How to keep Thyroid Healthy with nutrition and lifestyle

The thyroid gland present in your body is the one which is responsible for the secretion of hormones to regulate the activity performed by your cells or organs. This gland is present in the front side of the neck. It has two lobes, right and left lobes that are placed on either side of the windpipe. This gland influences almost all the metabolic functions of your body. Disorders can arise within your body if your thyroid produces too much of the hormone or too less of the hormone.

If the hormone produced is too much then it is known as Hyperthyroidism and when the hormone produced is not enough then it is called as Hypothyroidism. Thyroid is also caused by few of the reasons like iodine deficiency in the body or if you have any nodules or cancerous tumor on the thyroid gland or it can be a genetic disorder.

Few of the common thyroid disorders are hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, Hashimoto’s disease, and goiter.
Thyroid hormone is said to play a significant role in regulating your body’s metabolism and growth. That is the reason because of which people who suffer from thyroid experience weakness, tiredness, weight gain, hair loss, skin discoloration and many other symptoms.

But a combination of all the essential nutrients along with appropriate medication and a healthy lifestyle pattern can help in reducing the symptoms. Thus following a healthy lifestyle pattern and a healthy nutritious diet comprising all the essential nutrients is vital for a thyroid patient.

So let us discuss regarding few of the lifestyle and dietary guidelines for people suffering from thyroid:

• Eat more of high biological value protein like eggs, chicken, fish, pulses, legumes, milk and milk products and avoid consumption of red meat like mutton, meat.
• Abstain from carbonated and caffeinated drinks like cold drinks, too much tea and coffee.
• Consume more of selenium rich foods like Brazilian nuts, sea foods, meat, dairy products like yogurt, cheese, milk and iodine fortified salt to meet your body’s daily needs.
• Have more of Fruits like berries, oranges, bananas, apples and vegetables like Carrot, radish, peas, and bottle gourd in the diet.
• Have seeds like chia seeds, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds along with your smoothies or as it is, twice or thrice in a week.
• Gluten free grains like bajra, jowar, barley can be consumed in moderation.
• Person suffering from thyroid should avoid consumption of Goitrogen rich foods like Soya foods like soya, tofu, pine, nuts and peanuts, sweet potatoes, peaches, strawberries and cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, spinach, since these foods are responsible for hormonal imbalance thereby impacting the normal functioning of the thyroid glands within your body.

Over to you
A healthy Diet always is said to have a significant impact on the symptoms of any health ailment. Thus by following a proper lifestyle and a healthy diet pattern can help in reducing the effect of thyroid hormone and thereby decreasing the dosage of the medication for the same. People on medications or any supplements should regularly check with their doctor and dietitian regarding the best ways to manage their medication and thyroid hormone levels.