Top 10 Foods To Avoid With Hypothyroidism

If you struggle with hypothyroidism, you probably have a tough time losing weight, too. If you’re in this boat, read on! Here are the top 10 foods to avoid with hypothyroidism.

Hypothyroidism is a condition where your thyroid doesn’t naturally produce enough thyroid hormone. The thyroid is responsible for more than 80 functions in your body. So, when it’s not working properly, you’re bound to see some issues.

The thyroid is primarily responsible for metabolism. With hypothyroidism, you see issues like weight gain, low body temperature, fatigue, constipation, and more.

The good news is that you can manage many of your symptoms with your diet. This particular plan is often called an anti inflammatory diet, and you can read more about that here. 

Choosing the right foods, and avoiding foods that cause issues, will help you to feel better. Pulling some foods out of your diet can even help kickstart weight loss!

Let’s take a look at the top 10 foods you should avoid when you have hypothyroidism.

1. Gluten

To be honest, I used to think that gluten-free was a fad diet. But, once I started realizing the link between gluten and inflammation, I decided to take it out of my diet. (And it made a huge difference!)

For most people, gluten doesn’t cause any issues. But if you’re struggling with any kind of inflammation in your body, gluten can increase that inflammation. If you have hypothyroidism, you likely have inflammation. (Just think of how often you feel bloated, or notice that your hands or face are puffy…those are signs of inflammation!)

Gluten is found in otherwise healthy foods like wheat based whole-grain bread and crackers. It can also be hiding in sauces and spreads that you find at the grocery store, so read your labels carefully!

It can take awhile for gluten to clear your system. Decide to take it out completely for 6 weeks and see how you feel. (It can be helpful to keep a food journal while you’re doing this). If you find that you’re more energetic, have less brain fog and joint pain, removing gluten permanently might be a good idea for you.

2. Dairy

If you are a cheese-lover (like me!) this is a difficult food group to kick out of your diet. It actually took me about 6 years to finally give into the fact that my body didn’t love dairy. I was having ongoing gut issues, bloating, and gut infections (especially candida overgrowth). Once I finally decided to take out all dairy, my health greatly improved!

Dairy is difficult for most people to digest. Because of that, it’s beneficial to take out milk, yogurt, cheese, and dairy-based sauces and spreads/dips. With hypothyroidism, you may also be sensitive to whey protein (which is derived from traditional dairy). 

3. Processed Foods

It makes sense that food from a box or package is probably not the healthiest option. But food brands do a good job of making you think you’re eating something healthy! Packages are marked “low fat”, “gluten free”, “sugar free”, and so on.

The problem here is that the packaged foods are designed to be shelf stable. Manufacturers do this by adding sugar, fat, preservatives, and flavors. It’s great if you need food to last a long time, but not great for your gut!

All of the additives are incredibly damaging to your digestive system, and should be avoided if you have hypothyroidism. Instead, choose foods in their whole state: apple, banana, carrot, avocado, and so on. It may not always be as convenient, but it will keep you healthy for a lifetime!

4. Caffeine

Raise your hand if you start your day with a big ol’ cup of coffee? I used to drink 2 16-oz cups everyday, and sometimes an extra cup in the afternoon. Not great for my health! (But if you have hypothyroidism, you’re probably tired!)

Caffeine is a tricky one. Whether you have hypothyroidism or not, caffeine gives you a quick jolt, then a crash afterwards. But with hypothyroidism, you’re probably masking other issues and root causes, when you use caffeine to give yourself energy.

While it’s tough to kick the caffeine habit, take time to understand what’s driving your exhaustion. Making dietary changes (removing gluten, dairy, sugar) can actually give you more energy. Then, you don’t need to rely on coffee or soda to keep you going all day long.

5. Soy

Soy is used in prepackaged foods, and can be found at restaurants everywhere. It hides in baked goods, canned soups, cereals, cookies, crackers, and more. It’s also a main ingredient of tofu, miso, and edamame. Unfortunately, soy can interfere with how your thyroid operates. If you have hypothyroidism, your thyroid is already struggling! So, let’s not make it work harder!

