Can Healthy Eating Make You Sick?
This article was inspired by a fellow blogger who recently wrote that her husband has been diagnosed with hypothyroidism and high cholesterol despite his healthy, veggie diet.
How could this happen?
I don’t know what he eats, so I don’t know if this applies to him. But a lot of people aren’t aware that foods can have medicinal effects both good and bad.
Too much of anything — even “good” food — isn’t necessarily a good thing. That’s why you should always see your doctor before starting a new diet.
That’s also why I believe in a balanced diet without extremes.
In Low Fat Diets: The Hidden Dangers, I talked about the risks of eating a diet that’s too low in fat.
But is it possible to get sick from eating too many fruits and vegetables? Aren’t they supposed to be good for you?
Well, there’s at least one illness that can get worse if you eat too many fruits and vegetables of a certain kind.
Thyroid disease.
Goitrogenic foods, which interfere with the function of the thyroid gland, may cause a problem if eaten in large amounts.
Goitrogenic foods include brussel sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, turnips, rutabaga, soy, corn, sweet potatoes, lima beans, peaches, strawberries, pears and spinach. The cassava in tapioca is also goitrogenic.
These foods may increase your body’s requirement for iodine. Especially if you eat them raw.
So if you’re hypothyroid (which means you have a deficiency in thyroid hormone), your condition may get worse.
But again, that’s if you’re eating too much of these foods.
In future articles, I’ll talk about the possible medicinal effects of other foods.
In the meantime, if you’re interested in learning more about the possible medicinal and other effects of foods, you may want to read some of my previous articles:
Warning: This Food Could Kill Your Kids
Healthy Eating Tips: Test Your Food I.Q.
The Hottest Way To Lose Weight
How One Food Got A Doctor Out Of His Wheelchair
And of course, I talk in detail in my book, I Love To Cheat, about how we used possible blood-pressure lowering foods to reduce my mother’s blood pressure to 132/68 from 168/88 in 7 weeks without medication. Many of these foods may lower cholesterol, too.
Important Disclaimer: This information is presented for educational purposes only. This isn’t medical advice and it’s not a substitute for any advice or treatment from your physician. You should always see your doctor before starting any new diet plan for losing weight or if you have a medical condition or illness. Also, these results were based on medical or scientific studies which may be invalidated at a later time by new medical or scientific studies.
Technorati Tags: healthy eating, hypothyroidism, thyroid disease, vegetables, fruits, goitrogenic foods, low fat diets
August 3rd, 2007 at 3:34 pm
Wow! I didn’t know veggies could hurt your thyroid. So much for healthy eating.
August 3rd, 2007 at 5:41 pm
This is really interesting. My aunt has hypothyroidism and she eats raw fruits and vegetables all the time. I wonder if this could be making her condition worse??? I’ve got to tell her about this. I’d never heard of goitrogenic foods.
August 3rd, 2007 at 7:36 pm
Would these foods affect you if you’re hyperthyroid?
August 3rd, 2007 at 8:50 pm
You are what you eat!
August 3rd, 2007 at 9:14 pm
I’d heard of this problem with some of the vegetables like cauliflower, but I didn’t know sweet potatoes could do this. I love sweet potatoes. Lucky I don’t have a thyroid problem.
August 3rd, 2007 at 10:50 pm
I was always taught that raw vegetables had more vitamins and nutrients than cooked vegetables. There’s a downside to everything, I guess.
August 3rd, 2007 at 11:04 pm
Hi Denise,
You’d need to talk to your doctor if you’re hyperthyroid. But these foods in a large enough quantity may act like an anti-hyperthyroid medication. That doesn’t mean you can eat these foods instead of take medication. It means that the foods may affect how the medication works for you. So make sure you talk to your doctor if you have any concerns. He or she can guide you as to whether you should be concerned about eating these foods. I can’t give you a medical opinion because I’m not a doctor.