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Diet in hypothyroidism
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025

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A diet for hypothyroidism is a set of rules aimed at restoring the thyroid gland, which are worth following. Let's consider the features of therapeutic nutrition, delicious recipes and a healthy menu.
Hypothyroidism is a thyroid disease that disrupts the production of thyroid hormones. There are many reasons for the organ's dysfunction. Most often, it is a hormonal imbalance, heredity, or the influence of harmful factors. The symptoms of the disease are different, primarily fatigue, lack of energy, drowsiness, intolerance to cold, constipation, painful menstruation, and weight gain (even without appetite). These signs may go unnoticed or be associated with a number of other causes, such as stress, depression, or overwork.
As the disease progresses, symptoms begin to increase. Most patients may experience a slow pulse, cold, dry skin, and rough skin, muscle pain, swelling around the eyes, and a puffy face. Hair begins to fall out on the head, eyebrows, and intimate areas. The voice becomes hoarse and slightly rough, and reflexes are sluggish.
Treatment of hypothyroidism with diet
Treatment of hypothyroidism with diet is one of the methods of therapy of this disease. It is carried out along with drug treatment, and then as a method of prevention and correction.
In the early stages, the disease is treated with a diet. An endocrinologist conducts a comprehensive examination and selects a diet suitable for the patient. A therapeutic diet is necessary to restore a weakened body and depends on the form and type of hypothyroidism. With its help, you can eliminate the causes that caused the disorder.
When choosing a diet, the endocrinologist discusses all nutritional issues with the patient, clarifying and explaining its purpose and importance. He also finds out what result the patient expects. For example, there are nutritional recommendations aimed at weight loss, since one of the symptoms of the disease is excess weight gain. In addition, the doctor tries to take into account the patient's financial capabilities.
Nutrition for hypothyroidism
Nutrition plays an important role in hypothyroidism, as very often patients do not think that food and its proper preparation are the key to a healthy and strong body. In our modern society, you can increasingly meet patients with this disease. And every year the age of the disease is getting younger. Previously, the disorder was diagnosed in women of menopausal age, but now it occurs in 20-30 year olds.
The patient needs to correctly compose his menu, that is, a therapeutic and restorative diet. Products must be fresh and contain useful vitamins and microelements, since the disease disrupts many functions of the body. The deficiency of useful substances can be restored with medication, combining drugs with food during and after treatment. Products must be properly processed during cooking to preserve all the useful properties. Modern kitchen devices, which are indispensable in the kitchen, are perfect for these purposes.
What is the diet for hypothyroidism?
What diet for hypothyroidism - this question should be decided only with an endocrinologist-nutritionist. If you have discovered the first signs of the disease, you need to seek medical help. The local therapist will listen to all your complaints and give directions for a blood test for TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone). If the indicators are too high, the therapist will refer you to an endocrinologist. The endocrinologist collects anamnesis and, if necessary, prescribes additional tests. All this is necessary in order to adequately prescribe drug treatment and select an effective diet.
Most often, patients are prescribed: the Mary Shomon diet (helps to normalize weight), diet table No. 8, a diet for autoimmune and subclinical hypothyroidism, and preventive nutrition to restore and maintain the body. These are some of the most effective diets. Such treatment is aimed at safely restoring the functioning of the affected organ.
Mary Chaumont's Diet for Hypothyroidism
Mary Shomon's Hypothyroidism Diet is a book by an American writer who wrote a bestseller, "The Hypothyroidism Diet." The author claims that most patients have encountered the diet in one way or another. Mary herself encountered thyroid disease. She spent a lot of time and effort to understand everything and came to the conclusion that metabolic disorders are not limited to a simple lack of thyroxine. Therefore, the methods used by healthy people are not enough to get rid of excess weight.
She highlights a number of nuances that require special attention. First of all, you need to make sure that, after taking the tests, TSH is low enough. This is due to the fact that many doctors prefer to limit the prescription of thyroxine as soon as the TSH level reaches normal values. The norm for TSH is from 0.5 to 5.0 mIU/L. Accordingly, when your TSH drops below 5.0 mIU/L, the doctor decides to leave the amount of T4 taken at this level.
