By Francesca Shillcock

Copyright hellomagazine

The thyroid gland might be small, but its impact is big. According to the NHS website, the thyroid is a small butterfly-shaped gland in the neck, just in front of the windpipe (trachea). It produces hormones that affect your heart rate, body temperature and more. The ideal is to have a balanced thyroid, but when it is unbalanced, overactive or underactive, it can have serious effects on our well-being. Carol-Ann Robert, a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist at Team Nutrition, who also lives with the autoimmune hyperthyroidism Graves’ Disease, explained to HELLO! in a nutshell: “Despite its tiny size, the thyroid has a big function.

“It produces hormones that regulate your body temperature, metabolism (like weight loss or gain), and even growth and development. An imbalanced thyroid, whether underactive (hypothyroidism) or overactive (hyperthyroidism), can also significantly alter your mood, among other things. Maintaining the health of your thyroid aids in maintaining these essential processes.” So how do we maintain our thyroid health? Our diet plays a big part.

Why is thyroid health so important?

Dr Kezia Joy, a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Medical Advisor with Welzo, also notes how the thyroid is crucial for the effective functioning of our energy, metabolism and hormonal balance. “Underactivity or overactivity can influence everything, including weight and mood, as well as heart health. The thyroid is also vital in brain function, like digestion, as well as reproductive health. Due to its impact on such a large number of systems, even minor imbalances can affect a large scale. Thyroid health is thus important in the long-term wellness, energy stability and prevention of diseases.”

What foods should we be eating to help our thyroid health?

Given that nutrition plays a big role in our thyroid health, it’s important to consider which foods we should be aiming to incorporate into our regular diets. However, Carol-Ann makes a crucial point that those living with diagnosed thyroid conditions will likely have different needs and requirements. “It’s crucial to keep in mind that the recommendations may vary based on your thyroid condition, such as Graves’ disease or Hashimoto’s disease. To find out what works best for you, always consult a registered dietitian.”

Generally, however, there are foods to add to our regular diet that can give a healthy boost. Carol-Ann notes that foods high in iodine are a great option. “Thyroid hormones require iodine. Seaweed, dairy products like milk or yogurt, fish like cod or shrimp, and iodised salt are good sources of it. Table salt often also contains added iodine, so it’s usually not a nutrient that people have to worry about.” Dr Kezia agrees on the importance of iodine: “Iodine is an important nutrient because it aids the thyroid to synthesise vital hormones.”

Carol-Ann and Dr Kezia both also note the importance of Selenium in our diet, which “helps to convert hormones, helps the thyroid to withstand oxidative stress.” Foods such as Brazil nuts, eggs, seafood and sunflower seeds contain selenium. In fact, Carol-Ann states that just three Brazil nuts a day provides the amount of selenium we need. Dr Kezia adds that food containing Zinc, like chickpeas, chia seeds and sesame seeds, can also help steady thyroid health.

What foods should we be avoiding?

So now we know what we should be eating, what should we avoid? Generally, Dr Kezia notes that highly processed foods are a no-go. “Hormones are broken, and inflammation is aggravated by highly processed foods that contain high sugar and unhealthy fats. These may impose further load on the thyroid,” she explains.

It might surprise you to learn that consuming too many raw, cruciferous vegetables can have a detrimental effect on the thyroid. Dr Kezia says: “High consumption of raw cruciferous foods, e.g. cabbage or kale, can disrupt the production of thyroid hormones; however, moderate, cooked amounts tend to be okay.”

Carol-Ann also notes that high intake of meat has been linked to an increased risk of Hashimoto’s disease, though more research needs to be done to be conclusive.Generally, a healthy, balanced diet avoiding ultra-processed foods is the best place to start when it comes to considering thyroid health, with some added Brazil nuts for good measure.