No More Restrictions In This Diet Against Thyroid Disease?

Thyroid disease, especially hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid) is a common risk, especially from our 40s onwards.

Often this is approached from the perspective of “can we fix it with diet?”, and indeed, there are prevailing methods for at least managing the condition, for example:

• Foods For Managing Hypothyroidism (incl. Hashimoto’s)
• Eat To Beat Hyperthyroidism!

But what if it could be simpler?

Positive dieting

We’ve talked about this concept sometimes before—putting the focus more on what we put into our diet than what we exclude from it. The idea is simple; most people find restrictive diets hard to follow, and if not well-managed, they can lead to nutrient deficiencies. In contrast, if we focus on ensuring we get good, nutritionally-dense, varied foods, plants-centric and minimally-processed, then generally speaking, it’s hard to go far wrong.

Researchers (Dr. Rosaria Maddalena Ruggeri et al.) did an extensive research review, and found that yes, diet clearly influences thyroid health, but not through extreme restrictions. In other words, overall dietary patterns matter more than single foods or the latest trend.

As for iodine specifically, yes iodine is essential for thyroid hormone production, but both too little and too much can disrupt function and increase risks like hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, or autoimmune thyroiditis.

For more on those two, see:

• Doctor Explains: 15 Signs Of Hypothyroidism
• Doctor Explains: 19 Signs Of Hyperthyroidism

In other words: by trying to micromanage things to hit the sweet spot from the right direction (depending on whether the main threat is hypo- or hyperthyroidism), it’s very easy to overcorrect and swing the other way. The body, intuitive organism that it is, can then try to save you from your overcorrections, but itself can also overcorrect, putting you back where you started.

So, where should the focus be?

The team found that selenium, iron, and zinc support hormone production and enzyme activity, while vitamin D and B12 support immune function, and deficiencies in these are linked to higher risk of thyroid disorders.

However! Supplementation (especially selenium, vitamin B12, or vitamin D) doesn’t consistently help unless you’re actually deficient.

The good news: the Mediterranean diet is very consistently associated with lower inflammation, better thyroid markers, and fewer autoimmune antibodies.

The researchers also note that soy and cruciferous vegetables are generally safe in normal amounts if iodine intake is adequate, even though they’re often wrongly blamed for thyroid problems.

In short: a balanced, nutrient-dense diet—especially a Mediterranean pattern—is more effective and evidence-based for supporting thyroid health than restrictive or fad diets.

You can read the paper in full, here: The role of nutrition on thyroid health and disease: myths and facts

And if you want to get directly to enjoying a Mediterranean diet, we outlined it in a previous main feature, so here it is for your convenience:

The Mediterranean Diet: What Is It Good For? ← also covers which foods actually go into it, and which don’t 😎

Want to learn more?

You might like this book we reviewed a while back:

The Thyroid Connection – by Dr. Amy Meyers

Take care!