What are the dietary taboos for women with hypothyroidism?

In fact, there are no foods that all women with hypothyroidism must not touch. Most of the so-called "taboos" refer to "controlling intake" rather than complete fasting. Currently, the most controversial restrictions on iodine intake and cruciferous vegetable consumption must be judged based on the cause of the disease. Only high-fat and high-sodium foods high in oil and salt are categories that almost all patients with hypothyroidism should avoid as much as possible.

Not long ago, my best friend was diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroiditis and hypothyroidism during a physical examination at her workplace. She posted on the Internet that hypothyroidism requires intense iodine supplementation. She bought a large box of seaweed and planned to eat it every day. However, when she went for a follow-up visit, the doctor scolded her and said that her antibodies were three times higher than the normal value. Blindly supplementing with iodine will only aggravate the immune disorder of the thyroid gland, which is not conducive to the stability of thyroid function. This is also the most controversial point about hypothyroidism diet. If you have hypothyroidism caused by long-term iodine deficiency or living in an iodine-deficient area at high altitude, it is right to increase your iodine intake appropriately. ； If it is hypothyroidism caused by Hashimoto, or if there is not much thyroid tissue left after iodine 131 treatment/thyroid surgery, you can just eat iodized salt normally without supplementing with high-iodine foods. You even need to control the intake of high-iodine foods such as kelp, seaweed, and wakame, which contain thousands of micrograms of iodine per 100 grams, to avoid burdening the thyroid gland.

After talking about the iodine that everyone is most concerned about, let’s talk about the cruciferous vegetables that are said to be “definitely not eaten by hypothyroidism”. Broccoli, cabbage, radish, and cabbage have all been included in the blacklist. In fact, it is really unnecessary. I met a girl in a hypothyroidism patient group before. She was so frightened that she didn't dare to touch a bite of cabbage for half a year. Originally, hypothyroidism had slow gastrointestinal motility and was prone to constipation. During that six months, her constipation was so severe that she had to rely on oral medication. Later, when I went to the doctor for a follow-up consultation, I learned that the so-called cruciferous vegetables can affect the synthesis of thyroid hormones. Eating a large amount of raw food in a short period of time will have an effect. If you eat half a pound of cooked food a day, the impact will be negligible. On the contrary, the dietary fiber of these vegetables can also help relieve the common constipation problem of hypothyroidism. Later, she ate fried cabbage and boiled broccoli normally, and her constipation was mostly relieved.

What you really need to pay attention to and eat less are actually heavy foods that are high in oil and salt. After all, the metabolic rate of patients with hypothyroidism is about 30% lower than that of ordinary people, and they consume fat and excrete sodium more slowly. If you eat fried chicken, bacon, cream cakes, or heavy food take-out every day, you will easily suffer from elevated blood lipids and myxedema. There is a 42-year-old aunt with hypothyroidism downstairs in my house. She has a heavy mouth and loves to eat pickled radish and pickled vegetables. Before, her face was swollen like steamed dough buns. She thought it was aggravation of hypothyroidism. When she went to check her thyroid function, it turned out to be quite stable, but her blood lipids were much higher. The doctor asked her to stop pickled products and eat less heavy vegetables outside. After more than two months of adjustment, the swelling disappeared and her blood lipids dropped to the edge of normal.

In fact, speaking of it, hypothyroidism’s diet does not have so many rigid taboos, and you don’t have to live a cautious life. Occasionally, it’s okay to have a spicy hot pot or drink a cup of milk tea if you are craving for it, as long as you don’t overeat for a long time. If you are not sure what diet is suitable for you, take your antibody report to the doctor when you review your thyroid function next time. It is much more reliable than the messy one-size-fits-all advice on the Internet.