The author of the diet suggests the following calculation of the caloric content of food: multiply the patient's weight in kilograms by 25 and subtract 200 kcal. This will be the daily dose of calories. Based on these calculations, you can make a menu and select products without exceeding the recommended caloric content. You need to eat small portions, several times a day. This way you will quickly get full and not feel hungry. Your stomach and you will receive the necessary food, and along with it vitamins and microelements. Gradually, the immune system and hormonal system will begin to recover.
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Diet #8 for hypothyroidism
Diet No. 8 is prescribed by a doctor to restore metabolic processes in the body. Therapeutic nutrition allows you to achieve weight normalization and restore normal functioning of the body. With the help of a diet, doctors try to limit the caloric content of the diet. The body is exposed to stress, which contributes to weight loss by getting rid of excess fat from the body's reserves. Carbohydrates are reduced by sharply limiting bakery products and simple carbohydrates.
Products that stimulate the production of gastric juice are removed from the diet. You need to eat several times a day, 5-6 meals will be enough. Fasting is prohibited during treatment. Raw vegetables and fruits have beneficial properties, in addition, they are low in calories. You need to avoid the feeling of hunger, as very often it pushes you to break the diet. Products can be boiled, stewed, baked.
The restrictions also apply to liquids; you should drink no more than 1.5 liters of purified water per day. Since the body's metabolic functions are impaired, water is retained in the tissues, causing edema. It is recommended to reduce the portions of first courses and give up salt. Alcoholic drinks and seasonings that stimulate the appetite are excluded from the menu. Once every 7-10 days, you can have fasting days on fresh fruits and juices.
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Diet for autoimmune hypothyroidism
The diet for autoimmune hypothyroidism is aimed at restoring the body. The disease is a lesion of the thyroid gland, when the body begins to produce antibodies to its own organ. That is, the body rejects the cells of the thyroid gland, destroying it. The causes of the disorder have not been fully studied. Many doctors believe that the disease is the result of autoimmune processes, but it can be radiation exposure or oversaturation of the body with iodine.
Autoimmune hypothyroidism should be treated comprehensively, both with medication and nutrition. The diet requires avoiding fried, smoked, spicy, canned foods, as well as sweets and bakery products. It would not be superfluous to reduce the amount of liquid consumed due to the risk of edema.
Diet for subclinical hypothyroidism
A diet for subclinical hypothyroidism is a healthy diet. The disease occurs without pronounced symptoms and is most often detected during laboratory tests. If after taking tests the TSH level is elevated and the T4 level is normal, then this indicates this type of thyroid damage. If necessary, drug therapy is prescribed. But most often the doctor suggests diet therapy and vitamin therapy. Vitamins are needed to restore the immune system and other body systems.
The diet is based on the use of fresh vegetables and fruits. The diet should include lean meats and seafood (chicken, rabbit, turkey, shrimp, mussels). Seafood is very important, as it is a natural source of iodine, which restores the thyroid gland. Products containing cocoa beans and coffee will be useful, as they are rich in B vitamins and magnesium. The diet should be divided into several meals, limit your drinking to 700 - 1500 ml per day.
Hypothyroidism Diet for Weight Loss
A diet for weight loss with hypothyroidism is aimed at normalizing metabolic processes in the body. It is because of metabolic disorders that patients gain excess weight. Let's look at the main recommendations for healthy eating:
- You need to eat often and in small portions, that is, in small portions.
- Avoid fasting, as this will worsen your already slow metabolism and can cause depression.
- The diet should include a lot of fresh vegetables, fruits and greens, as they contain vitamins and microelements that are useful for restoring the body.
- Regular exercise and walks in the fresh air.
- The diet should include iodine-containing foods: seaweed, shrimp, mussels, squid, mollusks.
- It is necessary to give up products that contribute to the accumulation of excess weight (alcohol, sweets, baked goods, salty foods).
- Limit fluid intake, as excess water in the body leads to swelling.
