Should You Avoid Certain Vegetables if You Have Thyroid Dysfunction?

A couple of weeks ago, I read an article written by a naturopathic doctor stating that individuals with a low functioning or dysfunctional thyroid should avoid cruciferous and dark green leafy vegetables.  I had to admit that I just couldn't understand that and needed more facts before making a judgement about that statement.

We all know that broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, as well as kale and other dark green leafy vegetables are a fabulous source of phytonutrients that are anti-carginogens and anti-oxidants.  Therefore, this doctor's caution simply didn't make sense.  As biochemistry is a science that can, literally, change overnight, I decided to see if there were, indeed, studies supporting this idea.  Much to my relief, this is what I found:

Broccoli does not contain the harmful substance once thought to affect thyroid function. The substance is progoitrin and is abundant only in raw kale. Cooking destroys the enzyme that produces progoitrin.  So, be certain never to juice kale. 

The harmful affect on thyroid function only occurs when the individual does not have adequate iodine in their body. Iodine is found mostly in seafood, including seaweed, and in alfalfa and sun chlorella.  Ironically, an imbalance of iodine in the body appears to be a contributing factor to thyroid dysfunction, in the first place. 

I hope this information is helpful.  I think this situation illustrates just how important it is to dig deeper when any doctor tells us something that gives us reason to pause.

Another study I was reading claims that a substance in broccoli, called sulforaphane, kills cancer cells without killing healthy cells.  Unfortunately, this study is an example of how bias causes misleading conclusions.  Pure sulforaphane was injected into cancer cells in a petri dish...not exactly something that doctors are able to do for us.  Additionally, there is no amount of broccoli or supplement containing sulforaphane that one can consume that would even begin to approximate the amount the lab people introduced to the cancer cells.  I think the message, here, is what we can eat to help us avoid getting cancer, in the first place.

Just another bit of information.  I like to watch cooking shows.  I have been noticing a number of them including the use of raw kale as a "new" salad ingredient.  In light of the above information about raw kale, I wouldn't recommend it raw, but I do love it, cooked, in soups.

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