7 Essential Foods & Nutrients This Endocrinologist Loves For Thyroid Health

However, there are a few foods and nutrients with known anti-inflammatory properties that can benefit thyroid health. Below, Henderson lists her favorites:

To get your fill of selenium, Henderson recommends Brazil nuts—but be mindful not to go overboard, especially if your diet includes other selenium-rich foods. Brazil nuts are significantly high in the mineral, which is why Henderson suggests sticking to just two or three nuts per day. 

Henderson notes that the recommended daily allowance is 150 micrograms for an adult and perhaps 220 micrograms for a breastfeeding adult—but at the end of the day, it's a case-by-case basis. "Really talk to your physician to make sure that it's the right thing for your specific needs," she says. Consider how much iodine you're already getting in your diet (sea vegetables, like dulse, nori, kombu, and arame are all rich in the mineral) before adding any more. 

When it comes to thyroid function, "zinc is really important," says Henderson, as it's required for thyroid hormone production. In fact, research shows that zinc deficiency is associated with hypothyroidism3 (or underactive thyroid). The recommended daily intake of zinc4 is 11 milligrams for men and 8 milligrams for women, and you can find it in a variety of foods, like oysters, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, and more. 

The general recommendation for Americans7 is 8 milligrams a day for men and 18 milligrams for women, and you can find a robust list of animal- and plant-based sources here. 

And, lo and behold, turmeric is top-notch for quelling inflammation: The golden spice inhibits the production of pro-inflammatory genes8, which blocks the inflammatory response pathway, and it increases the body's natural antioxidant capacity9 to defend against free-radical damage. It's a case for using turmeric in your meals, for sure, as well as whipping up a mug of golden milk.

However, Henderson brings up a caveat: "Ashwagandha is a root vegetable," she says. "[So it can work] as long as you don't have issues with nightshade vegetables." Nightshades can be potential irritants to those with autoimmune conditions, which can affect those with autoimmune thyroid disorders, like Hashimoto's disease.

Henderson is a fan of fish oil, and you can also consume wild-caught salmon, oysters (which also coincidentally contain zinc!), avocados, and chia seeds to get your fill of the healthy nutrient. 

While everyone may have different immune triggers, the foods above have anti-inflammatory properties that can help support thyroid health. At the end of the day, though, Henderson recommends identifying what works for your own body. At the very least, she notes, "A diet that is heavy in plants, lean proteins, and food that is not processed (where you can actually identify the ingredients on the label) is really important."