Wat to have and what not to have

Having a thyroid condition can be a picnic as it is very easy to manage and let me tell you, you are not alone with this health issue. When I notice a rise in my clients Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) levels I tell them to chill and I immediately look into their diets. Some nutrients heavily influence the function of the thyroid glands. So let me tell you how your diet plays a prominent role and how you can choose thyroid friendly foods to help reduce and reverse your hypo- thyrodisim.

Foods that inhibit your normal metabolism and uptake of iodine which helps regulate normal functioning of the thyroid gland are called goitrogens. Initially let me run you through these foods that need to be limited in our diet:

1. Cruciferous Vegetables: Cabbage, Brussels Sprouts, Broccoli, Cauliflower

2. Leafy greens: Fenugreek(methi), Spinach, Kale

3. Dairy Products: Milk, Paneer, Cheese, Curd

4. Soy Based foods: Edamame, Soya, Tofu, Lima Beans

5. Grains and grain substitutes: Wheat, White Flour (Maida), Oats, Rawa (semolina), Barley (Jav), couscous, Dalia ( broken wheat), Pearl millet (Jowar), Sweet potatoes, Maize (Makai)

6. Processed foods: Foods filled with Sugars, Salts, Fats, Red Meat

7. Other: Eggs, Almonds, Peanuts, Peach

8. Drinks: Alcohol, Caffeine

You will be glad to know there is so much that you can eat from our local Indian foods round the year, just read this list below. So I don't want you thinking that all your food is cut out if you face this metabolic disorder.

Fruits

It is only on fruit that is cut out, look at the other options that you can eat: Banana, Chickoo, Guava, Strawberries, Pear, Papaya, Pineapple, Sweet Lime (Mosambi), Mango, Water melon, Musk Melon, Orange, Grapes, Grape Fruit, Pomello, Litchi, Black Jamun, Amlas, Custard Apple, Apple, Cherries, Kiwi and Plum.

Vegetables, there are loads of these to choose from

Tomatoes, Onions, Carrots, Eggplant (Baingan), French Beans, Broad Beans (Papdi), Amaranth Leaves (Chauli), Gherkins (Tindli), Gluster Beans (Guvar), Red, yellow, Green Capsicum, Bottle Gourd (Doodhi), Bitter Gourd (Karela), Pointed Gourd (Parval), Pumpkin (orange and white), Ridged Gourd (Turai), Cucumber, Zucchini, Mushroom, Ivy Gourd (Tinda and Drumstick (Shinghi) to name a few.

Grains

Rice, Amaranth (Rajgirah), Waterchestnut (Singhada), Pearl Millet (Bajra), Finger Millet (Ragi, Nachni) and Verghu (Samo) are some examples.

Nuts and Seeds

Brazil Nuts (highest in selenium), Cashew nuts, Pistachios, Flax seeds, Pumpkin Seeds, Watermelon Seeds and Sesame Seeds (black and white).

Cooking medium

Coconut oil and cow's ghee are two of the best cooking mediums to prepare your meals in. Olive oil can be drizzled over your salads to enhance the tastes.

Pulses

Kidney Beans, Chick peas, Black beans, Pigeon peas, peas, Moong (green and yellow), Bengal Gram Daal, Toor Daal, basically all pulses and legumes in any form. Just stay away from lima beans.

Animal Products

Fatty fish promote metabolism in the body and supports proper thyroid functioning. Choose from the Indian fish – Rawas, Surmai, Paplet or Prawns.

I also make sure my clients get their Vitamin D3 checked regularly. This is because low Vitamin D3 levels are one of the major supporting causes of the thyroid gland malfunctioning.

By simply changing the food and taking up the Vitamin D3, I am often successful in settling this metabolic disorder.

So remember, it is really very easy to reverse, retard or manage thyroid with certain dietary changes.

If you follow the above guidelines I have provided in your eating patterns you will surely be able to get rid of your thyroid problems.