Eat goitrogens in moderation…..and that includes soy!
Did you know that there are certain foods which can affect your thyroid in a negative way????
Yup. They are commonly known as Goitrogenic foods, which means they contain substances which prevent your thyroid from getting it’s necessary amount of iodine. If eaten in excess, they interfere with the healthy function of your thyroid gland, tilting you in the direction of being even more hypothyroid, or making you susceptible to having a goiter, or enlargement of your thyroid.
Now luckily for the owner of this site, chocolate is NOT considered a Goitrogenic food. 
But here are foods that ARE: soy-related foods such as tofu and tempeh or any of the extensive amount of soy products on the market today…..and cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, brussels sprouts, rutabagas, turnips, radishes, cauliflower, cabbage, mustard, kale, garden cress, bok choy and kohlrabi. Also included in the goitrogen catagory are millet, peaches, peanuts, radishes, spinach and strawberries.
But, don’t panic!! Cooking does appear to help minimize or inactivate the goitrogenic compounds found in these foods, since they are heat sensitive.
And, just because you eat these foods uncooked does NOT mean you will have problems. The owner of this site eats a few strawberries in her yogurt at least 6 mornings a week. She also enjoys spinach a few times a month (because she can’t stand most other vegetables.) And with soy being added to many products, it’s hard to avoid. The key is to not eat any goitrogens excessively. Enjoy your soy and goitrogens! Just use moderation.
(And now you know why those of us “in the know” cringe when we see the heavy emphasis on soy products in the supermarket, including infant soy formulas! )
To read more about the dangers of soy and it’s history, go here:
You can also read some personal experiences with the negative effect of excessive soy here: http://www.westonaprice.org/soy/complaints.html
This bible of hypothyroid treatment contains most everything you will find on this site, plus a whole lot more, including a chapter on T3, an explosive doctor chapter, historical information on desiccated thyroid as well as T4, an entire chapter on the TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hooey), how to interpret your cortisol labs, extra details in two adrenal chapters, and more!
You can order the book from the publishing website here:
www.laughinggrapepublishing.com
