Top 10 foods to eat with hypothyroidism

If you’re looking to lose weight with hypothyroidism, it might feel like you have to make some major changes to your nutrition. It is true that an anti inflammatory diet is best for hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s. And it’s definitely true that there are some foods you shouldn’t eat if you struggle with these thyroid issues! (See this blog post for the full list of foods you should steer clear of).

The good news is that there are plenty of foods you can (and should) enjoy! Whether you’re looking to lose weight, or to manage your thyroid symptoms, the right foods will help you reach your goals!

Let’s take a peek at the top 10 foods to eat with hypothyroidism.

Lean Protein

One of the best things about protein is that it helps to keep you full! If you’re eating an anti inflammatory meal plan for weight loss, protein should be your go-to snack! Protein takes longer to digest, so it will leave you feeling fuller, for longer.

Protein is also great for helping you build muscle. The more muscle mass you have, the easier it is for your body to burn fat (even while you’re resting!) Build muscle with strength training, then support your body with extra protein.

Your lean protein should come from clean sources like chicken, seafood, and lean red meat. Don’t fall into the trap of using protein powders too frequently. They can be filled with sugar and other inflammatory ingredients.

Low-Sugar Berries

Berries are a delicious treat, and can easily be added into recipes for every meal of the day! Low-sugar berries like strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries, are ideal. An anti inflammatory diet aims to reduce daily sugar intake, so these berries are your best bet.

It’s also beneficial that these berries are loaded with fiber, antioxidants, and vitamins. You can enjoy a bowl of berries for an afternoon snack, or use them to top your morning breakfast bowl. One of my favorite ways to enjoy berries is by mixing three kinds together, and topped with a dollop of unflavored coconut yogurt (Coco June is the best!)

Leafy Greens

Aaaah, leafy greens. If you enjoy a salad everyday for lunch (that’s what I do!) it’s easy to get lots of greens in your diet! If you’re looking to manage your weight and your thyroid symptoms, pick spinach, kale, arugula, etc. (Time to ditch the iceberg lettuce, my friend!) Romaine is a good option to toss in if you want something “lighter”.

Your leafy greens are filled with healthy nutrients that can help reduce inflammation. (Yes! That’s what we’re looking for!) And the high fiber content will keep you full, and ensure that your digestion is moving smoothly. Being regular helps remove toxins, and reduce inflammation. Greens for the win!

Seafood

Mmmm, salmon is one of my favorites! While most seafood is a good choice for hypothyroidism, salmon is my top pick. It’s SO easy to bake, and even easier to tuck into lots of different recipes. (Think: Mediterranean bowls, salmon tacos, baked salmon, salmon burgers. The list is endless!)

Any kind of seafood is good, however. Seafood is filled with omega-3s and vitamins (like D and B). These help to reduce inflammation, which will help you to kick-start weight loss. 

Healthy Carbs

Carbs get a bad wrap in some diets. With hypothyroidism, you need to eat carbs everyday! Skipping out can leave you feeling low on energy, and can even signal your brain to think you haven’t had enough nourishment. In turn, your body will hold on to weight. In a primal sense, your body is preventing you from starving!

So pick carbs that digest slowly, and that work well with some of the other foods on this list. Some of my favorites are russet potatoes, brown rice, and quinoa. Moderation is key, as it’s important to fill up with lean protein and veggies. But, without carbs, you’ll feel sluggish and tired. That’s not what we’re going for!

Nuts & Seeds

Truth be told, my afternoon snack everyday includes dry roasted pecans. Mmmm, so good! Nuts and seeds are filled with healthy fats and fiber. This means that you’ll stay full for longer throughout the day. (That’s super helpful if you’re trying to lose weight!)

Buy organic when you can. Always pick up raw nuts and seeds, as you can dry roast them at home. When you buy already roasted options from the store, they’re probably roasted with inflammatory oils. Definitely a no-go with hypothyroidism! My favorite choices to pick up are raw almonds, pecans, walnuts, cashews, and chia seeds.

