Seaweed and Sulfur
Yes, you read it correctly!
Both are parts of a healthy, Paleo Diet. One is a food, obviously, and one is a mineral, but the alliteration got the better of me.
Yet another example of why we need to balance our all our lovely fruits and veggies is to make sure we don’t let ourselves overdo foods that could potentially impair thyroid function, especially if you are already dealing with any sort of auto immune condition.
Some raw foods, such as too large portion sizes of sea vegetables and cruciferous vegetables, can overstimulate or slow down your thyroid.
The raw vegetables and fruits that can affect your thyroid include:
- Brussels sprouts
- cabbage of all kinds
- cauliflower
- kale
- kohlrabi
- peaches
- pears
- rapini
- spinach
- strawberries
- radishes
- rutabagas
- turnips
Does that mean you should nix all the lovely produce? Not in a million! By adding a good source of iodine, like seaweed, you can create a better balance; in addition, consider that the following foods can also help stimulate the thyroid:
- caffeine (coffee, tea, cola, and chocolate)
- avocado
- coconut
- saturated fat
Of course, this is a general post and not meant to come across as a medical directive suggesting that all anyone who is dealing with thyroid issues needs to do is balance their veggies. Yes, that’s part of it, but certainly be sure and check with your doctor (functional med doc, hopefully) for a collaborative approach.
The one message that does apply to all, however, is eat a lot of colorful veggies, keep them varied and keep ’em comin’ at all meals during the day.
