Hello,

I have had a borderline thyroid condition for a long time after two childbirths. However, my doctor has not prescribed any medication yet. Would it be harmful in this situation if I regularly consumed pickles made from cabbage or kohlrabi? I also often steam broccoli for a few minutes. Do these preparations, such as fermentation or steaming, reduce the goitrogen content in cruciferous vegetables?

In the case of seeds, nuts, grains, and legumes, if I always soak them, should I also be able to eliminate the negative impact of antinutritional factors? I was a bit surprised by your answer regarding veganism and thyroid issues, where you basically do not recommend solely plant-based diets. Yet, if I follow practices like soaking, fermenting, and sprouting, I thought I could significantly eliminate the negative substances in these foods.

Thank you for your response.

Thermal treatments including soaking and fermentation reduce the amount of antinutritional factors, but not significantly in the case of goitrogens. In fact, fermented cabbage contains these compounds in unnecessarily high quantities. A vegan diet contains the highest proportion of antinutritional factors of all dietary regimens, making it unsuitable for individuals with a genetic predisposition to thyroid function disorders. In practice, this means that in such cases it is necessary to adhere even more strictly to all available guidelines that improve the digestibility of plant foods and simultaneously reduce the proportion of antinutritional factors.

In general, it is advisable not to avoid these "implicated" foods directly, but rather to keep their intake under control (= occasional consumption in moderate amounts will not harm). This is conditional on efforts to ensure an adequate intake of substances that support thyroid function (iodine, zinc, selenium, antioxidants, sufficient protein, etc.).

Themes:  Broccoli   Thyroid gland   Cabbage   Kohlrabi   Goitrogens