Every weekend I dry roast sheet pans of almonds, cashews, and pecans. Start with 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes, stirring once during roasting. Then, you can store the roasted nuts in jars, and enjoy throughout the week!

If weight loss is your goal, keep your portion sizes in check. Nuts and seeds have good fats, but you don’t want to overdo it.

Fiber-Rich Veggies

Ahhhhh veggies! My absolute favorite way to fill up at each meal! Adding a ton of fiber-right veggies will keep your system running smoothly, which will definitely reduce inflammation. Plus, there are SO many options when it comes to adding veggies to your lunch and dinner. (You can even eat veggies at breakfast, too!)

While there are a million ways to prepare vegetables, I like to keep things simple. (Because I’d rather spend time eating or hanging out with my family, and less time cooking!) Roasting, steaming, and raw are my go-to prep methods. You don’t need a lot of oil for cooking, which keeps the nutrient value high, and the calorie count low.

In the fall and winter, I love adding a ton of different veggies to the instant pot, adding some chicken broth, and blending into a soup when everything is soft and squishy.

My favorite veggies each week are broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, artichokes, carrots, Brussels sprouts, sweet bell peppers, cucumber, onions, and asparagus. It’s hard to over-do the veggies! If you’re new to eating so many veggies, stick with roasted options until your body gets used to the fiber. 

Healthy Fats

We talked about healthy fats in nuts and seeds, but there are other ways to get fats that are good for you! When you’re cooking all of the foods on this list, add some healthy fat with your cooking oils.

My go-to cooking oils are coconut, avocado, and olive oil. Any other oils (canola, safflower, vegetable) are highly highly processed, and will introduce inflammation to your body immediately. Definitely not what you want! Stick to coconut, avocado, and olive oil, and your body will thank you!

Non-Dairy Substitutes

It took me a loooong time to kick dairy out of my diet. (I mean, seriously…like 8 years)! I just didn’t want to let it go! But once I did, I realized I should have done it much sooner. It was definitely something that was driving significant inflammation in my body.

There are tons of non-dairy substitutes to choose from. Everything from coconut yogurt to almond milk. Cheese is a little harder to replace if you’re dairy free (in my opinion), but there are still some good options.

When looking at dairy-free substitutes, watch for a few things that can drive up inflammation:

• Inflammatory oils used to create the product (specifically those bad oils we talked about under “Healthy Fats”)
• Fillers and ingredients you can’t pronounce. If you don’t know what it is, it might not be a great option for your hypothyroid body!
• Sugar. This is a sneaky one. Lots of dairy free products add sugar to make the product taste better. But if you’ve checked the list of 10 foods to avoid with hypothyroidism, you’ll know that sugar is at the top of the list! 

Take a few minutes to read the ingredients of your dairy-free products, and get familiar with the hidden ingredients that cause inflammation. 

Spices & Condiments

My favorite thing TO eat with hypothyroidism is spices! You can make a plain chicken breast taste a lot of different ways, simply by using a wide variety of spices.

Bring on the flavor with fresh herbs like rosemary, basil, sage, dill, and mint. Dried spices are great too, but fresh ones really kick things up a notch!

Condiments can be tricky, as many are filled with hidden sugars and inflammatory ingredients. You can usually be safe with no-sugar-added salsa or catsup, yellow mustard, and dijon mustard. Again, be sure to read the labels!

Eating for weight loss with hypothyroidism

When you have hypothyroidism, a great way to kick-start weight loss is to eat an anti inflammatory meal plan. If this way of eating is new to you, it can feel restricting at first. But with a little creativity, and following the guidelines here, you can lose weight by using the top 10 foods to eat with hypothyroidism!

Need help getting all of these ingredients into actual recipes? Grab The Family Fork 7-Day Dinner Plan! This guide shows you how to cook anti inflammatory meals for 3 nights (but serve dinner for 7 nights), make meals for your family AND yourself, and eat foods that will ACTUALLY help you lose weight! It’s literally everything to kick-start your weight loss once and for all!