Pictured recipe:
Despite the online buzz, there's really no such thing as a hypothyroid diet. Certain foods and dietary supplements cannot cure a sluggish thyroid. But combining a healthy, balanced eating plan with the right medical treatment can help ease your symptoms and help you feel like your old self again. Food can help support your thyroid, and there are certain foods you should avoid or limit to support thyroid health. Here, we dig into foods that are good for hypothyroidism, plus foods to limit.
What Is Hypothyroidism?
About 5% of Americans suffer from hypothyroidism, a condition where the thyroid—a butterfly-shaped gland in the base of the neck—doesn't make enough thyroid hormone. If you've been diagnosed, you probably know the symptoms of hypothyroidism all too well: fatigue, forgetfulness, dry skin and hair, muscle aches, weight gain, depression and sensitivity to cold. Because the thyroid regulates your metabolism, heartbeat, temperature and other crucial functions, you may feel like your whole body is slowly grinding to a halt.
Luckily, hypothyroidism is fairly simple to diagnose with a blood test and treat—your doctor can prescribe the exact amount of replacement thyroid hormone you need. After that, treatment is often as easy as downing a daily pill.
The Best Foods to Eat for Thyroid Health
Just because your thyroid is not functioning properly doesn't mean you can't enjoy plenty of good food. Below are some smart choices that can help support thyroid health. Most of them will fill you up with not a lot of calories, which can be a plus if you're trying to lose weight.
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Pictured recipe: Tuna Poke
Seafood & Seaweed
Think of seafood as your thyroid's BFF. Many kinds of fish are rich in iodine and other nutrients your body needs to make and use thyroid hormone efficiently. Best bets:
- Cod, tuna, seaweed, shrimp and other shellfish are excellent sources of iodine. Iodized table salt provides this important mineral, but people who avoid salting their foods and those with low thyroid function benefit from including seafood in their diets on a regular basis.
- Tuna and sardines are rich in selenium, a mineral that helps activate thyroid hormone.
- Oysters, Alaskan king crab and lobster are high in zinc, a mineral that helps regulate the release of thyroid hormone and helps the body absorb it.
Caution: Talk with your doctor if you have Hashimoto's disease, the most common cause of hypothyroidism. Getting too much iodine may cause side effects for you. For most adults, the recommended daily allowance for iodine is 150 mcg, which is the amount commonly found in multivitamins.
Lean Meats
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Pictured recipe: Grilled Chicken Taco Salad
Beef and chicken are excellent sources of zinc, a nutrient our bodies need for proper thyroid function. Not a meat eater? Beans (think kidney beans, baked beans and chickpeas) and fortified breakfast cereals are good choices too.
Nuts and Seeds
If you want to show your thyroid some love, try eating one Brazil nut every day. Just one nut provides 96 mcg of selenium, making it one of the richest sources of selenium and providing about twice the suggested intake. Other thyroid-friendly choices are cashews, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds.
Snack on a handful of nuts, swirl sunflower seed butter on top of oatmeal or add cashews to your salad.
Leafy Greens
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Pictured recipe: Air-Fryer Kale Chips
Dark, leafy green veggies like spinach, chard, collard greens and kale score big in three ways: They're high in iron, magnesium and vitamin A—all nutrients your thyroid needs to thrive. Vitamin A helps your thyroid produce thyroid hormone, while both iron and magnesium help the body absorb it. Research published in 2022 in Frontiers in Nutrition has found that getting enough vitamin A may help lower the risk of hypothyroidism, especially for those who are obese or recently underwent a gastrectomy.
Another plus: Leafy greens are loaded with fiber, which can help improve digestion. If hypothyroidism gives you problems with constipation, a fresh salad or a serving of greens can get things moving again.
Eggs
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Pictured recipe: Avocado-Egg Toast
Egg whites are packed with protein, which contributes to a healthy metabolism. Don't skip the yolks, either—they contain all the vitamins and minerals in eggs, including iodine and selenium, and deliver protein, too. One whole large egg has about 6 grams of protein and about half of that protein is in the yolk.
Read more: Can Eating More Protein Help You Lose Weight? Here's What the Science Says
Yogurt and Other Dairy
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Pictured recipe: Tahini-Yogurt Dip
Yogurt, milk, cheese and other dairy foods are all good sources of iodine—3/4 cup of plain, fat-free Greek yogurt provides about 60% of your daily iodine needs. Milk also delivers vitamin D, a nutrient many people with hypothyroidism need more of, but cheese and yogurt typically do not have any vitamin D.
Foods to Limit or Avoid
Foods with Goitrogens
Some nutritious foods contain goitrogens, compounds that can keep your thyroid from working as it should. Cooking seems to reduce the effect, and many foods with goitrogens can and should be part of a healthy diet. Avoiding foods with goitrogens can limit your intake of fiber and anti-inflammatory compounds in plant foods. Although there is limited evidence about how many of these foods can fit into a hypothyroid diet, eating these foods in large amounts may cause thyroid problems, especially if you don't get enough iodine:
- Soy
- Cabbage, cauliflower and other cruciferous vegetables
- Coffee, green tea and alcohol
Gluten
If you have celiac disease, you may have a higher risk of other autoimmune diseases, according to a 2022 Cureus review. Speak with your health care professional about the possible connection between celiac disease and thyroid disease.
Highly Processed, High-Calorie Foods
Most weight gain due to a low-functioning thyroid comes from excess salt and water. Once you've started treatment, you can expect to lose a little—usually around 10% or less of your total body weight, according to the American Thyroid Association. Cutting back on high-calorie foods with little nutritional value, such as chips, candy and french fries, may also help with weight loss if that is your goal.
The Bottom Line
There is no magical diet to eat when you have hypothyroidism, but some foods can help. Your thyroid condition and your health are individual, so be sure to speak with your doctor and consult with a registered dietitian nutritionist to find an eating plan that works for you.
