A low thyroid diet ranks top among the major concerns for people with hypothyroidism. Two hypothyroidism symptoms can have a direct link to your diet.
One is unwanted weight gain. The second is that some types of food could trigger a reaction in your thyroid gland.
From these two, you can only conclude that a hypothyroid diet is necessary. Your doctor will give you the dos and don’ts for your hypothyroidism diet plan, but wouldn’t it be nice if it’s accompanied by recipes and tips?
No worries there, because we’ve got you covered. Keep reading to learn how to cope with hypothyroid diet changes using these low thyroid diet recipes and diet tips!
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Low Thyroid Diet Recipes and Tips for Hypothyroidism
1. Turmeric for a Low Thyroid Diet
Our bodies produce antioxidants to counter damaging free radicals. In the case of patients with hypothyroid, the antioxidant-producing system works double time because metabolism is inefficient due to low thyroid levels.
Hypothyroidism even lowers the levels of antioxidants in the body. You must give your body a helping hand.
Antioxidants and anti-inflammatory foods like turmeric will help. Include turmeric in your diet and in recipes for a low thyroid diet.
2. Turmeric Tea Recipe
Not only is turmeric rich in antioxidants, but it’s also proving to have more to offer for hypothyroidism treatment. It helps balance blood sugar for hypothyroid patients who are more prone to diabetes.
Turmeric is also an antidepressant and even helps lower cholesterol levels. All these benefits are essential to people with hypothyroidism.
Use this turmeric tea recipe over-caffeinated drinks like coffee, soda, and tea.
3. Healthy Smoothie Recipe for Thyroid Patients
This smoothie recipe is great for preventing thyroid problems. For people with hypothyroidism, this is also great for coping with symptoms.
A diet rich in antioxidants is a must for hypothyroidism. All the ingredients are healthy and are great even for food intolerants.
Cucumber, carrots, ginger, coriander, lemon, and coconut water are all refreshing and healthy.
4. Hypothyroid 2-Day Weight Loss Diet Plan
Unwanted weight gain and bloating are a problem many patients deal with. Worse is the fact that you can’t get rid of this issue easily.
Drastic weight loss plans and schemes can be dangerous. A well-executed low thyroid diet plan is your only solution.
This 2-day weight loss diet plan is popular among celebrities like Jennifer Aniston. The idea is to go on a strict diet for two consecutive days.
Incorporate foods encouraged for hypothyroid patients for the best results.
5. Avoid Bromine in Bread and Soda
Bromine is bad news for hypothyroid patients. It creates concerns for people with normal thyroid function; therefore, it’s even worse for those with low thyroid levels.
This substance is found in certain soda drinks and baked goods. Bromine can block thyroid hormone production.
Worse, it can lead to iodine deficiency and even more complications.
6. Diet to Improve Glutathione Levels
Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant that our bodies need. This is especially the case with people who have low thyroid levels.
You can improve glutathione levels in your body with a healthy diet and best practices. Consume foods rich in glutathione and foods that help with glutathione absorption.
Selenium-rich foods help the body produce and recycle glutathione. Milk thistle and foods rich in vitamin C help with glutathione absorption.
7. Coconut Oil Benefit for Those with Hypothyroidism
The benefits of coconut oil for people with hypothyroidism are both internal and external. Coconut oil helps prevent hair loss and treats dry, itchy, and flaky skin.
In terms of diet, coconut helps with weight loss. Your constipation and inflammation are also covered by it.
In addition, coconut boosts your metabolism and immune system. Incorporate extra virgin coconut oil into your low thyroid diet, or add coconut oil to your milk, tea, or smoothies.
8. Drinking Tips for Thyroid Patients
It’s a bummer for people with hypothyroidism to go to a party with drinks everywhere. Well, you don’t have to be a party pooper.
You just need to take extra care about the drinks you choose. Sorry, but most alcohol is out of the question.
It blocks the body’s protection against thyroid nodules. It also interferes with thyroid medication.
You have other choices, like drinks with natural flavors and ingredients. Red wine is also in, thanks to its antioxidant properties.
9. Juice Recipes for Underactive Thyroid
People with hypothyroidism must include fruits and veggies in their low thyroid diet, but the urge for carbonated and flavored drinks is strong. Good thing there are healthy and refreshing drinks you can make with fruits and veggies.
Try any or all of these juice recipes that have all the zest and flavor you are looking for in sugared drinks. The essential vitamins and minerals these juice recipes contain are what you need most in your low thyroid diet.
