a number of health risks such as high blood pressure. For those with hypothyroidism, it's best to stay away from the gluten. They're the types of foods to avoid to heal thyroid. Ingesting foods that include high percentages of gluten can affect thyroid glands. Instead, eat foods that come in whole-grain like bread, rice, pasta, etc. Staying gluten-free is healthy for both your thyroid glands, metabolism, and body overall.

Fatty/Fast Food

No one should eat a heavy amount of fast food, but some of us do. These fatty foods are definitely not the best for us at all, since they contain grease and oils from being fried. Fast-processing foods such as french fries, hamburgers, chicken nuggets/fingers, potato chips, and everything else that was deep fried or served from fast food restaurants should be avoided at all costs. The oils, butter, and fats are foods to avoid to heal thyroid. Whether you have hypothyroidism or not, fast and fatty foods are certainly not good for you to ingest.

Sugary Foods

We love sweets and it's a struggle to keep them out of sight and out of mind. We crave for a good slice of red velvet cake or a solid bar of chocolate. But these aren't good for any of us, of course. Foods such as cakes, brownies, chocolate, donuts, muffins, and other sugary goodies are trouble to us. Sugary foods only affect our blood pressure, can imbalance hormones, cause weight gain, blocks out iodine, and other affects that we don't want in our bodies. For those with thyroid disease, sugary foods aren't good for you, as well. These foods have zero benefits to thyroid glands -- only disrupting and not healing them. So, these are foods to avoid to heal thyroid and stick with what diet is healthy for you.

Caffeine

Believe it or not, if you take your medication with coffee, it can actually affect your thyroid gland. I know, most of us cannot live without coffee. It's undeniably the only thing that keeps us up during the day. But, caffeine from the coffee can affect the glands if you take your medication with it. So, if you're a coffee addict, but deal with hypothyroidism, I advise you to take your medication with water and wait an hour before having your coffee.

Alcohol

Alcohol is also another risk of affecting your thyroid glands. Consuming too much wine, vodka, gin, beer, etc. can leave you at risk for swelling or under-functioning the glands. The alcohol can severely ruin the glands if consuming too much of it. So, overall, a glass of wine will be fine, but excessive drinking is definitely not the best idea.

Cruciferous Vegetables

Broccoli, cabbage, brussel sprouts, and all those yummy greens are full of goitrogens, which can block the thyroid glands from absorbing iodine. Whether the foods are cauliflower, kale, or turnips, don't eat a lot of them in your diets. Even if they're good for you, they're not good for your thyroid glands. To avoid swelling or risking under-functioning the gland, cruciferous veggies are foods to avoid to heal thyroid.

Industrial Seed Oils

Oils such as canola, vegetable, sunflower, corn oil, and others are very high in polyunsaturated fats. For those who are living with hypothyroidism, these are the foods to avoid to heal thyroid. Despite the fact that our bodies do need polyunsaturated fat, these oils are actually damaging the delicate fats. Try using healthy oils like avocado, olive, macadamia nut, coconut, oily fish, and more under healthy fats.

Soy

Soy is also one among many foods to avoid to heal thyroid. It shouldn't be eaten by those who are living with hypothyroidism. Since soy is chock-full of plant-based phytoestrogen, it can actually cause thyroid disease to people. Therefore, those who already have the disease should not eat anything soy, at all.

Excess Fiber

Even though fiber is good for you, eating it too much can harm you. Foods such as lentils, green beans, black beans, avocados, raspberries, peas, pears, whole-wheat, and many other fiber-filled foods can harm your thyroid glands if eaten excessively. Excess fiber can actually absorb your hormone replacement medication for your thyroid gland disease. So when it comes to fiber, it's great for you body, but avoid eating too much of it. If you want a healthy thyroid, these are among other foods to avoid to heal thyroid.

Dairy Products

Many dairy products aren't healthy for us in general. Dairy such as whole milk, eggs, cheese, butter, ice cream, and other products are foods to avoid to heal thyroid. Dairy products will swell your thyroid glands, therefore, cut out dairy from your diet for a healthy gland.

Hypothyroidism is one among other diseases that can be tough to deal with when it comes to eating certain foods. However, acknowledge the list of foods to avoid to heal thyroid, take your medication, and eat what is best for your body!