Diets For Hypothyroidism That Will Help You Lose Weight And Stay Healthy
A healthy diet for hypothyroidism is extremely important and could spell the difference between life and death. Hypothyroidism is a serious condition wherein the body doesn't produce enough thyroid hormone. Thyroid hormone affects the way our bodies metabolize the food we eat. So when a person has hypothyroidism, the effect of an unhealthy diet is much worse than that of a person without hypothyroidism.
There are several reasons why a healthy diet for hypothyroidism is important. First, people with hypothyroidism have slower metabolisms which mean they're more likely to gain weight faster. A person with hypothyroidism is more likely to become overweight and more likely to suffer from diseases related to obesity such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
Trying to lose weight when you have hypothyroidism is much harder and takes much more work than a normal person would have to do. In addition to taking thyroid hormone replacements, patients with hypothyroidism must follow a strict diet in order to lose the weight and control any weight gain. The first step is portion control. Hypothyroidism patients must strictly monitor their calorie intake and make sure they stick to their calorie requirements. Any excess calories are much harder to burn when you have hypothyroidism, even with more exercise.
Losing weight when you have hypothyroidism can be made a little easier by changing a person's eating habits. Small, frequent meals are easier to metabolize than three square meals a day. It's recommended that hypothyroidism patients eat as much as 6 small, low-fat, low-sodium meals with plenty of fluids to help trick the metabolism into working a little faster.
Another reason why a strict diet for hypothyroidism patients is needed is because some foods can affect treatment. For most cases, hypothyroidism is easy to treat but getting the exact dosage for the treatment is harder to pinpoint. Once the right dose is established, it can take weeks before the effect of the drugs can be seen. Any type of food that can interfere with the absorption of these drugs further delays relief and increases a person's chances of getting complications from hypothyroidism.
There are foods traditionally considered to be healthy that can affect thyroid hormone absorption. The problem is that people with hypothyroidism still need these foods in order to stay healthy. Below is a list of some of those foods that can prevent thyroid hormone absorption:
- Fiber-rich foods like fruits and vegetables
- Soya and soy bean based products like tofu
- Caffeine in coffee, tea, and soda
- iron rich foods like broccoli and liver
- Selenium rich foods like fish and shellfish
- Calcium rich food like milk and cheese
- Zinc and magnesium, both minerals found in vegetables and are essential for immunity, brain and muscle function
Intake of these foods has to be regulated, depending on the severity of the hypothyroidism and response to treatment. For the most part, doctors would recommend that thyroid hormone supplements should be taken on an empty stomach, an hour before meals, to minimize the effect of these foods on drug absorption. In some cases, vitamin and mineral supplements may be prescribed in order to make up for any nutritional deficiencies if these foods couldn't be eaten during treatment.
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