Like all other hormone issues, there’s quite a bit of confusion when it comes to thyroid health and nutrition. Some people say that a low-carb diet is good for those with hypothyroid, while others say it’s going to exacerbate your symptoms.
We’re in the latter camp: Protein, fat, and carbs are ALL important for thyroid function—and our advice is to avoid dieting extremes that omit or strictly limit any macro. When it comes to metabolism, we want to balance our macros as best as possible.
Carbs are crucial for healthy thyroid function since our livers require glucose to convert thyroid hormone. They are also required for cells to take up progesterone, an important hormone that protects the body from stress and enhances thyroid function. When we opt for low-carb diets, we can actually start to see our cortisol rise, our progesterone decrease, and our thyroid suffer.
Protein is often overlooked, but it is absolutely essential to thyroid function because of its impact on the liver, where much of our thyroid hormone conversion occurs. A lack of protein in the diet has been shown to lead to poor thyroid hormone conversion (from T4 to T3) and higher TSH levels. This is backed up by a recent study showing a correlation between a diet high in protein and saturated fat and better thyroid function. We recommend getting at least 100g of protein per day in your diet.
Okay, but what about vitamins and minerals? Micronutrients are the true all stars when it comes to thyroid health and function. Not only do minerals help us make thyroid hormone, but they also help us convert it and get it inside the cells!
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If you want to learn more about the thyroid and dig more into your thyroid health, watch my free thyroid mini course. And if you are stuck on how to get in balanced meals to support your thyroid health, then download my nourishing meal guide for some great recipes!
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