I know that there are some vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprout, spinach, kale ...ect.) and grains (soy, millet) that are not so good for thyroid.
But I was shocked that the main two leafy greens that I love and eat on daily basis or every other day are rocket and parsley!
It says that arugula (another name for rocket) contains thiocyanates, which "weaken the activity of the enzyme thyroid peroxidase, which is required to insert iodine into thyroid hormone. This effect can be greatly reduced by iodine supplementation."
It also says that parsley has apigenin (the same substance is found in millet)
Oh, I love rocket salad. :"( And I love tabbouleh. I know it does not mean I can't eat them altogether, but I should not eat them daily. Actually my daily salad includes rocket becuase I don't like lettuce. And I eat parsley around twice a week.
Also I miss almonds. I've read they are bad unless socked before consuming. I like almond butter and almond milk.
But I'm happy that cauliflower and broccoli are bad for me, I don't like them. Now, I have an excuse.
Any thoughts are appreciated.
Thanks.
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FleureDee
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Are you on thyroid hormone replacement? Levo or something? If so, you don't have to worry about goitrogens - especially not if you're on a full replacement dose. It's only people who rely on their thyroid for all their hormone AND eat massive amounts of goitrogens, every day, who are likely to be affected. So, just ignore this and eat what you like.
Except soy. Unfermented soy is the only exception to this rule, because soy also works on a cellular level, impeding the uptake of hormone by the cells.
I'm not in replacement. With Arugula, I think I was eating too much, at least once a day, and sometimes twice. And of course not cooked because I was using it in salad.
I love lettuce! But only the pale leaves, I don't like the dark green ones. But I also like rocket.
But, what I meant was, did eating rocket make you feel bad in any way? And do you feel any better for having cut down on it?
Just because it's a goitrogen, and you're not yet medicated, doesn't automatically mean that it's going to have a goitrogenic effect on you. Not all goitrogens affect everybody. If you felt well eating it, continue to eat it. It doesn't do any hidden damage, or anything.
How should I feel if it were bad for me? What are some symptoms?
I have not noticed anything special, but maybe because I'm not paying attention.
I have difficulty sleeping, and my hands are feet are always cold, and I'm generally feeling cold most of the time. But I have not tried to notice if this is linked to rocket consumption.
Being hypo is all about monitoring your body and how you feel. Try not eating rocket for a few weeks, and see if you feel any better. Then eat it again, and see if you feel any worse.
I'm sure it will. As I said, goitrogens are a huge red herring that someone latched onto, without really understanding it, and made a big thing out of, insisting that hypos ought to give them all up, when it's not really that, at all.
I'm not sure if cutting them is good thyroid-wise (people in alternative medicine and anecdotal stories says so) but digestion-wise, I feel better. in my food IGG test I was allergic to dairy and most grains.
I believe after a thyroid nutrition lecture that cruciferous vegetables are ok to eat (obviously not in silly quantities) when they have been lightly cooked.
I would question the research and take a personal view - is the research in-vitro or in-vivo? How big were the studies? How much was consumed and what is the bioavailability of the compounds consumed? When the studies were carried out how much of the product caused an issue - to get the same effects at home would I actually have to consume kilograms of whatever product to have an effect? Was it the whole plant or an extract/phytonutrient etc.?
Personally before excluding a food from the diet I would ensure that gut health and liver health were as optimum as I could make it. I haven't yet read any research that says that eating parsley pesto is going to make my thyroid condition worse.
I very much doubt that any such research has ever been done. But, it would be further complicated by the fact that not every person reacts to every goitrogen. It's a very personal thing.
Interesting and informative. I took it for granted that they did their research.
But I once ran into a statistic about millet, it was found out to cause goitre to humans and animals in big percentage in developing countries where it is heavily consumed. And ever since, that bag of millet is sitting there in the cabinet.
I was alarmed about arugula, because I was using it for my salad (uncooked) at least once a day or sometimes twice. I was eating it in lieu of lettuce. I think I need to go slow on it to be safe.
With goitrogens, you'll know if they're affecting you. You'll feel it. Sometime after you've eaten it, you'll feel bad. You don't have to wait for a goitre to appear to know. And, I don't care what they say, cooking it is not going to help at all if you're affected by a certain qoitrogen. But, what people don't seem to realise is, not everybody is affected by all goitrogens - there may be one or two you react to, but it doubtful you'll be affected by all of them - and there are so many. So, if you've been eating it for a long time, and you've not had any sort of reaction, then you should be fine with it.
Tabbouleh contains bulgur wheat, which contains gluten. Gluten should be avoided with thyroid disease because its molecules 'mimic' thyroid antibodies and can cause flare ups.
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