Is your thyroid sluggish? Foods that benefit the thyroid with selenium and iodine

Is your hair thinning or falling out? When you look in the mirror, does it seem that the outer edges of your eyebrows have disappeared? Have you gained or lost weight without changing your diet? Are you tired all the time? You may be one of the millions of Americans with undiagnosed thyroid disease.

Thyroid disease has become epidemic in the United States with numbers of confirmed cases at more than 12 million and estimates of undiagnosed cases doubling that number. With our overtired, fast paced, malnourished, caffeine laden, chronically stressed out lifestyle, and the radiation exposure from Fukushima, the perchlorate contamination of municipal and well water (trace amounts of this chemical used to make rocket fuel damage the thyroid), damage to the thyroid due to prescription drug use, and the explosion of auto-immune diseases, thyroid disease is on the rise. However, thyroid disease is often misdiagnosed, especially in the elderly, when clear symptoms of the disease are passed off as aging, and doctors neglect to administer diagnostic tests.
So how do you know your thyroid may not be functioning properly? Who is at risk? And what are the symptoms?
Symptoms of hyperthyroidism
Symptoms of hyperthyroidism include: weight loss, nervousness, moody, weakness, fatigue, rapid heartbeat, shaky hands, shortness of breath, excessive sweating, hair loss, and red, itchy skin.
Symptoms of hypothyroidism
Symptoms of hypothyroidism include: weight gain or difficulty losing weight, fatigue, thinning hair, thinning eyebrows or loss of outer edges of eyebrows, difficulty concentrating, mood swings, impaired memory, adult onset ADHD, slow healing, feet or hands that get cold easily, insomnia, poor sleep habits, poor sleep quality, daily sleepy spells, menstrual irregularities, anxiety, nightmares, dry skin, and yellow skin (due to difficulty converting beta carotene to vitamin A), and muscle and joint pain (which can be severe and may be misdiagnosed as fibromyalgia).
Six percent of the American population suffer from one of these two conditions; 78.7% suffer from hypothyroidism, while 21.3% suffer from hyperthyroidism.
Other diseases and conditions of the thyroid include: thyroiditis, an overall inflammation and swelling of the thyroid gland caused by a viral infection or an autoimmune disease; goiter, a singular non cancerous swelling that can be associated with Hashimoto’s or an iodine deficiency; thyroid nodule, a small, abnormal, non-cancerous mass or lump that may secrete excess hormones causing hyperthyroidism; thyroid storm, a rare form of extremely high hyperthyroidism that causes extreme illness; and thyroid cancer.
Foods that benefit the thyroid
The thyroid gland must have iodine to produce T3 and T4. Good food sources include the well known meat, seafood, yogurt, milk, and eggs, as well as…
Vegan sources of iodine:

• Blackstrap molasses
• Seaweed
• Himalayan Crystal Salt
• Navy Beans
• Cranberries

Selenium is essential to the process of the body breaking down T3 into T4. Seafood, and meat are high in Selenium as well as many vegan friendly foods…
Vegan sources of selenium:

• Brazil Nuts
• Shiitake/White Button Mushroom
• Lima/Pinto Beans
• Chia Seeds
• Brown Rice
• Seeds (Sunflower, Sesame, and Flax)
• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Spinach

Foods to avoid when you have a thyroid problem
If you have hypothyroidism, medical professionals warn against eating raw cruciferous vegetables or suggest you radically limit their intake. Foods in question with hypothyroidism include: broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, spinach, turnips, soy, peanuts, linseed, pine nuts, millet, cassava, mustard greens, asparagus, and sweet potatoes. They also recommend we avoid alcohol and tobacco, and while I agree with that, I don’t necessarily agree with the cruciferous vegetable recommendation. A varied diet of fresh, raw vegetables can fix almost anything, including any adverse reaction to the foods themselves. Though, obviously you have to use common sense; if you smoke, drink lots of coffee, or rarely get enough sleep then a large kale smoothie and a kale salad every day isn’t the smartest choice.
For those with severe thyroid disorders, occasionally (depending on the thyroid disorder and the person’s diet), cruciferous vegetables can be debilitating if not cooked first. It doesn’t take much heat to remove the glucosinolates and therefore the threat to the thyroid.
I know it’s being said to death lately to avoid wheat, and in some cases maybe over used, but I have found that many people have to eliminate gluten before their thyroid will heal. Typically, people with issues towards gluten need to detoxify and clean their intestinal system. And in every case of thyroid problems I’ve encountered, the person needed B vitamins as well and a good whole food multivitamin/mineral supplement. Check out the first two sources for more on thyroid healing naturally.
 
About the author:
Michael Edwards is the founder, owner, editor-in-chief, and janitor for Organic Lifestyle Magazine and Green Lifestyle Market. At age 17, Michael weighed more than 360 pounds. He suffered from ADHD, allergies, frequent bouts of illness, and chronic, debilitating insomnia.
Conventional medicine wasn’t working. While he restored his health through alternative medicine he studied natural health and became immersed in it.