About 5 years ago, blood test results showed an out of range TSH meaning the thyroid was sluggish which is called hypothyroidism. The nurse practitioner at the time said had her nurse tell me in a phone call that there was nothing you can do to improve it and prescribed a medication. At that point the TSH was 5.05. It was out of range and definitely not optimal, but not crazy high either. TSH is a hormone the pituitary releases to tell the thyroid to release T4 and T3 hormones which are needed to maintain the body’s metabolic rate. Not surprisingly, there are things someone can do to improve thyroid health. A few ideas include:
Add iodine containing foods like seaweed to the diet. Don’t overdo it though because high iodine can lead to high TSH. I like these seaweed snacks.
Maintaining a healthy weight will help.
Parasites can cause a sluggish thyroid. This was most likely my problem when I first got tested 5 years ago.
Take fish oil supplements. Getting enough omega 3 is important in maintaining thyroid health. I use either Thorne Super EPA or Standard Process Olprima EPA|DHA.
The basic lifestyle factors also apply. These include eating a clean diet of high quality protein, vegetables, fruits and grains if tolerated. Eat minimally processed foods and low or no sugar.
Exercise 20 – 60 minutes daily with strength training, walking and other cardio activities.
Get 7 – 9 hours of quality sleep every night on a consistent sleep schedule.
A few months ago, blood test results showed a TSH of 7.7. I had been feeling pretty low energy since the time change. I thought maybe I was overdoing it, so I took a rest week. It was great, so am going to try taking a rest week every 6 weeks. I still exercise, but just less intense, less rounds of weights, slower cardio sessions. I added about 15 minutes of extra sleep per night. A big thing I did was move breakfast to 8:30. 15 months before the TSH level was 3.5 and shortly after that, I moved breakfast to 10:30 to have a fasting window of 14 hours. I think I was going too long not eating after exercising, which I do about 6:30am. My theory is I was just slowly raising cortisol and wearing out the adrenals by stressing myself out. A month after the 7.7 result and making those changes, I retested and am down to 3.1. A pretty significant drop in just a few weeks.
Blood testing also showed a low normal range of iron, which could be part of the reason the TSH is still around 3 and not more optimal. Iron is needed to produce T4 and T3. Low iron prevents the enzyme thyroid peroxidase (TPO) from creating T4 which interferes with the body adequately converting T4 into T3. Basically, low iron, causes low T4 and T3, leading to a sluggish thyroid. According to this article, ferritin levels should be about 80 mine is 49. Higher isn’t better though. That has it’s own set of problems. A sluggish thyroid can also cause low stomach acid, which can prevent adequate iron absorption.
Eating meat is the best way to get iron from food. I usually only eat chicken or ground turkey at dinner, so I’m trying to eat homemade sausage patties or a meat stick at breakfast. For lunch, I’m trying to eat a chicken soup or ground turkey soup every other week with lentil, black bean and chickpea soups rotated during the off weeks. It takes some effort and planning because I gravitate towards plant based eating and plants are cheaper than meat.
I use cast iron pans. They add a little iron to food, especially acidic foods.
Also, to increase iron absorption, pair the iron containing food with a Vitamin C rich food. For example, pair steak and bell peppers, eggs and spinach or chicken with lemon drizzled over it. I also eat a tossed salad with lunch and dinner, so I’m trying to drizzle lemon juice over it. Choose meats that have a lower fat content and dark chicken and turkey.
Drink any coffee or tea 1 hour before eating or 1 hour after eating. The tannins in tea inhibit iron absorption.
If supplementing with iron, iron bisglycinate doesn’t cause constipation, but talk with a doctor first before randomly supplementing.
Lots of little things seem to have a big impact on iron levels and the thyroid.
Challenge:
To prevent low iron, make sure you pair proteins with vitamin c rich foods either directly in a recipe or separate foods in the same meal.
Here are a few examples:
Breakfast: eggs + a side of strawberries
Lunch: ground turkey + kale
Dinner: ground beef + broccoli
Resources:
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/23524-thyroid-stimulating-hormone-tsh-levels
https://labs.selfdecode.com/blog/high-tsh/
https://rootedinhealth.ca/low-iron-levels-sabotaging-thyroid-hormones/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10675576/
https://www.verywellhealth.com/fixing-low-iron-thyroid-3232716
https://www.healthline.com/health/hypothyroidism-and-anemia
https://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(13)00070-3/fulltext