The Best Drinks for Hypothyroidism
Being overweight, having obesity, and experiencing difficulty losing weight are often connected to hypothyroidism, according to research. When thyroid hormones are low, your metabolism slows down, which can cause weight gain. Diet can play a role in helping you manage the disease, by supporting thyroid function and allowing medication to be absorbed properly, the Cleveland Clinic says. While you may be good at eating a healthy diet that optimizes your treatment, it’s also important to think about what you drink. The healthiest drinks for people with hypothyroidism should be low in calories and rich in nutrients.
Water is the healthiest drink for someone with hypothyroidism, because adequate water intake is crucial for every human, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. It is thirst-quenching and calorie-free. The amount of water you need depends on several factors, including sex, age, activity levels, and certain health conditions that affect how your body handles fluids (though hypothyroidism isn’t one of them), the American Academy of Dietetics says. Generally speaking, women need about 72 ounces of water per day, and men need about 104 ounces.
Making water your beverage of choice may also help with weight management, research says. Adequate water consumption is associated with a number of health benefits, including increasing the chances of achieving weight loss and reducing the chances of weight gain over time. Drinking water before you eat may help reduce hunger and lead to eating fewer calories, especially if you’re middle-aged or older. And not drinking enough water is associated with an increased risk of obesity.
Vitamin D deficiency is associated with Hashimoto’s disease, an autoimmune disorder and the most common cause of hypothyroidism, according to research. While vitamin D is a rare example of a nutrient that’s not well-absorbed via food, the Cleveland Clinic says, you should still include foods with vitamin D in your diet. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommends a daily value of 20 micrograms. Drinking vitamin D-fortified nonfat milk can help increase your intake — each cup contains about 2.9 micrograms of the nutrient, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) says.
One study suggested, however, that milk can interfere with the absorption of levothyroxine, a thyroid replacement hormone medication commonly used to treat hypothyroidism. According to the Mayo Clinic, you should consume anything with calcium — whether it’s milk, another food with calcium, or a supplement — at least four hours before or after your thyroid medication.
Vegetable juice is rich in antioxidants and health-boosting compounds called phytochemicals, research says, making it another nutrient-rich drink choice for people with hypothyroidism. Antioxidants, including vitamins A and C, may protect your thyroid from excess free radicals, according to one research review. Free radicals are unstable molecules, some of which the thyroid uses to produce hormones; leftover free radicals can damage thyroid cells.
Vegetables like spinach, kale, salad greens, bok choy, and broccoli contain B vitamins, the USDA says. B vitamins assist with the manufacturing of thyroid hormone and help with thyroid function, Rupa Health, a lab test provider, says. One cup of low-sodium mixed vegetable juice contains about 48 calories, according to the USDA. It provides about 10 percent of the daily value for vitamin A, the NIH says, and 153 percent of the daily value for vitamin C, the NIH says. The juice also contains a variety of B vitamins, including thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, and folate.
You may need to be careful about drinking soy milk with hypothyroidism. Soy milk (and soy-based food) is known to interfere with the absorption of thyroid hormone medication, the Cleveland Clinic says. Avoid drinking soy milk a few hours before or after taking medication.
Always discuss with your doctor or pharmacist whether the medications you take have any food interactions; levothyroxine may interact with other foods you eat as well, so you’ll have to make sure to consume them separately.
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