Top 7 foods to be avoided in Thyroid Condition
Do you know that the thyroid is the second most common disease after diabetes and blood pressure? Lifestyle determines numerous things in your life, and it is the effect of lifestyle that thyroid patients are increasing continuously. The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland located inside the neck and above the collarbone. This problem arises due to an imbalance in the hormones of this gland. Due to thyroid, the risk of asthma, cholesterol problems, depression, diabetes, insomnia, and heart diseases have been increased. Although the symptoms of this disease are difficult to catch, regular checkups from thyroid specialists can help detect them.
A balanced diet plays a crucial role in controlling thyroid conditions. It would be best to keep yourself updated about what to eat and what you need to avoid. If you don't have any idea, this blog will help you out with the list of thyroid foods to avoid.
Top 7 foods to be avoided in Thyroid Condition
Dairy foods
Dairy products have never been your friend if you have a thyroid condition. Thyroid doctors suggest avoiding dairy products like milk, yoghurt, butter, and cheese. Dairy products activate your body's response.
What happens when a person has hypothyroidism and consumes dairy products? People with hypothyroidism are lactose intolerant, and dairy products contain lactose and casein. Lactose and casein can cause inflammation in the thyroid gland. A thyroid doctor often recommends lactose-free and anti-inflammatory foods to add to the hypothyroidism diet plan.
Gluten-rich foods like bread or pasta
People with a thyroid condition may consider lessening their intake of gluten. It includes processed foods from wheat, barley, rye, and other grains. Suppose you have been diagnosed with celiac disease. Gluten can upset the small intestine and hamper the thyroid hormone replacement medication absorption, so it's better to exclude them from the thyroid diet chart.
An article published in the journal Endocrine Connections states that hypothyroidism and celiac disease often coexist, and a gluten-free diet can help control thyroid conditions.
You can talk to the thyroid doctor about this subject. A study published in Experimental and Clinical Endocrinology & Diabetes found that a gluten-free diet may have clinical benefits for women with thyroid disease.
Oily and fried foods
Oily foods can worsen your thyroid condition. They can also hamper the ability of the thyroid to produce hormones. It is better to keep fried foods away from your diet and lower the consumption of foods like mayonnaise and margarine. These are not good for your overall health, so say goodbye to them if you still have any of them.
Processed Foods Like Chocolate Cheesecake
Everyone loves cookies, chips, chocolate, cheesecake, and crackers, but they usually contain high fructose corn syrup. The body processes fructose corn syrup differently than sugar. You have to be careful if you are diagnosed with thyroid. Because in hypothyroidism, the body's metabolism can be slow, leading to weight gain. Processed foods are high in sugar and too high in calories without nutrients. It is crucial to reduce the amount of sugar or eliminate it from your thyroid diet for weight loss altogether. It will help to maintain your healthy body weight.
Along with this, restricting processed food intake can help to reduce inflammation. Do you know inflammation is a root cause of chronic illness in the body? Numerous studies state that chronic inflammation in your body weakens the immune response and increases the risk of thyroid cancer.
The regular consumption of processed foods causes hormonal imbalances. Also, they contain sodium, and people with hypothyroidism should avoid sodium. An underactive thyroid increases the risk of high blood pressure, and too much sodium consumption through processed foods increases this risk. So whenever you want to do the munching between meals, try healthy snack ideas instead of processed food.
Caffeine
People who have thyroid problems should avoid the consumption of caffeine. According to the journal Thyroid study, caffeine can hinder the absorption of thyroid hormone replacement. People can have uncontrollable thyroid levels; if they take thyroid medication with morning coffee. Well, it is the worst idea.
If you cannot resist your soul from sipping your favourite coffee, wait an hour once you take your thyroid medication to have your cappuccino or latte.
Alcohol is not good for thyroid patients
Alcohol intake is not suitable for thyroid patients, so say no to alcohol. The regular consumption of alcohol aggravated many of the symptoms associated with thyroid problems. For instance, the main symptoms of hypothyroidism are depression, impaired memory, dry skin, weight gain, and fatigue. And the same symptoms are associated with alcoholism.
Soy products
There are different theories behind limiting the consumption of soy in thyroid conditions. Soy and soy-derived food products contain isoflavones. Several studies state that the isoflavones compound increases the risk of developing hypothyroidism.
Soy products hamper iodine entry into the thyroid gland and may also inhibit the action of thyroid hormones in the body's organs.
Not only this, soy-derived products like soybeans are usually genetically modified. Several studies state that consuming genetically modified foods can activate an autoimmune response, thus leading to conditions like Graves' Disease and Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. Soy genetically modified will only make things worse.
Processed soy products are not good for thyroid health, but there is no such evidence that people with thyroid conditions should avoid soy completely. A person can have fresh tofu but make sure you have it at least four hours after your thyroid medication; it can interfere with the body's capacity to absorb thyroid medications.
Summing it up
People on hypothyroidism treatment should avoid alcohol altogether. According to various studies, alcohol appears to have a harmful effect on the thyroid gland and represses the body's power to use thyroid hormones. It also increases the risk of osteoporosis.
People with a thyroid condition should be specific about what they should have or avoid because some foods can trigger the symptoms. Luckily, the intake of the right nutrients and regular thyroid medications may help relieve symptoms and enhance thyroid function. It is crucial to avoid all the food choices discussed above and opt only for a thyroid-friendly diet.
"Whole, unprocessed foods and green leafy vegetables are your best friend in a thyroid condition."
