If you have an underactive thyroid gland make sure you are getting enough iodine (from milk, fish and iodised salt) as this is the main nutrient involved in thyroid hormone manufacture.
Alternative ways to boost your iodine intake are with the occasional meal of sea vegetables such as wakame or dulse, available from organic and health foods stores, or by taking a daily iodine or kelp supplement.
Secondly, make sure there is enough selenium in your diet as this is also required for the formation of thyroid hormones. One easy way to get enough selenium is to eat a couple of Brazil nuts every day – they should provide all you need.
Some foods, particularly those of the brassica family (cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cauliflower), contain chemicals called ‘goitrogens’ that interfere with thyroid hormone synthesis.
Cooking appears to inactivate these chemicals though, so they are only a problem eaten raw. Peanuts also contain goitrogens, but unless you eat them in excessive quantities it shouldn’t be a problem.
This info is from the British Thyroid Foundation, PO Box 97, Clifford, Wetherby West Yorks, LS23 6XD.
Ravi Bhanot
MRPharmS Dip (Nutri) Dip (Stress Manag.) Dip(Massage) Dip (Ayurv.) Dip(Hom.) JP RSA