10. Essential Foods for Thyroid Health
You must avoid certain foods when you have low thyroid levels. Goitrogenic foods in cruciferous vegetables like cabbage are only some of them.
On the flip side, there are foods essential for your thyroid health. These are foods rich in iodine, vitamin D, and selenium.
Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory foods are also included.
11. Natural Hypothyroidism Treatment Found in Diet
Hypothyroidism requires a thyroid medication, often for a lifetime, but a low thyroid diet can help you cope with the symptoms of hypothyroidism. Foods linked to hypothyroidism treatment include those with iodine, L-tyrosine, and selenium.
Vitamin B complex, ashwagandha, fish oil, and essential oils are also great.
12. Hypothyroid Diet Plans to Avoid Weight Gain
While we have introduced the 2-day diet plan for hypothyroidism, these tips can also help. Thinking of a diet plan isn’t enough.
Finding ways to follow it, like keeping tabs on your diet, will support your weight loss goals. Follow the diet tips here to help control weight gain.
13. Liver-Care Diet Tips for Thyroiditis Treatment
There is a direct link between Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and liver health. A healthy diet for a healthy liver can help you cope with the symptoms of Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism.
Treat your Hashimoto’s disease to take care of your liver, and vice versa.
14. 7 Tips for a Gluten-Free Diet
Gluten is a food substance you better cross out if you have low thyroid levels. By now, you know it’s a problem of mistaken identity that caused this autoimmune disorder, hypothyroidism.
Gluten can also be mistaken for the thyroid, and the immune system will do its job of attacking the “invader” in gluten. These tips for a gluten-free diet will help you avoid more complications.
15. Best Fruits for Hypothyroidism
Antioxidants and vitamin C are essential to a low thyroid diet. Where else do we get these substances but in fruits?
When it comes to antioxidants and vitamins, these are the big leagues. Pineapples, oranges, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries are, without a doubt, superfoods.
Check out why and how these super healthy fruits contribute to an effective hypothyroid diet.
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16. 9 Tips for Hypothyroidism and a Weight-Loss Diet
A thyroid diet for weight loss requires careful planning. There are food choices to consider, such as what foods to avoid and what to enjoy.
Follow these weight-loss diet tips. You can even work on them step-by-step, so the change isn’t drastic.
17. 7 Thyroid-Friendly Recipes
Good news! These recipes are great for the whole family.
While your family may not necessarily need them, thyroid friendly recipes certainly won’t hurt. Here, you have the main dish, a side dish, desserts, a paleo gravy, and a drink recipe.
They would be perfect for you and your family, whatever the occasion.
18. Tips for Hypothyroidism Water Retention
Along with unwanted weight gain, hypothyroidism will leave you feeling bloated. Worse, you can feel and look swollen in some places.
This can be linked to your diet and water intake. Avoid gassy foods or those high in fiber.
They will only worsen your bloating.
Salty and processed foods are even worse for water retention. Salty foods will also worsen your eyebags.
19. Recipes for Hypothyroidism
One of the struggles for people with hypothyroidism is incorporating limited food choices into daily meals. These recipes will serve as your guide, and you can innovate from there.
With these foods to eat with hypothyroidism, you can even make meals on your own. Try all the recipes to find out what we mean.
The Connection Between Hypothyroidism and Metabolism
Your thyroid helps your body keep the normal levels of hormones needed for the maintenance of your metabolic function. When you’re diagnosed with hypothyroidism, your metabolism slows down, making it difficult to lose weight and causing symptoms like weakness and fatigue.
A slower metabolism means you burn fewer calories than you normally do, which increases stored fat. Although weight gain is a common symptom of the condition, it’s still best to consider other underlying causes that can also contribute to your excess weight, especially if you’ve gained a lot.
Is It Possible to Boost Your Metabolism to Help You Lose Weight?
Yes, it is. You might not have control over the hypothyroidism that slows down your metabolism, but there are methods you can follow to control your weight and avoid gaining extra pounds:
1. Get More Sleep
A lack of sleep can create changes in the hormones leptin and ghrelin that affect your eating behavior. Leptin is responsible for signaling your body to stop eating, while ghrelin tells you when to eat.
When sleep deprivation occurs, your leptin levels are low, while your ghrelin levels are high. If this continues, you tend to eat more that can lead to weight gain.
To avoid this from happening, follow best practices that help promote restful and quality sleep, such as:
- Relaxing before going to bed
- Making your room comfortable for sleeping
- Listening to soft music
- Reading novels
- Taking an aromatic bath before bedtime
2. Drink More Water
Water can help in improving your body’s ability to burn fat. In a study, it was found that drinking about 17 oz of water increased the metabolic rate by 30%.
