The thyroid gland may not be one of the best-known organs of the human body, but is definitely one of the most important. It regulates your metabolism and therefore affects your weight and energy. Additionally, it also affects the health of the heart, kidneys, and other high profile organs. It means you should be taking care of thyroid more than you have ever done. This is even more necessary for people who have hypothyroidism. In this condition, they may experience depression, fatigue, constipation, and other severe health concerns. All these issues can be addressed by just adding a few foods into your daily routine. If you are curious to learn about them, continue reading.
Omega-3s
Unmanaged hypothyroidism can raise the risk of heart disease due to the “bad” cholesterol. Fish is rich in Omega-3 fatty acids as well as selenium, and both are known to decrease inflammation, lower the risk of heart disease, and help with immunity as well. The omega-3 fatty acids found in fish, including wild salmon, tuna, sardines, or trout, make this an excellent meal for lunch or dinner. If you want to get a healthy dose of Omega-3s and selenium, you should have bake salmon, sea bass, cod, haddock, or perch for lunch or dinner.
Brazil Nuts
Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, and macadamia nuts are excellent sources of selenium and can also promote good thyroid health. Nuts make a handy snack, and you can pack a small bag of nuts to snack on through the day. Besides being rich in protein and calcium, nuts also contain a substance called selenium. This substance helps the thyroid gland in creating enough hormones a healthy body needs. If you are not properly taking care of your thyroid now, then the chances are you will have to undergo thyroid surgery. For those who need any recommendations for surgery can visit thyroid doctor at NextGen OMS. However, you can avoid this if you are eating foods that promote a healthy thyroid.
Whole Grains
Constipation is one of the most common indications of hypothyroidism. Whole-grain foods, including cereal, pasta, bread, and rice, are rich in nutrients in addition to fiber that can potentially help with bowel regularity. But, fiber can restrict synthetic thyroid hormones, cautions Turner. Many, if not most, people with hypothyroidism avoid whole-grains altogether. But if you choose to add them to your diet, then it is recommended to take your thyroid medication a few hours before or after eating foods high in fiber.
Low-fat Yogurt
Even those who do not have thyroid issues should include low-fat yogurt in their meal plans due to a lot of benefits it offers. Dairy products such as yogurt, ice cream, and milk contain iodine. The thyroid requires iodine to avoid its glands from becoming enlarged, the condition which is known as goiter. Therefore, to prevent this condition, incorporate a low-fat serving of frozen yogurt to get enough levels of iodine. You can eat a single cup of this yogurt every day to get practically half of the iodine a healthy thyroid needs. You can take the yogurt along with strawberries and nuts; the former provides extra iodine lift and the latter advantageous fats.