To avoid soy, read your package labels, and better yet stick to a whole foods diet.

Many people ask about soy sauce (tricky name!) Soy sauce is actually made from a wheat base. This means it has gluten! Definitely not approved for a hypothyroid diet.

6. Processed and Refined Sugar

Let me start by saying that not all sugar is bad. But, not all sugar is created equal, either! Processed sugar isn’t exactly bad for your thyroid. However, it does cause inflammation in your body. And remember, we’re trying to reduce inflammation that comes with having hypothyroidism!

Bad sugars are things like white table sugar, high fructose corn syrup, dextrose, rice syrup, etc. You also want to steer clear of sugar alcohols like erythritol, maltitol, sorbitol, and xylitol. 

All of these can be found hiding everywhere! Read your labels on sauces, dressings, gum, crackers, cookies, protein powders, and energy bars. Plus, check your labels for “added sugar”. You can assume that this is a processed (bad) sugar.

7. Alcohol

I know, I know. This is like taking out ALL the fun stuff! Alcohol is so incredibly damaging to your body if you have hypothyroidism. It can damage your cells and your intestinal gut lining. Plus, it damages the liver. Since the liver is where your thyroid hormones are converted, you need your liver to function at its best!

Many alcoholic beverages also have gluten. Beer is made with wheat, rye, or barley – all of which are gluten grains. Hard liquor is also distilled from grain. While the distillation process often removes the gluten, there are often additives after the fact that can include gluten-based ingredients.

8. Processed Fats and Oils

Just as with sugar, there are good fats and bad fats. With hypothyroidism, you’ll want to do your best to steer clear of the bad fats. Too many of the bad fats, and you’ll increase your chances of chronic inflammation.

Of course, you’ll want to stay away from any processed foods that include fats. They’re not likely made with healthy fats. Fried foods are definitely out. And check your labels for seed and vegetable oils such as soybean, canola, safflower, sunflower, and corn oil.

9. Processed Meats

As with processed foods, processed meats are filled with preservatives and chemicals. None of these things are good for your hypothyroidism. The preservatives can drive up inflammation, and cause damage to your gut (which produces even more inflammation).

Processed meats range from deli meats, bacon, hot dogs, sausages, and cured meats like pepperoni and beef jerky.

10. Corn

It’s debatable if you should remove corn from your diet if you have hypothyroidism. Corn is difficult for most people to digest. It can be easier if it’s more processed (like a corn tortilla), but then you’re probably veering away from a whole foods diet at that point.

And it’s not just corn from the cob. Corn is used as a base ingredient for lots of shelf-stable foods. Look at a package of cookies and you’ll see ingredients like maltodextrin, corn syrup, and starch. All of these ingredients are hard on your gut, and can definitely increase inflammation.

I found that eating corn or corn-based foods increased my gas and bloating. This was a signal that my body didn’t agree with it. I feel much better having taken it out of my diet, and only occasionally eat corn chips or corn tortillas. 

Foods To Avoid With Hypothyroidism

No doubt, this feels like a daunting list of foods to avoid with hypothyroidism. Don’t take all of the food categories out at once. Start slowly with a category or two, then add another category 30 days later.

The goal is to build healthy habits for life. There isn’t a “cure” for hypothyroidism, but you can do a LOT to manage it with your nutrition, workouts, and mindset. And, if weight loss is your goal, avoiding these foods will help you to drop some pounds. (And it will heal your gut in the meantime, so that’s a win-win!)

Taking out all these foods on your own can be tough! If you need a plan for doing this (complete with recipes, meal plans, and coaching support!) click here to learn more about Commit 66. This program is designed to help you build healthy habits around your thyroid health and overall wellness, so that you can lose weight, gain energy, and feel amazing. Plus, working on your nutrition with friends is always more fun! (And, it will be much easier to stay on track!)