Too Much Kale? Eat Some Seaweed!

No, your eyes are not deceiving you.  It is, indeed, possible to eat too much of my favorite, leafy green.

As much as I hate to admit it, there can be too much of a good thing.

What’s the issue?

If we only ever eat one type of veg, or fruit or protein, for that matter, we’re not providing enough of a balance to our bodies.  If, for example, one were to eat nothing but kale and eat it all day long, there exists a risk of compromising thyroid function due to its content of  isothyocyanates (found in all cruciferous veggies) which can inhibit the uptake of iodine by your thyroid  and subsequently decrease the amount of thyroid hormone produced, in some cases resulting in hypothyroidism.

For those of you who aren’t kale fans to begin with, don’t go jumping for joy just yet; nor should those of you who love kale as I do fear that you should write it off as though it were akin to a gluten or soy-laden processed food item.

A normal, healthy individual would need to eat a whole heck of a lot of kale and not much other veggies to have this become an issue.

So how to prevent the hypothyroid/kale connection from starting in the first place?

Make sure your diet is balanced and be sure to include veggies rich in iodine into your arsenal.  I’m not talking about dousing your meal in iodized salt, of course; rather go for the food itself and make sea veggies, like kelp, a regular part of your regime.  

Not only does including kelp and sea veggies and the like help to balance out the diet with its contribution of iodine, it’s actually quite savory with a naturally low sodium content.  Dried sea veggies with nothing added are easily found at many markets and even online; because they’re dried and non perishable, they’re also a great option for travel.