What foods are bad for the thyroid?

I've been trying to look for an article on the main Thyroid UK site about what foods to avoid when suffering from hypothyroidism but I'm unable to find it.

Is there a link anywhere or is it possible to have suggestions when someone replies please?

Foods that I currently eat:

Bread

Chocolate

Pasta

Crackers

Cottage cheese

Potatoes

Broccoli

Sprouts

Chicken

Beef

Turkey

Bananas

Passionfruit

Oranges

Blueberries

Grapes

Yoghurts (fromage frais)

Cakes

Biscuits

Just a quick note: I am not coeliac or diabetic and my last blood test has come out with my TSH at 4.6 (0.27-4.2) and FT4 at 15.6 (12-22). Anti-TPO antibodies are 41,000 (<34). I am on Actavis Levo with 50 mcg and 100 mcg and Wockhardt Levo at 25 mcg. My dose is currently 125mcg Levo a day.

Thanks for any help.

Jo xxx

[shaws Administrator]

Most of the things you eat are healthy but these are things to be avoided:-

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/treatm...

[Hidden in reply to shaws]

Thanks Shaws for the link. I don't each much cruciferous food but I will on occasion do so, so thank you.

Jo xxx

[Marz]

...as you are a Hashimotos sufferer it may help if you are gluten free. I know it can be a huge step but it has been suggested healing the gut is so important for many conditions. Just a thought.....

[Hidden in reply to Marz]

Hi Marz, I have been tested for coeliac and it has come back negative. However being on a gluten-free diet has helped me so does that mean I could be gluten intolerant?

I was given the impression on a few other sites that being a Hashimoto's sufferer means I would be coeliac!

Thanks

Jo xxx

[Marz in reply to Hidden]

.....I think it has been mentioned that being coeliac can lead to Hashimotos - rather than the other way around. Leaky Gut Syndrome caused by gluten can be a problem in causing Hashimotos - so healing the gut is good. Also coeliac testing is far from accurate in the UK and can often give false negatives. A Functional Medicine Practitioner in the States would do many more tests. I learnt this from listening to The Gluten Summit - on-line. The impression from listening to the summit was that most people are sensitive to gluten to a greater or lesser extent.

If you feel better being gluten free - then I would stick with it....

[Hidden in reply to Marz]

Ok Marz. Thanks for your answer.

I was given a week until my coeliac test was booked - which I don't think was enough time, so I'll stick with gluten-free.

Jo xxx

[Jacdavey]

Hi

I copied and pasted this info hope it helps.

Go to thyroiduk website I went onto aboout the thyroid then onto Hypothyroidism link.

I have found web site very useful for info and other peoples experience's.

Hope it helps you.

There are quite a few things that can interfere with levothyroxine such as foods, beverages and drugs.

The main things to watch out for are:

Foods:

Goitrogenic foods can act like an antithyroid drug in disabling the thyroid function. They prevent the thyroid from using available iodine. However, if eaten in moderation, you should not have a problem:

· brussel sprouts, swede, turnips, cauliflower, cabbage and kale

· almonds, peanuts and walnuts

· sweetcorn, sorghum and millet

· soya

Beverages:

Coffee may interfere with thyroid hormone absorption

Drugs preventing absorption of levothyroxine:

· Calcium salts - calcium containing products

· Ferrous sulphate - iron containing products

· Aluminium hydroxide - antacids

· Cholestyramine - bile acid sequestrants

Drugs increasing clearance of levothyroxine:

· Phenytoin - antiepileptics

· Carbamazepine - anticonvulstants

· Phenobarbitone - barbiturates

· Rifampicin - antibiotics

These drugs need to be taken separately from levothyroxine by at least four hours to be sure that there is no interaction.

There has never been any research in respect of which foods, drugs and beverages interfere with NDT.

It takes about 7-10 days for levothyroxine to absorb fully into the body so you may not feel any improvement for a couple of weeks. Improvement may be slow so patience may be needed especially if you have been ill for some time. You may need to take it easy for a while until the correct dosage is achieved.

You will need to have your thyroid tested on an annual basis once you become balanced. It's a good idea to keep a diary and include test results, the amount of thyroid medication and any symptoms you have on a scale of 1-10 so that you can see where you feel best within the range.

If you have Hashimoto's disease, which is an autoimmune disease, it's possible that you may get other autoimmune diseases such as pernicious anaemia, diabetes, lupus etc. It might therefore be an idea to have periodic tests for these conditions too.

The body needs various vitamins and minerals to enable the thyroid to work properly. Deficiency in some of these vitamins and minerals can cause similar symptoms to thyroid disease. It may therefore be a good idea to have other tests such as B12, folate and ferritin.

There has been a lot of research recently on vitamin D so testing for this vitamin might also be a good idea.

If you have been diagnosed with hypothyroidism, as long as you are not deficient in vitamins and minerals, you are on the thyroid medication that is best for you and the correct dosage of the thyroid medication that is best for you, you should, hopefully, see great improvement in your health.

[Hidden in reply to Jacdavey]

Hi Jacdavey!!

Thanks for copying and pasting the article for me. I will revisit this, I'm sure.

I only have about 1 coffee a week - I drink more tea than coffee, but I guess any amount of caffeine would not be good for the thyroid.

My thyroid is tested every 6 weeks as my thyroid hormones are not yet balanced.

The only other autoimmune illness I have is Raynaud's Phenomenon - diabetes and lupus have come back negative. I do have positive anti-nuclear antibodies however and I'm low on Vitamin B12 - I've not had the GP say I'm Vitamin B12 deficient. Pernicious anaemia is Vitamin B12 deficiency, am I right?

Folate is 4.1 (4.6-18.7)

Ferritin - 22 (30-400)

Vitamin D - 43.6 (>75)

Thanks

Jo xxx

[hjane in reply to Hidden]

I was told best ferritin level to have was 70 for optimal health ( endo advised )

[Marz]

Dr. Tom O'Bryan <[e-mail]>.....just thought you may this information helpful. He is the guy who set up the Gluten Summit that lasted on-line for a week with 29 speakers - before Christmas. At the end of the month he is doing more on-line audio presentations to follow up. It is Free too ! Hopefully it could be helpful.

[mazb]

I do wonder about the cruciferous foods (I have previously read that they can be anti-thyroid, as mentioned above).

I have also read that this is worse when they are raw, and so I wonder if they are ok when cooked fully (not overcooked yuk).

I love broccoli (and it's good for B vits and iron), and cauli and sprouts.

I think I've read someone, somewhere, suggesting leaving at least a couple of hours in between taking thyroid meds and eating these, which sounds like a good compromise, as I wouldn't like to give these up, and am not bothered that I can't eat them raw..

[dominicaffiliate]

foods like cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, mustard, kale, Brussels sprouts, canola oil, and turnips. Check out this article that will help you foods to eat and foods to avoid for Thyroid Problems.

healthblog247.com/foods-to-...