How to Keep a Healthy Thyroid
Eat the right vegetables and fruits., Cut out processed and refined foods., Avoid alcohol and tobacco products., Find sources of iodine., Increase your selenium intake., Take vitamin A supplements., Get more aerobic exercise.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Eat the right vegetables and fruits.
Eating fresh vegetables and fruits will help you maintain thyroid and overall health.
You should also eat vegetables and fruits high in antioxidants, such bell pepper, cherries, tomatoes, blueberries, and squash.
However, when you are working toward thyroid health, you need to know which kind of thyroid issue you suffer from because some vegetables can be more harmful than helpful.
For example, if you suffer from hypothyroidism, you should avoid anything in the cabbage family, such as kale, spinach, brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cabbage.
These foods interfere with thyroid function.If you are taking certain medications for thyroid health, you should also avoid soy beans until you talk to your doctor. -
Step 2: Cut out processed and refined foods.
Processed and refined foods are not good for thyroid health.
White breads, pastas, sugar, cookies, cakes, fast foods, and prepackaged foods are all processed and bad for your thyroid health.
Instead, make meals with fresh ingredients and use as little premade or processed components as possible.
Try switching out certain prepackaged things for fresh ingredients.
For example, don't eat instant oatmeal in the morning.
Instead, use steel-cut oatmeal and add nuts and spices to it.
Avoid canned vegetables and make them fresh.
These small steps will help you cut down on processed foods and help your thyroid health., Caffeine and alcohol can impact the health of your thyroid.
If you have hyperthyroidism, you should ask your doctor before using caffeinated beverages like soft drinks, coffee and tea.
However, you should always ask your doctor before you increase your caffeine intake, no matter what kind of thyroid condition you have., Since you need iodine to combat thyroid problems, you need to make sure you get enough of it in your diet.
Iodine is eaten in dietary forms of iodine by eating foods grown in soil with the appropriate iodine content, such as mushrooms, onions, and garlic.
You can also get iodine naturally by eating meat from organic grass-fed animals.
Some animal feed adds in potassium iodate, which also adds iodine to the meat you eat.
Table salt is also a source of iodine because it has been supplemented with it.
You may suffer from a lack of iodine, or iodine deficiency, when you don't eat enough table salt because this is the primary source of iodine you get on a daily basis.
This can occur in diets comprised of foods that are not cooked at home., The amount of selenium you get through supplementation has an impact on your thyroid health.
The link between selenium deficiency was only recently established in the 1990’s in relation to Graves disease, an autoimmune thyroid disease.
Selenium supplementation provided a quicker return to healthy thyroid states than other methods.Incorporate more foods that contain high selenium levels, such as brazil nuts, tuna, shrimp, oysters, liver chicken, and turkey., Taking vitamin A as supplements has been found to regulate thyroid metabolism and was associated with decreased thyroid hormone levels in obese and non-obese patients studied.
A dosage of 25,000 IU a day is recommended to maintain healthy thyroid function.You can also incorporate more vitamin A into your diet with foods such as sweet potatoes, carrots, and squash., Intense aerobic activity has been shown to help with higher levels of circulating thyroid hormones.
Aerobic exercise is any exercise which increases your target heart rate for a period of 30 minutes.
Incorporate more exercises, such as jogging, running, dancing, cycling and aerobics.
You should work out for 30 minutes a day at least five times a week.
Your target heart rate is calculated by subtracting your age from 220 and multiplying by
0.7.
For example, if you are 35 years old, your target heart rate is 220-35 = 185, then 185x0.7 =
129.5. -
Step 3: Avoid alcohol and tobacco products.
-
Step 4: Find sources of iodine.
-
Step 5: Increase your selenium intake.
-
Step 6: Take vitamin A supplements.
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Step 7: Get more aerobic exercise.
Detailed Guide
Eating fresh vegetables and fruits will help you maintain thyroid and overall health.
You should also eat vegetables and fruits high in antioxidants, such bell pepper, cherries, tomatoes, blueberries, and squash.
However, when you are working toward thyroid health, you need to know which kind of thyroid issue you suffer from because some vegetables can be more harmful than helpful.
For example, if you suffer from hypothyroidism, you should avoid anything in the cabbage family, such as kale, spinach, brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cabbage.
These foods interfere with thyroid function.If you are taking certain medications for thyroid health, you should also avoid soy beans until you talk to your doctor.
Processed and refined foods are not good for thyroid health.
White breads, pastas, sugar, cookies, cakes, fast foods, and prepackaged foods are all processed and bad for your thyroid health.
Instead, make meals with fresh ingredients and use as little premade or processed components as possible.
Try switching out certain prepackaged things for fresh ingredients.
For example, don't eat instant oatmeal in the morning.
Instead, use steel-cut oatmeal and add nuts and spices to it.
Avoid canned vegetables and make them fresh.
These small steps will help you cut down on processed foods and help your thyroid health., Caffeine and alcohol can impact the health of your thyroid.
If you have hyperthyroidism, you should ask your doctor before using caffeinated beverages like soft drinks, coffee and tea.
However, you should always ask your doctor before you increase your caffeine intake, no matter what kind of thyroid condition you have., Since you need iodine to combat thyroid problems, you need to make sure you get enough of it in your diet.
Iodine is eaten in dietary forms of iodine by eating foods grown in soil with the appropriate iodine content, such as mushrooms, onions, and garlic.
You can also get iodine naturally by eating meat from organic grass-fed animals.
Some animal feed adds in potassium iodate, which also adds iodine to the meat you eat.
Table salt is also a source of iodine because it has been supplemented with it.
You may suffer from a lack of iodine, or iodine deficiency, when you don't eat enough table salt because this is the primary source of iodine you get on a daily basis.
This can occur in diets comprised of foods that are not cooked at home., The amount of selenium you get through supplementation has an impact on your thyroid health.
The link between selenium deficiency was only recently established in the 1990’s in relation to Graves disease, an autoimmune thyroid disease.
Selenium supplementation provided a quicker return to healthy thyroid states than other methods.Incorporate more foods that contain high selenium levels, such as brazil nuts, tuna, shrimp, oysters, liver chicken, and turkey., Taking vitamin A as supplements has been found to regulate thyroid metabolism and was associated with decreased thyroid hormone levels in obese and non-obese patients studied.
A dosage of 25,000 IU a day is recommended to maintain healthy thyroid function.You can also incorporate more vitamin A into your diet with foods such as sweet potatoes, carrots, and squash., Intense aerobic activity has been shown to help with higher levels of circulating thyroid hormones.
Aerobic exercise is any exercise which increases your target heart rate for a period of 30 minutes.
Incorporate more exercises, such as jogging, running, dancing, cycling and aerobics.
You should work out for 30 minutes a day at least five times a week.
Your target heart rate is calculated by subtracting your age from 220 and multiplying by
0.7.
For example, if you are 35 years old, your target heart rate is 220-35 = 185, then 185x0.7 =
129.5.
About the Author
Theresa Sullivan
A passionate writer with expertise in DIY projects topics. Loves sharing practical knowledge.
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