Hypothyroidism -- having an underactive thyroid gland -- prevents your thyroid gland from producing enough thyroid hormone for your body to function properly. Having too little thyroid hormone in your blood can be the result of various causes, and may cause a variety side effects.
Hypothyroidism Symptoms
When you have a thyroid hormone deficiency, your body's processes begin to slow down, which may cause you to feel colder, fatigued, forgetful and depressed. You also may begin to suffer from dry skin and constipation. Due to varied symptoms, the only way to know for sure whether you have hypothyroidism is to get tested by your doctor.
Causes
There are a variety of causes of hypothyroidism. Autoimmune disease, surgical removal of part or all of the thyroid gland and radiation treatment are among the most common causes of hypothyroidism. Congenital hypothyroidism -- a condition resulting when a baby is born with no thyroid or with only part of one -- thyroiditis, an improper amount of iodine in the blood and damage to the pituitary gland also can cause hypothyroidism, as can several other rare medical conditions.
Hypothyroidism Diet
If you suffer from hypothyroidism, you likely will need to take thyroid replacement hormones. While no evidence exists that specific foods improve thyroid function, too much dietary fiber can inhibit your body's synthetic thyroid hormone absorption. Foods such as walnuts, soybean flour, cottonseed, vitamins containing iron or calcium, antacids containing aluminum or magnesium, certain ulcer medications and certain cholesterol-lowering drugs also may inhibit your body's absorption of synthetic thyroid hormone. Avoiding salt also may benefit hypothyroidism patients, because too much salt can cause your body to retain water and bloat.
Foods to Eat
Though there is no definitive evidence, diets such as the Zone diet or South Beach diet may be able to help reduce symptoms of hypothyroidism. Foods rich in tyrosine, such as lean meat, fish, poultry, low-fat dairy products, avocado, bananas, lima beans, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and lentils may be able to reduce symptoms.
Precautions
Though there is a lot of material claiming to provide you with the right nutrition information to treat hypothyroidism, the Mayo Clinic states that there is no evidence about whether certain foods can improve thyroid function for people who suffer from hypothyroidism. When deciding on a diet that is right for your condition, make sure to consult your doctor.
