Written by Dr. Sandra Miranda, ND

Many people with an under-active thyroid struggle to absorb enough nutrients from their food, so therefore many of the foods listed below contain large quantities of vitamins and minerals to help correct nutritional deficiencies.

Many people find it hard to change their diet, but simple adjustments like adding a small salad to your evening meal or adding real bone broth to a soup or stew instead of canned broth or boullion can instantly add needed vitamins and minerals to your diet.

Just a few simple changes can make all of the difference, so get creative and start to think about how you can add some of these nutrient dense superfoods to your diet.

1. Fruits and Veggies Rich in Antioxidants – Fruits such as blackberries and blueberries and vegetables like leafy greens are packed full of antioxidants such as vitamin C and have long been touted for their health benefits. In simple terms, antioxidants help bind to free radicals and don’t allow them to cause damage to the thyroid gland.

2. Wild caught ocean fish – Such as mackerel, sardines, and salmon are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids which help reduce inflammation and are crucial for optimal health for anyone fighting a hypothyroid problem or an autoimmune disease such as Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. It is also a good source of iodine which our body needs to produce thyroid hormones.

3. Fermented Foods – Gut health is crucial to ensuring that you’re able to absorb all the nutrients in your food. One of the best things you can do to improve gut health is to eat fermented foods. Not only do they provide an army of healthy bacteria but they also contain beneficial vitamins and amino acids.

4. Organic Eggs – Eggs are a great source of protein, but also provide several key nutrients needed by anyone concerned about their thyroid’s health. Selenium, Iodine, B vitamins, healthy fats, and vitamin A are all present within the egg’s yolk and all help regulate key hormones.

5. Bone Broth – Bone broth which can be used in soups or stews provides two things necessary for thyroid health: gelatin and bone minerals. Gelatin is a protein found in connective tissue, skin, and other inedible parts of a carcass, and it helps promote gut health by supporting healthy microbes and healing gut permeability. Bone broth also provides high levels of calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus and other minerals found in bones.

6. Leafy Green Vegetables – Not only do leafy greens provide more vitamins and minerals than just about any other food, but they also give your digestive tract a large quantity of insoluble fiber. Beneficial gut bacteria benefit from a diet that is high in fiber.