Jonathan Wilhoite Blog: Drawing The Line Between Health and Disease, Should Goitrogens Be A Concern?

Friday, February 19, 2016

Drawing The Line Between Health and Disease, Should Goitrogens Be A Concern?

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For people experiencing conditions like the enlargement of the thyroid gland, the term goitrogens are directly linked to the condition of the thyroid gland. Goitrogens are natural compounds found in certain foods, specifically cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower and broccoli and some fruits like strawberries, peaches and pears.

Goitrogens react in the system in such a way that they interfere with the natural thyroid hormone production and responsible for the condition called goiter. This health condition occurs when the thyroid gland functions abnormally and is unable to properly produce the hormones necessary to aid the body in metabolizing food.

So does this mean that I need to avoid foods rich in goitrogens? In fact the answer is no, because goiitrogens are also needed by the body to help balance the functions of the thyroid gland. If one enjoys a healthy functioning thyroid, then there’s no limit in the amount of goitrogens that can enter the body.

But as a preventive measure, taking food rich in goitrogens, as well as with any other food containing other substances and nutrient rich compounds, should always be taken in moderation which is the safest way to balance the intake of these substances in the body.

Nothing beats having a healthy diet regularly as this balances the amount of nutrients and compounds that go into the human body. All the same, we only need so much goitrogens in our body so we can be assured of a good and healthy lifestyle.

Here are some tips on how we can balance goitrogens and minimize its effects on the thyroid gland;

Always make sure to have a variety of foods which can also open up the body to other essential nutrients.
Include adding foods rich in iodine and selenium into your regular diet, they can easily be found in kelp, seaweed, iodized salt, sunflower seeds, fish and whole grain pasta.
Make sure to also heat foods before eating. Heating food breaks down the nutrients to allow it to carefully make its way into the system.

So should goitrogens be a concern? Yes, because it does have its use of helping us balance the functions of our thyroid glands and no matter how you would look at it, we will not see any problems of it endangering the body as long as we consume foods in moderation.

Source: SHOULD YOU BE CONCERNED ABOUT GOITROGENS? – Food Matters

Image Credit: SHOULD YOU BE CONCERNED ABOUT GOITROGENS?

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