Hypothyroidism Diet Menu
The diet menu should be varied. It is a mistake to think that a diet is tasteless food. This is far from true, therapeutic, healthier nutrition is the basis of recovery. Do not forget that much depends on the method of cooking and, of course, the attitude to recovery. Let's consider an approximate menu for the day:
Breakfast:
- A glass of yogurt, kefir or green tea without sugar.
- 2 boiled eggs or 1 green apple.
Dinner:
- Vegetable broth or light chicken soup.
- Porridge (buckwheat, pearl barley, barley).
- Sea salad (seaweed mix salad).
Afternoon snack:
- Cottage cheese and cereal casserole.
- An apple or any 2 fruits of your choice.
Dinner:
- Salad of fresh herbs.
- Baked fish fillet.
- A glass of any juice.
Second dinner:
- Bran bread.
- A glass of kefir or milk.
Hypothyroidism Diet Recipes
Hypothyroidism diet recipes allow you to diversify your diet and make the recovery process tasty and effective. We offer you several simple recipes:
Crab Pie
- Puff pastry – 500 g
- Crab meat – 200 g
- Egg – 2 pcs.
- Sour cream – 100 g
- Dill or parsley
Roll out the dough and put it in the form. Cut the crab meat, mix with the egg and sour cream, add dill or parsley. Add some dried spices for taste and bake in the oven at 200 degrees for 30 minutes. When serving the dish, garnish it with a leaf of parsley and dill.
Shrimp and mussel soup
- Peeled shrimp – 150-200 g
- Peeled mussels – 100 g
- Potatoes – 50 g
- Sour cream or cream – 100 g
- Onion – 1 pc.
- Carrots – 1 pc.
Put a pot of water, potatoes and diced carrots on the fire. After boiling, add mussels and shrimps. After 5-7 minutes, add sour cream or cream. You can pepper the soup a little. Boil for 3-5 minutes and serve.
Light appetizer salad
- Chinese cabbage – 1 head
- Frozen corn – 100-150 g
- Cereal bread or rusks from black bread – 100 g
- Hard cheese – 50 g
- Eggs – 3 pcs.
- For dressing: olive oil, dried parsley or dill.
Finely chop the cabbage, boil the eggs and cut into strips. Grate the cheese on a large grater and defrost the corn. Mix all the ingredients, add croutons and a couple of spoons of dressing.
A diet for hypothyroidism is one of the methods of safe recovery of the body and thyroid gland. Patients with this diagnosis should lead a healthy lifestyle, adhere to proper nutrition and exercise. The earlier the disease is diagnosed, the higher the chances of recovery and minimal harm to the body.
What can you eat with hypothyroidism?
What can you eat with hypothyroidism - nutritionists recommend taking dietary table No. 15 and No. 8 as the basis of your menu. The menu contains many tasty and healthy dishes that contain all the necessary vitamins and minerals. Often, the disorder leads to disruptions in the production of vitamin A, so the diet should include products with this ingredient. There is a lot of "pure" vitamin A in the liver, especially in cod liver (pork and beef are also suitable) and carrots. Seafood containing iodine, zinc, calcium, and phosphorus are also useful.
With hypothyroidism, the risk of osteoporosis increases. Therefore, patients need to get enough calcium and phosphorus, which is necessary for the absorption of vitamin D. When choosing and composing a diet, do not forget that calcium and phosphorus are abundant in dairy products, especially cheese, legumes, fish, fresh vegetables and fruits. Vitamin D is abundant in fish, especially fish liver and caviar, butter, eggs.
In addition to nutrition, walks in the fresh air have healing properties. They help keep the body in good shape, lift the mood, eliminate depression and poor health.
What should you not eat if you have hypothyroidism?
What you can't eat with hypothyroidism - nutritionists recommend refraining from quick snacks. The ban includes fast food, fatty, spicy, fried, sweet and floury foods. Many harmful products contain soy and trans fats. These substances are poorly absorbed and excreted from the body, disrupt the absorption of minerals and vitamins
After eating such food, you quickly feel full, but then your body requires more food. When the thyroid gland is damaged, metabolic processes slow down, so alcoholic beverages are prohibited. They are slowly excreted from the body and retain water, causing swelling. It is not recommended to eat fatty meat and fish, white flour products, sugar, honey, and sweets.