This increase happened within 10 mins after drinking and then reached a maximum of 40 mins.
Drink water before and after eating to help you digest food better. It’s also important to drink when you’re thirsty because it’s when your body is telling you it needs water.
If you’re a traveler, always bring a water bottle filled with water.
3. Include More Protein in Your Diet
Every time you eat, the thermic effect of food (TEF) occurs.
Thermic Food Effect Definition: When your metabolism increases for several hours. This happens because of the calories needed by your body to digest, absorb, and process for nutrients.
Among the nutrients you take, protein causes the highest increase in TEF and it elevates your metabolic rate up to 30%, compared to fats and carbs that only have up to 3% and 10%, respectively. This activity reduces the drop in your metabolism, making it work faster.
Foods high in protein are as follows:
- Peanuts
- Brussels sprouts
- Shrimp
- Fish
- Turkey breast
- Pumpkin seeds
- Ezekiel bread
- Lentils
- Quinoa
- Tuna
- Lean beef
- Broccoli
- Milk
- Greek yogurt
- Cottage cheese
- Oats
- Chicken breast
- Almonds
- Eggs
4. Avoid Skipping Meals
Starvation can cause a slow metabolism where your body uses less energy and burns fewer calories. It can leave you feeling sluggish and hungrier.
It also increases food cravings and causes you to eat more. If you are already experiencing fatigue because of low-calorie intake, it’s best to go back to eating normal meals.
Eat a well-balanced diet with proper amounts of protein and other nutrients you need to help stabilize your metabolism. If you do this, you lower your chances of having snacks in between meals, which can contribute to gaining extra weight.
5. Exercise Regularly
Exercise helps in burning more calories because muscle cells need energy, especially when you workout. The higher the intensity of your workout, the more calories you burn.
Strength, cardio, and high-intensity exercises can all provide great benefits to your metabolism.
Where you start with your exercise depends on many factors, though, like age, weight, and body type. One good way to properly start your training for weight loss and metabolism is to get a membership at the gym, so a trainer can guide you on what to do.
6. Stand Up More
Prolonged sitting can lead to weight gain as it inhibits your body to burn more calories.
An afternoon of frequent standing at work can help you burn more than 100 extra calories.
If your work involves prolonged sitting in the office, make time to stand up as often as you can to break the length of time you spend on sitting. Try to do some stretching without attracting attention.
7. Consume Spicy Foods
Capsaicin, a compound in peppers responsible for making them spicy, can help in metabolism and removing body fat. A study on participants who fall on the overweight or obese range experienced an increase in their fat oxidation and energy expenditure after the ingestion of the compound.
Another study revealed that eating peppers helps burn 10 additional calories in each meal. The effects of eating spicy foods on your metabolism may be small, but it can still make a difference, especially if you combine them with other foods that promote metabolism function.
8. Drink Green Tea
Green tea has the ability to turn stored fat into free fatty acids that can speed up fat burning. The tea is also low in calories, and its metabolism-boosting properties can help inhibit weight loss plateau, which can happen as a result of a decrease in metabolism.
Weight Loss Plateau Definition: A state where weight loss starts to slow down or does not progress at all because of a slow metabolism
It’s ideal to drink the tea early in the morning, especially if you consume more than a cup a day. The tea contains caffeine that can affect your sleep if consumed late in the evening.
9. Use Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is rich in medium-chain fats that can help increase your metabolism more than long-chain fats. A study showed that medium-chain fats raised metabolism levels to 12%, which is higher than long-chain fats with only 4%.
You can use coconut oil in baking recipes, as a replacement for vegetable oil and butter, or in greasing baking pans.
10. Lower Stress
Stress can increase the production of cortisol in your body. Cortisol regulates your appetite, and abnormal levels of it may lead to disordered eating, which can result in unhealthy eating patterns and can interfere with your metabolism.
Stress can also affect sleep, which influences metabolism as well. Try the following practices to manage stress:
- Meditation
- Aromatic bath
- Massage
- Relaxation
- Doing your hobbies
- Going to places
Now you know what to eat, what not to eat, and what to do for an effective low thyroid diet. Remember that each hypothyroid case is different.
Observe how you react to any of these hypothyroid diet recipes and diet tips. If you’re feeling good, continue.
If things are not going according to expectations, consult your doctor right away. These diet tips and recipes are not meant for self-diagnosis, but rather to guide you on your way to coping, if not to a healthy thyroid outright.
How’s your low thyroid diet coming? Is this list helpful? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!
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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on April 25, 2018, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.
