A Goitrogen is a substance that suppresses the function of the thyroid gland by inhibition of the uptake of iodine, and these activities goitrogenic called because they tend to crop, swelling of the gland. Some foods have been shown to be goitrogenic when in excess or if the person who is the story of iodine consumed low. These are things such as cassava, which is also known as cassava, that's how often I talk about it; Soy products; Millet; Sweet potatoes; Cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage; and dark greens like cabbage and kale greens.
In this episode we cover:
5:52 How goitrogens may suppress thyroid function
9:44 How to cook vegetables
14:43 How oxalates can cause inflammation
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Full transcript of the text:
Steve Wright: Hey, everyone. Welcome to another episode of Revolution Health Radio Show. This show is presented by ChrisKresser.com. I'm your host, Steve Wright and me SCDlifestyle.com is integrative physician and New York Times bestseller, healthy skeptic, Chris Kresser. Chris, how are you?
Chris Kresser: I'm fine. How are you, Steve?
Steve Wright: I'm fine. We do more and earlier in the day. We try to understand how our brain works.
Chris Kresser: It's a little too early, and I have my coffee, my support for the cream here, also known as coffee! And it is the breakfast, for the moment, if you were wondering.
Steve Wright: I will promote with my black coffee.
Chris Kresser: So. So, how about you, Steve?
Steve Wright: Things are good. Just visit from a great trip back to Michigan back to the family and it was fun. How are you doing with your new program?
Chris Kresser: Yeah, 14Four. It was fantastic. Last week it was taken in studio. I was in a video studio, was used to record any video programs. We have weekly video for each week of the program, but also demonstrations of exercises and demonstrations of stress management audio and video, a Qigong five elements together that I found, and I'm super excited about the program. I think it will help many people. This program is really all about the execution. In my book, your personal code Paleo, adaptation, and say why it is that true in the long-term development of its own program of diet and lifestyle, which, it is to your individual needs, and I truly believe. On the other hand, some people need to start a lot of support since, in the context of life hard to diet and lifestyle and the kids really busy and work and family and everything that comes in modern life, when this program is to help people they need to make the transition to a healthy diet and lifestyle to really give every step of the way by hand, and also a new start for tall people. In the same way that people these Whole30s click the reset button, I think it's going to be a good alternative as it this is a restoration of 14 days. It is a little short, very accessible, but also includes elements of the great lifestyle such as exercise, stress management and sleep, so it's like a whole body to start all new lifestyle. It may even be ready when the people be heard this. I'm never sure if these podcasts air compared to when we checked in, but probably mid-August when it will be available at least for those who have already signed up, so I'm looking forward to.
Steve Wright: Yeah, it looks amazing. I think it is a great program. At the end of this trip back to Michigan, all my routines were shabby, so reducing stress and routine, everything was a bit off the rails, simply due to live again in a strange house, and according to different rules, I'm happy again here in Boulder and back to my routines.
Chris Kresser: Yes. It's just life. It goes up and down. We are on the way, we are on the right path, and to have something to go back a few times a year, I think, are great. I know I'm on the right track when my wife bothers me to finish Elanne what they can do one! I know that I do something good, if this is the case. It is one of my harshest critics.
Steve Wright: Nice.
Chris Kresser: Well, we now have a big question. I think it is important for many people. Thyroid problems are certainly endemic epidemic rather ... and appears in frequency or rise together. Boy, I have to wake up my brain until this morning. Another sip of coffee here! No, I can not talk! So, yes, Chris question we hear, and we will take it from there.
Question by Chris: Hi, Chris. This is Chris UK. I just had a question about cooking vegetables. I a message that says that if you cook cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, etc., the water must when vapors by goitrogens that block the thyroid gland and also to drink while cooking spinach and chard and so, then it is unable to read the oxalic acid also. I was wondering because I used to use water to a business that was set in the bones and other things. And when put the vegetables in a pan or something, then you are obviously not able to throw something because it to be in this bitch, so I'd be surprised if there really is a problem, and I think it is only a few bogus science. I would like to perhaps the best way to vegetables and what to keep and what not cook to hear. Thank you.
Chris Kresser: OK. Very good question, and I understand your skepticism and applaud, Chris, because there are many false science and what might voodoo science can be called, but it's true, at least for some people and I'm going to explain a little more about it now.
How goitrogens may suppress thyroid function
Both Chris alluded concerns are goitrogens and oxalates. A Goitrogen is a substance that suppresses the function of the thyroid gland by inhibition of the uptake of iodine, and these activities goitrogenic called because they tend to crop, swelling of the gland. Some foods have been shown to be goitrogenic when in excess or if the person who is the story of iodine consumed low. These are things such as cassava, which is also known as cassava, that's how often I talk about it; Soy products; Millet; Sweet potatoes; Cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage; and dark greens like cabbage and kale greens.
