How To Prevent Thyroid Issues With Healthy Lifestyle Choices

Has a thyroid diagnosis left you feeling discouraged and vulnerable? Do you ever fear that you are destined for the worst possibilities surrounding the condition? It’s a scary place to be: anxious about the future, bound by circumstances, and struggling with symptoms of the condition.

This doesn’t have to be your experience! You can follow a path to greater peace, freedom from fear, and improvement of the symptoms of thyroid disease.

In defiance of any sense of powerlessness you might feel due to a thyroid diagnosis, HealthierU introduces several ways to achieve better thyroid function and overall health. 

Table of Contents

Several lifestyle habits that can contribute to thyroid problems include:

• Too little physical activity
• Smoking
• Crash diets
• Poor stress management
• Excessive caffeine consumption
• Poor sleeping patterns
• Unhealthy eating 

These habits are not the only causes of thyroid conditions, which are usually linked to genetics or caused by autoimmune conditions. Thyroid problems are surprisingly common, affecting about 12% of the U.S. population and 1 in 8 women. 



But if you have been diagnosed, evidence suggests that healthy lifestyle habits can help improve thyroid function and thus give you more control over your symptoms. If you have not been diagnosed, then you can learn how to keep your thyroid in optimal condition.

Call HealthierU today to set up an appointment to discuss how you can begin to transform your health through your habits.

Whether or not you have thyroid problems, attending consistently to the behaviors that keep your thyroid healthy will have a tremendous impact on your thyroid and overall health.

For good reason, exercise has been touted as a major therapeutic activity for people across the health spectrum. Whatever your health status, maximizing the amount of movement you can safely perform is good for you. 

When it comes to patients with thyroid issues, regular exercise can work wonders in terms of:

• Improving mental health 
• Maintaining a healthy weight
• Decreasing inflammation
• Improving thyroid hormone levels 

Exercise can be especially challenging for people with thyroid conditions, but it will become less so over time as your tolerance increases.



The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week.

Prolonged stress can lead to high levels of cortisol, which can interfere with thyroid hormone production. If you adopt practices to help you manage stress, you can avoid this effect. Some stress-relieving practices include:



• Getting adequate sleep and regular exercise
• Deep-breathing exercises
• Yoga
• Meditation
• Listening to music
• Spending time on a relaxing hobby
• Going for a walk
• Talking with a friend
  

If your diet currently consists of a high amount of unhealthy fats, processed foods, and simple carbohydrates, you’ll want to consider adjusting your diet to consist primarily of fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains. These foods support healthy digestion and metabolism.

Considering the close link between autoimmune thyroid diseases and other autoimmune conditions affecting the intestinal barrier, it’s a good idea to add probiotics to your diet or take them as a supplement. This can improve gut health and ensure that important nutrients are available for the thyroid gland, leading to improved thyroid function and thyroid hormone levels.

Dietary changes should be made gradually to avoid shocking your body, since drastic changes can negatively impact hormone levels. HealthierU can help you develop a holistic nutrition plan that supports your thyroid health.



Although a healthy thyroid diet doesn’t involve many restrictions, there are two you should be aware of.

Even though cruciferous veggies are seen as part of a healthy diet, they have been known to cause thyroid issues in animal studies so shouldn’t be eaten in great quantities. They contain indole glucosinolate, a compound that can decrease thyroid hormone production by interfering with iodine uptake by the thyroid. Therefore, while it is okay to eat the following foods, you’ll not want to consume them too frequently:

• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Bok choy
• Kale
• Radishes
• Turnips
• Collard Greens
• And more
  

Soy, while also beneficial for health in many ways, can interfere with the absorption of levothyroxine, the medication used to treat hypothyroid patients. For this reason, it is best to avoid consuming soy for four hours after a dose of levothyroxine. 

The following vitamins and minerals can be added either through diet or supplementation. Be sure to incorporate these as directed by a health professional, as too much of any nutrient can cause adverse effects.

Research has found vitamin B12 deficiency to be common in nearly half of hypothyroid patients. Specifically, this deficiency is associated with high levels of antibodies that attack the thyroid gland. Thus, supplementation can help prevent autoimmune suppression of the thyroid.

Poor vitamin D status has been linked to autoimmune diseases, such as Hashimoto’s and Grave’s disease, which cause hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism, respectively. Low vitamin D levels in hypothyroid patients, for instance, may be answerable for their musculoskeletal complaints. 



