What are the dietary taboos for hyperthyroidism?

The most uncontroversial core taboo is to strictly avoid high-iodine foods. This is a red line that all endocrinologists will repeatedly advise. I treated a 22-year-old girl before. Her hyperthyroidism was under stable control with medication. She went to Qingdao for three days during the holiday and ate seafood and sashimi. When she came back for a follow-up check, her index had tripled. She was so panicked that her hands were shaking so much that she couldn’t even hold a pen. It took another two months of medication to bring her back. After all, iodine is the core raw material for the synthesis of thyroid hormones. The thyroid gland of patients with hyperthyroidism is like a processing factory that is turned on at maximum power. If you continue to work hard to deliver raw materials, the hormones produced will only become more outrageous, and symptoms such as palpitation, hand tremors, and weight loss will only become more severe.

There is currently no absolutely unified clinical statement on whether to replace iodized salt. If you have completely stopped eating seafood such as kelp, seaweed, fish, and shrimp, and use ordinary iodized salt for cooking, it is actually difficult to exceed the daily intake of iodine. Especially for office workers who eat takeout every day, they have no control over what salt the merchant uses. There is no need to worry about this all day long. However, if you are a patient who has just been diagnosed and whose indicators have not yet stabilized, try to use non-iodized salt when eating at home in the first half of the year, which will be safer overall.

What many people don’t know is that it is recommended to avoid espresso, spirits, high-caffeine energy drinks, and particularly spicy and exciting foods as much as possible. There used to be a boy who was a junior in college. His hyperthyroidism had just been controlled by taking medicine. He stayed up late playing a game and drank two cans of energy drinks. His heartbeat reached 150 that night. He was sent to the emergency room by his roommate. It took him a long time to recover. After all, hyperthyroidism itself will make the nerves and heart in an excited state. These irritating things are equivalent to adding another fire to the body that is already running at high speed, and it is easy to cause problems.

Another situation with a particularly high rate of being cheated is that many people who have hyperthyroidism feel the need to “replenish their health” and look for health supplements everywhere. I met an aunt before and heard from my neighbor that seaweed tablets can improve immunity. After taking it for half a month, I checked again and found that the thyroid hormone level had doubled. I thought the medicine was useless. When I asked, I found out that I had stepped on a high-iodine supplement. There are also supplements that may contain sex hormones, such as royal jelly and Ziheche, which are not recommended for patients with hyperthyroidism. Not only will they not nourish the body, but they will easily disrupt hormone levels.

In fact, there is no need to be overly cautious. Occasionally you eat a meal made with iodized salt outside, or accidentally take a bite of kelp. There is no need to be nervous. As long as you do not encounter these clear taboos in large quantities for a long time, the impact on the condition will not be that big. Relaxing your mind will be more conducive to recovery.