Thyroid-stimulating hormone, or TSH, prompts the thyroid gland to make hormones that regulate a number of important bodily processes such as metabolism. When your body does not produce enough of these hormones, you can suffer symptoms like weight gain, fatigue, weakness and depression. While no official diet exists to improve production of TSH, some changes might help. Always consult with your doctor before making significant changes to your diet.
Limitations on Diet
While some dietary changes might offer some benefit and relieve symptoms of this condition, it cannot cure the condition. You can only correct the deficiency of thyroid hormone by taking synthetic medications.
Avoiding Foods that Interfere with Thyroid Function
Goitrogens are foods that interfere with your thyroid's ability to assimilate iodine, a necessary component of thyroid function. While these foods would probably not cause a problem in someone without thyroid issues, they can prove problematic if you have hypothyroidism. The University of Maryland Medical Center advises you to reduce or eliminate intake of mustard greens, cabbage, broccoli, millet, linseed, pine nuts, cassava, cauliflower, kale, turnips, spinach, soybeans and peanuts.
Eating the Right Fats
About 90 percent of hypothyroidism cases stem from the autoimmune condition Hashimoto's disease, a condition where the immune system mistakenly attacks the thyroid gland. Inflammation plays a large role in this improper autoimmune response and a study published in a 2002 edition of the "Journal of the American College of Nutrition" found that increasing intake of certain fats helped quell the inflammation characteristic of autoimmune diseases. Omega-3 fatty acids help reduce inflammation while excess amounts of omega-6 fatty acids triggers inflammation. In the typical Western diet, you get way too many 6s and not enough 3s, which might play a role in autoimmune conditions, according to the study, led by Dr. Artemis P. Simopoulos of the Center for Genetics, Nutrition and Health.
Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids include fatty fish like salmon, mackerel and tuna, walnuts, flaxseed and soybeans. Limiting intake of vegetable oils like corn, sunflower and safflower will help reduce intake of excess omega-6 fats; most commercially prepared snack foods contain these oils.
Gluten Intolerance
Dr. Datis Kharrazian, chiropractor, author and nutrition expert, recommends cutting out gluten if you have Hashimoto's disease. His research uncovered studies spanning across several countries that have found possible links between this disease and gluten intolerance. He explains that your immune system's response to this allergen can prompt the production of antibodies that attack the thyroid gland.
Grains with this protein include barley, wheat, rye, bulgur, couscous, durum, semolina, kamut and graham flour.
Grains free of gluten include rice, quinoa, corn, amaranth and buckwheat.
Testing for Food Allergies
Eating foods that your body cannot process properly can also impact normal immune function. Kharrazian recommends experimenting with an elimination diet involving the most common food allergens including gluten, dairy, eggs, corn, soy, yeast and nuts. Elimination diets can vary in their processes. In his book, he recommends eliminating all of these foods for two to three weeks and reintroducing each food one at a time every three days. During this period, you can observe any mental or physical symptoms you experience as you add certain foods back in. Regardless of results however, he advocates eliminating gluten as part of any diet for hypothyroidism.
Eating Tips
Registered nurse Barb Hicks, writing for Clivir.com, recommends eating five or six small meals throughout the day rather than three large ones. This can give your metabolism a boost. Because of this condition's negative impact on metabolism, you want to watch how much you eat. Hicks recommends drinking a glass of water before every meal to help you feel fuller more quickly.
References
- DrKNews.com: Changing Your Diet is the First Step in Addressing Hashimoto's Disease
- Clivir.com: Thyroid Diet Plan and Eating Tips
- "Journal of the American College of Nutrition":Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Inflammation and Autoimmune Diseases; Artemis P. Simopoulos; 2002
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Hypothyroidism
Member Comments