An underactive thyroid can cause people to gain unwanted weight, which makes them wonder, how can they lose weight faster even when having hypothyroidism?
Fortunately, you can also shed weight while having hypothyroidism. Not only a proper hypothyroidism diet would reduce the excess fat, but it also plays a vital role in reversing the effect of the underactive thyroid gland.
Even though there is no specific diet plan curated for patients with hypothyroidism, you can know what to include and what not to include in your diet to relieve your symptoms and normalize thyroid functioning.
Before we move further, first we will understand what hypothyroidism refers to and what are the symptoms.
Hypothyroidism refers to a condition when your thyroid gland doesn’t release thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3), which are responsible for regulating body temperature, metabolism, blood pressure, and other bodily functions.
If left untreated, you might experience mild symptoms that interrupt your bodily functions. Some of the symptoms are:
- Cold sensitivity
- Weight gain and Fatigue
- Slow heart rate
- Hair loss
- Depression
- Enlarged thyroid Doctors believe that the effects of hypothyroidism can be reversed most of the time with a hypothyroidism diet. Let's jump right into it.
Importance of Hypothyroidism Diet
As we all know nutrition plays a vital role in overall well-being, and it becomes very crucial in the case of thyroid patients. Irregular functionality of the thyroid gland is usually triggered due to poor diet, unhealthy lifestyle, and other habits that reduce the optimal fitness of your body.
If you have an underactive thyroid gland, it will affect your body metabolism, which regulates the consumption of fats and carbohydrates to power your body cells. This slows down your metabolism and prevents your body from utilizing the desired nutrient required for fueling your body.
But instead, it gets stored in the form of fats and carbohydrates. Therefore, following a hypothyroidism diet is essential, and bringing some changes in your lifestyle makes a huge difference.
Doctors often recommend following an anti-inflammatory diet for treating hypothyroidism.
An anti-inflammatory diet restricts food allergens that are triggering the symptoms of an underactive thyroid gland and allows you to eat only those foods that won’t affect your overall health. As per the doctor's prescriptions, the diet would be continued for a short period to monitor how your body responds to a specific food.
Anti-Inflammatory Diet: What is It?
An Anti-Inflammatory Diet does not feature what to eat, when, or how much of it, Instead, it is about a diet that provides your body with the necessary nutrients required for optimal growth and reduces the inflammation caused due to irregularities in thyroid functioning.
This diet includes foods as already mentioned that fights inflammation and extracts those food items that support inflammation.
An anti-inflammatory diet is inherently a lifestyle that one adapts to minimize or reduce the body's level of inflammation.
Now the question remains what exactly is included and what is excluded.
Anti-Inflammatory Diet: What’s Included?
As you might already guess, An anti-inflammatory diet includes vegan food, whole grains, seeds, legumes, nuts, fish, and other seafood, and unsaturated fats that improve your body's metabolism. These kinds of edibles supplement your body with the required nutrients to reduce the inflammation caused by dysfunctional thyroid glands.
Following are the food that is a must-have in every anti-inflammatory diet
- Protein sources like eggs, pork, beef, and seafood (for rich omega-3 fatty acids).
- Cooked or steamed cruciferous vegetables to ensure better absorption.
- Healthy fats like ghee, olive oil, avocados, and coconut oil.
- Ginger, turmeric, and garlic make your dish delicious.
- Non-dairy fermented foods such as kombucha and vinegar ensure better gut health.
- Drink sufficient water and green tea for consuming healthier coffee.
Some of the food items you must avoid at all costs when following a strict anti-inflammatory diet:
- Dairy products that contain lactose and casein, both can cause inflammation.
- For some people, eating eggs is not suitable.
- Grains that contain gluten.
- Seeds, nuts, and dried fruits.
- Avoid eating nightshade vegetables like peppers, potatoes, eggplants, and tomatoes.
- Sugar, chocolate, artificial sweeteners.
- Coffee, alcohol, and other drinks.
Anti-Inflammatory Diet and Its Importance
Inflammation occurs when your body responds to an infection or injury, and it is often relieved over some time. However, when you begin to experience inflammation that does not go away for a long period of time, it means your body is still actively fighting against some infection, which can even invite more problems in the body.
Doctors often recommend an anti-inflammatory diet that keeps your inflammation under control. In addition, you should know that changing your diet plan can keep the inflammation at a low level instead of taking any synthetic medication.
Want personalized treatment and say goodbye to your worries? Reach out to us.
