Top Foods for your Metabolism and Thyroid Health
23
September, 2022
The Thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in your neck, and an important part of the endocrine system (which produces and controls hormones). Thyroid hormones control the rate of many activities in your body; almost every cell in your body as a receptor for thyroid hormone! It affects and controls:
Heart rate and body temperature
Metabolism
Physical energy
Brain and mental focus/clarity
Digestion
Mood regulation
Sex/Reproductive Hormone production (like estradiol and progesterone)
Skin, hair and nail health
Sleep
The thyroid acts somewhat like your body’s thermostat; it regulates body temperature as well as other important functions such as heart rate, brain development, the reproductive system, and bone maintenance.
When the thyroid gland is not working optimally, it can affect a person’s whole being!
According to the American Thyroid Association, more than 12% of the US population will develop a thyroid condition in their lifetime and an estimated 20 million Americans (that’s about 15% of the country) have some form of thyroid disease. Yet, it’s estimated that 50 to 60 percent of people with thyroid disease go undiagnosed!
To read more about the thyroid and symptoms of a thyroid imbalance, CLICK HERE. (Always consult your physician if you are experiencing any changes in your health, symptoms or think you might be struggling with a hormone imbalance.)
Triggers of Thyroid Dysfunction:
Systemic inflammation
Chronic Stress
Nutritional Deficiencies
Poor inflammatory diet
Unhealthy body weight
Medications
Sedentary lifestyles
Poor Gut Health
Poor Liver Health & Detoxification Pathways
Environmental Toxin Exposure

There are many possible reasons for thyroid dysfunction, and diet plays a HUGE role! Food is information for our body; what we eat has a direct impact on how our thyroid functions, and ultimately how we feel and function as a whole!
Foods to Avoid:
Gluten
Conventional Dairy
Conventionally raised animal products
Refined sugars and flours
Artificial ingredients and additives
Processed, packaged, inflammatory food products
Why these foods?
Because they raise inflammation and stress within the body. Why Gluten? Gluten is a protein that body is not able to digest. When consumed, it causes an inflammatory response within the digestive tract, and over time can lead to a condition called Leaky Gut. Throughout this, the body response to the inflammation by creating antibodies. Funny enough….gluten particles look almost identical to thyroid cells. So the body’s natural immune response is to create antibodies against the gluten, but “mollecular mimicry” can occur where the body ends up attacking the thyroid cells, instead of the gluten particles. This occurs in the autoimmune disorder Hashimoto’s. So over time, consuming gluten can have a significantly negative impact on the thyroid.
So a healthy thyroid is one that is getting all of its nutrients! The thyroid needs all these nutrients to thrive. They’re all involved with the different steps needed in order to convert and absorb the hormones!
So a healthy thyroid is one that is getting all of its nutrients!
Nutrients needed for Thyroid Health:
Iodine
Selenium
Vitamin A
Vitamin B
Vitamin D
Zinc
Magnesium
Protein/Amino Acids
Best Food Sources:
Iodine: Sea vegetables, like seaweed or kelp
Selenium: Brazil nuts, shrimp, sardines, salmon, grass fed beef
Vitamin A: Grass fed liver (only need this occasionally), carrots, sweet potato, kale, spinach, mustard/collard/turnip greens, and winter squash
Vitamin B2 and B12: Grass fed beef, whole eggs and wild caught seafood
Vitamin D: Natural sunlight, mushrooms, seafood, egg yolks, supplementation
Zinc: Pumpkin seeds, seafood, oysters, almonds
Magnesium: Pumpkin seeds, almonds, spinach, swiss chard, sesame seeds, quinoa, cashews, dark chocolate and avocado
Protein: high quality chicken, turkey, beef, eggs, seafood (wild caught, antibiotic and hormone free, organic grass fed)
Focus on lots of color and whole, nutrient dense foods to help support your thyroid, your hormones and your health from the inside out!