What are the dietary taboos for hyperthyroidism?

The core taboo is actually to strictly control the intake of iodine. Unless there are special circumstances, high-iodine foods must be avoided.

A while ago, I met a 27-year-old girl who works as an Internet operator. Her hyperthyroidism had just been adjusted for three months and her index had just dropped to the normal range. She was so greedy that she went to eat sukiyaki with her friends. She couldn't help but pick up several chopsticks to boil soft kelp and paired it with two seaweed hands. The next day, she was so panicked that her hands were shaking so much that she couldn't even type on the keyboard. When she went to recheck her thyroid hormone, it increased by more than three times. The doctor said that this seafood pot almost brought back the previous three months of hard work. After all, iodine is the core raw material for synthesizing thyroid hormone. Hyperthyroidism itself is caused by excessive secretion of thyroid hormone. Adding additional iodine is like adding more firewood to a burning stove, which is naturally prone to problems. Algae such as kelp, seaweed, and wakame have basically the highest iodine content. A small piece of dried seaweed has an iodine content dozens of times higher than what the human body needs in a day. Even if it is iodized salt, pickled seafood, or even snacks with shredded seaweed, you should pay more attention to them.

Is all seafood completely off limits? In fact, different doctors have different opinions. If your indicators have been stable within the normal range for more than half a year and you have stopped taking medicine, occasionally eating a few mouthfuls of steamed shallow-sea fish and a small amount of shrimps and clams is not a big problem. If you are still in the acute stage and the indicators have not dropped, it is safer to eat freshwater fish and shrimps honestly.

In addition to the number one taboo of iodine, many people tend to ignore the effects of irritating foods. There was also a 40-year-old salesman who used to drink ice-coated American drinks when running his business. His hyperthyroidism was under control and he didn't take it seriously. In the hot summer, he drank two ice-coated American drinks a day a week. He had insomnia all night long and lost 4 pounds. During the review, the doctor directly ordered him to stop all refreshing drinks and drink warm drinks. After two weeks, the insomnia and palpitation improved. Hyperthyroidism itself is prone to sympathetic nerve excitement, and palpitation, heat intolerance, and insomnia are common symptoms. These irritating things will increase the level of excitement, which adds to the burden on the already beating fast heart. Not only coffee and strong tea, but also spicy hot pot, alcohol, and even many functional drinks should be avoided.

There are also some pitfalls hidden in the details that you need to pay attention to. For example, many takeout and braised food restaurants use iodized salt, and some also add kelp and seaweed to improve the freshness. It is okay to eat it once in a while, but it is easy to exceed the standard of iodine if you eat it every day. Iodine is also added to some throat lozenges and multivitamin supplements. It is best to read the ingredient list before buying.

As for the rumor that many people with hyperthyroidism cannot eat cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and cabbage, there is really no need to be too anxious. This statement was originally aimed at iodine-deficient areas or those who eat a large amount of raw vegetables at one time. The amount of stir-fried vegetables in a normal meal cannot reach the threshold that affects the thyroid gland. On the contrary, the antioxidants in these vegetables are quite good for the body. Unless you also have goiter and the doctor specifically advises you to eat less, otherwise there is no need to deliberately quit.

In fact, there is no need to control your diet too strictly. As long as you avoid core high-iodine and highly stimulating foods, you don’t need to be too anxious about eating normally. On the contrary, excessive mood swings will have a much greater impact on hyperthyroidism than eating the wrong bite of food occasionally.