After getting your thyroid removed, you may need to adapt your diet. Due to the nature of the surgery, which involves the neck and throat, your throat may swell, causing difficulty swallowing, or you may just experience general throat soreness. Making dietary changes like choosing softer foods, adding things to meals to make them easier to swallow, and blending foods into purees can all help you get the nutrition you need, especially since after surgery, your body needs good nutrition to heal. Consult your doctor about any foods you should avoid after thyroid removal.
Thyroidectomy
When part or all of the thyroid gland is removed, it is called a thyroidectomy. The thyroid gland is at the base of your neck and is shaped like a butterfly. It helps produce hormones involved in regulating your metabolism. This surgery is performed for various reasons including thyroid cancer, benign enlargement of the thyroid and overactive thyroid.
Post-Surgery
Right after surgery, as your throat may be sore, it is likely that your doctor will prescribe a soft or liquid diet for a few days. Thicker liquids may be easier to tolerate instead of thin, watery drinks, especially if you are coughing frequently. If you have any vocal cord impairment or weakness from the surgery, a speech pathologist can help develop an appropriate diet for your needs.
Food Choices
While recovering from thyroid surgery, slowly add solid foods to your diet. Chew things thoroughly and eat slowly to help make eating easier. Adding sauces and gravies to foods can soften them up and make them easier to swallow; cooking meat and vegetables for longer periods of time also makes them softer. You may want to cut up meats and other foods into small, fine pieces or use a food processor to make curries or soups.
Considerations
After your thyroid removal, you may want to ask your doctor whether there are any restrictions on what you can eat. According to the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, if your thyroid is removed because of cancer, you may need to follow a low-iodine diet if you are having radio-iodine cancer treatment. You will likely need to take medication regularly because of your lack of thyroid hormone; talk with your doctor about any foods you should avoid while on this medication.