Vitamin D supplementation is ideal for patients with hypothyroidism because it improves thyroid-stimulating hormone levels since high levels of this hormone are present in that condition.

Iodine is critical for the production of the thyroid hormones triiodothyronine and thyroxine, which help regulate metabolism and enzymatic activity in the body. When the hormones are not present in adequate amounts, the result is an underactive or overactive thyroid.

Iodine deficiency is a preventable cause of abnormal growth and development. Avoid iodine deficiency by eating the following foods:



• Seaweed
• Fish
• Iodized salt
• Eggs
• Chicken
• Beef liver
  

Selenium deficiency is a known risk factor for various thyroid diseases. The importance of selenium for thyroid function is due to:

• Its role in the metabolism of thyroid hormones
• Its reinforcing power against oxidative stress
• Its ability to reduce thyroid antibodies 
  

Cigarette smoking is harmful to almost every organ in the body and is the cause of many diseases, reducing overall health in those who smoke and in those who breathe their secondhand smoke.

Toxins present in cigarette smoke may be harmful to your thyroid. Thiocyanate, for example, blocks iodine uptake by the thyroid and thus interferes with thyroid hormone production.

Smoking has been more clearly associated with hyperthyroidism than with hypothyroidism since it can increase thyroid hormone levels. However, there is some indication that it can contribute to the thyroid autoimmunity involved in Hashimoto’s disease as well.



Stopping smoking may seem like a daunting prospect, but many former smokers have successfully quit and come to enjoy invaluable improvements in their health.

Controlling your weight can be tricky with thyroid dysfunction. Unexpected weight gain is a common symptom of hypothyroidism, and unexpected weight loss might accompany hyperthyroidism.

Still, working hard to keep your weight in a healthy range will help you keep your health from deteriorating. Being overweight or obese, in particular, can cause a wide variety of chronic conditions that will make improvements in your thyroid health more difficult to achieve.

Commit yourself to making gradual changes toward that end that you will maintain as habits. Lifestyle habits that are conducive to a healthy weight include:



• Drinking plenty of water.
• Moving more and sitting less. Strive to exercise at least 150 minutes per week.
• Eating only when you are hungry and stopping eating when you are full.
• Using herbs and spices more in place of added salt, sugar, and fats.
• Engaging in activities that are personally satisfying and help give purpose and meaning to your life.
  

Caffeine consumption greater than 200 mg per day over a long period of time can cause a significant decrease in thyroid hormone levels, especially in women. It can also interfere with the absorption of thyroid medication.

Caffeine may be particularly bothersome for patients with hyperthyroidism because its stimulant properties exacerbate the symptoms associated with that condition, such as rapid heart rate, irritability, and high blood pressure.



Patients with hypothyroidism might find that caffeine eases some of their symptoms, but it is important to consult with a health professional about how much you consume, so as not to put too much stress on the thyroid.

Thyroid hormone secretion follows a distinct circadian rhythm. Disruptions in restful sleep can negatively affect the secretion of thyroid hormone. The reverse is also true. That is to say that good quality sleep and adequate thyroid function depend on each other.

Ideally, an adult should get 7-9 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night to avoid a negative impact on the thyroid. If falling or staying asleep is a challenge for you, consider incorporating the following into your sleep routine:



• Keep your bedroom cool.
• Go to bed at about the same time every day, even on the weekends.
• Turn off the lights and avoid blue light from screens, which suppresses melatonin release and disrupts circadian rhythm.
• Develop a habit of winding down, whether it’s reading a book, taking a warm bath, or lighting scented candles.
• Avoid eating large meals close to bedtime. Instead, eat a snack with a good combination of protein and carbohydrates.
• Avoid alcohol, which can disrupt sleep, especially during the second half of the night.
  

Some of these lifestyle changes may prove to be more difficult to achieve than others, depending on the person and their unique health status. No matter where you are in your health journey, HealthierU can help you get started in the right direction and accompany you all along the way!

Dr. Donna Sergi has been active as a holistic nutritionist and chiropractor for over 25 years. She is passionate about providing her patients with natural treatment for hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, and other hormonal imbalances, as well as conditions ranging from lower back pain to acid reflux and more. 

As a holistic practitioner, she attends not only to surface symptoms but to their underlying causes. Treatment oriented in this way can bring more targeted, longer-lasting results.



Call HealthierU to schedule a consultation with Dr. Sergi and learn how to prevent thyroid issues safely and naturally.