If you’re always tired, weepy, and short-tempered, you could have a thyroid problem.
Your thyroid regulates the release of hormones in your body; an underactive thyroid, or hypothyroidism, can lead to extreme fatigue, depression, forgetfulness, and weight gain, and even increase your risk for heart disease and some cancers.
To keep your thyroid in the best shape, avoid these foods that have been fingered as the worst for your thyroid:
Broccoli and Brussels Sprouts
Cruciferous vegetables—such as broccoli, spinach, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts—are excellent for your body, but too much of these good things can negatively affect your thyroid.
These veggies all contain goitrogens, which can aggravate hypothyroidism.
“Goitrogens are not as active when they’re cooked, so eat them cooked,” says Fiorella DiCarlo RDN, CDN, with both clinical and research experience in medical nutrition therapy in New York City. “The last thing I want to do as a dietitian is to tell people to not eat vegetables!”
Limiting sugar intake can reduce inflammation, the root of chronic illness, in the body explains Dr. Susan Blum, MD, an integrative medicine physician and founder of the Blum Center for Health in Rye Brook, New York. Several studies cite that an inflammatory microenvironment in your body can weaken your immune response toward the spread of thyroid cancer spread in advanced stages.
And cancer isn’t the only risk. You can also develop thyroiditis—an inflamed thyroid—thyrotoxicosis (high thyroid hormone levels in the blood), and hypothyroidism, according to the American Thyroid Association.
Tuna and Swordfish
Big predator fish like tuna, swordfish, shark, and mackerel have more mercury content than smaller fish as they’ve accumulated more of the harmful chemical over their longer life spans.
Try to eat less than two or three servings of these fish a week, Blum suggests, to limit your risk of hyperthyroidism.
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