Food for People with a Thyroid Gland Diseases

Depending on the form of changes in functional activity and size of the thyroid gland, several kinds of diseases are identified:

• Hypothyroidism – a condition where the thyroid hormone level drops. The condition might be asymptomatic, have non-specific symptoms or be “disguised” as some other diseases. Clinical symptoms: fatigue, memory loss, decreased performance, sensitivity to cold, tiredness, rapid weight gain, swelling, dull and brittle hair, dry skin, menstrual disorders, early menopause, depression.
• Hyperthyroidism – a condition, which is characterized by persistent elevated levels of thyroid hormones in the blood, and can lead to accelerated metabolic processes in the body. Among the symptoms the following are associated with this condition: quick temper, irritability, increased appetite, weight loss, rapid heart rhythm combined with it’s disturbance, constant sweating, insomnia, elevated body temperature, “tides”, feeling the heat.
• Goiter is a condition where a thyroid gland size increases over the acceptable margins (for women it’s size is 9-18 ml, for men – 9-25 ml).  The gland enlargement can be found in teenagers, pregnant women and women in postmenopause.

Healthy Food for People with Thyroid Gland Diseases

For people with a thyroid gland condition it is very important to follow a diet which includes natural plants, root vegetables, fruits, nuts and vegetable proteins. In case of  hypothyroidism such a diet provides the body with organic iodine, which prevents lack of oxygen and “fermentation” of the cell, as well as the development of tumors, cysts, knots and myomas.

Please note, that in hyperthyroidism (hyper function of your thyroid gland), the amount of iodine coming into your body on the contrary should be limited.

A list of healthy products for people with the thyroid gland conditions:

• Fresh seafood (fish, crabs, shrimps, mussels, lobster, seaweed: cytozera, fucus, kelp).
• Fresh or dried rose hips, black chokeberry, blueberries, gooseberries, raspberries, strawberries, pumpkin, beetroot, turnips, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage salad, dandelion roots and leaves.
• Tea with bitter herbs (garden angelica root, sage, milfoil, hops (in limited amount).
• It is important to use adaptogenic plants (ginseng, devil’s-club, Rhodiola rosea, anomalous peony , golden root, Eleutherococcus, maral root (Rhaponticum), Icelandic moss, licorice, orchids),if you change the diet.
• Purifying products (celery, black radish, garlic, parsnip).
• Sprouted oats, barley, wheat, bean grains.
• Wild herbs, which contain copper, iron and materials for blood purification (walnuts, hazel, Indian nuts, almonds, cashews, sesame (til), flax, sunflower seeds, poppy seeds, meadowsweet, St. John’s wort, willow-herb, lycopus, sweet clover yellow, oregano,chestnut flowers ) taken in powder form (the latest trend is grinding them in a coffee grinder).
• Purified (filtered) water, a special “protium water”, mineral water “Essentuki” “Borjomi”.
• Honey (up to two tablespoons a day).
• Vegetable oil (olive, mais, sunflower, sesame, nut, soy) should not be used in heat treated food.
• Drawn butter ( no more than 20 g a day).
• Cereals cooked on water with kissels made of vegetables, fruits or dried fruits.
• Small amount of roasted potatoes.
• Compote of dried fruits (let the dried fruits soak in boiling water for overnight and you can use them in the morning).
• Home-made muesli (briefly soak oatmeals in water or juice, add grated sour apples, carrots, mashed into flour seeds or nuts, honey, lemon or orange juice).
• Salad of cooked or raw vegetables, vinaigrettes, vegetable stews(rutabaga, turnips, green peas, eggplant, salad peppers, courgettes, scorzonera, lettuce, girasol, asparagus, chicory, spinach, boiled corn), use for dressing: green seasoning, white wine, soy sauce, tomatoes, lemon juice.
• Special home-made mayonnaise (slightly dry any kind of nuts on a skillet (all except peanuts), then grind in the coffee grinder, add a little lemon juice, grated garlic, vegetable oil or honey, yolk of a domestic egg(occasionally), whip with a mixer to a sour cream state).

Folk Remedies for Thyroid Gland Conditions

• In case of a goiter

• A cultivated oat broth (two cups of grains per liter of boiling water, boil for 30 minutes), eat a hundred ml of the broth three times a day.
• Infusion of a wild camomile (one tablespoon per hundred ml of boiling water, boil for 10 minutes, infuse for four hours), take 30 grams after meal.
• Infusion-broth of a red ashberry (one tablespoon per 200 grams of water, boil for ten minutes, infuse four hours) to take half a cup three times a day.

• In case of Hyperthyroidism

• Infusion of hawthorn flowers (cup of chopped hawthorn flowers cover with half a liter of strong vodka or alcohol, infuse for a week): dilute with water 1:5 before use, take three stacks before meal.

• In case of Hypothyroidism

• Feijoa (in any form, without the rind) and wild strawberry.
• Three to four drops of iodine into tea, two times a day.