At relatively low concentrations, when you eat these foods several times a week, I do not think it's a problem, but if you start more often eat and eaten raw, sometimes to go back in a second, can goitrogens actually reduce the absorption of iodine in the thyroid, the other eat foods that contain iodine. Now you can be usually balanced by supplementation with iodine or simply eat more foods rich in iodine, such as algae or fish or head soup fish, things like that are naturally rich in iodine, but at higher concentrations goitrogens interfere with the incorporation of iodine into the thyroid hormone itself, which means that even if a sufficient iodine in the thyroid gland, can not be used properly and overcome any amount of additional iodine through diet or supplements to be able to these consumers goitrogens.
Consider a scenario where someone with hypothyroidism and will make a green smoothie every day, and put this green smoothie raw cabbage or kale and a considerable amount of it, and that's what they do, because they first feel even after that they drink and try to get nutrients from the kale, and heard all the green smoothies power. What happened to that person during the time that the first in goitrogens cabbage and kale will, as I said, inhibit the uptake of iodine and start making your condition worsen hypothyroidism, cabbage green smoothies as output all day is a very bad idea for someone with hypothyroidism. I feel that this post was a bit have recently, but not to the extent that you do, for I have many patients who come to me who are doing just that, and are not aware of the possible effects of your thyroid .
Steve Wright: Well, it would be better, Chris, for the rotation of the green, like the idea that if you eat the same thing every day, you are a high burden of all that get in it, it is a nutrient or pesticide or something? Or is that the whole family rather dense vegetation in goitrogens that these people have to worry about?
Chris Kresser: Well, certainly kale and cabbage are the biggest offenders. There are other green leafy vegetables that are not rich in goitrogens or things that reflect on the function of the thyroid necessarily, but I think the important thing is that when someone green smoothies, something you can do to a part of the wants to reduce potential at least goitrogenic effect of them is first steamed vegetables.
How to cook vegetables
Cooking method affects the content goitrogenic some different foods. I already mentioned cassava and cassava is one of the most goitrogenic foods believed. In fact, it has when eaten other toxins that are problematic raw and is very important to cook in the preparation or eating fried Yuca Yuca for at least 25 minutes before anything else, because if the water is boiling with him put The amount is reduced goiter, such as 90%, which is really important, and of course it is a false kind of problem.
Steve Wright: With boiling or steaming vegetables light, I have this question because it's something I've always had trouble with this is that we know that some anti-nutrients to save and the intake of certain nutrients, but also we sacrifice all phytochemicals, all of which can not be heated. So there is something that we somehow before Backs?
Chris Kresser: Yeah, I do not know if all phytonutrients are destroyed by steam. Some of them, and there are many nutrients that are always available, and others are after the steam available compared to when they are raw. With kale and other substances goiter, whether stewed, reducing the content of goitrogenic about a third. Broccoli, other cruciferous vegetables, kale, kale when lightly steamed, which will bolster content of 33%, which is important to reduce, especially if you eat fairly regularly.
Cook reduces the formation of other compounds in this vegetables goitrogens called nitriles. Nitriles are goitrogenic we goitrogens speak for themselves, and the kitchen has done a greater impact on nitriles. Interestingly, fermentation and the fermentation of cabbage into sauerkraut, sauerkraut increased content goiter, but more than half of the amount of nitrite and nitrate effect reduced to the function of the thyroid gland is not by iodine supplementation be balanced so that the net effect is sauerkraut probably beneficial. In other words, sauerkraut probably less problematic for the thyroid is raw cabbage.
Steve Wright: Interesting. Huh.
Chris Kresser: So we take a step back and look at everything together. If you have any problems with the thyroid, raw green smoothies every day is probably not a good idea. A green smoothie every day with steamed green? It depends, ob people are more or less sensitive to this effect. One thing to do would be to try and see if you see a difference in their thyroid symptoms: cold hands and feet, hair loss, dry skin, constipation, etc. People who suffer from hypothyroidism experience these symptoms. And if you increase these symptoms when you experience to do this after a few weeks, it's probably a sign that happen. You can also use laboratory tests. You can use the TSH, T4 and T3 you might want to do after a month, try and see if you notice any changes in your bookmarks. Some people and some people do not, so it is difficult to give a general recommendation. Back, however, I recommend against greens raw in smoothies every day, and if you are going to do every day, opt for steamed greens and perhaps other leafy vegetables such as spinach, which are not necessarily high in goitrogens. However, spinach is rich in so-called oxalic acid or oxalates, so let's talk about the next, as it was also part of the question Chris.
Before leaving this subject, I mean that pregnant women should be especially careful with goitrogens, because the fetus is very important need for proper thyroid hormone levels. Goitrogens may reduce the absorption of thyroid hormones affect the development of the baby, and I think that pregnant women should green smoothies definitely do with raw vegetables in them every day, as a precaution, and perhaps even to limit steam vegetable smoothies three times per week or something to just be careful.
How oxalates can cause inflammation
Oxalates, the chemicals that are naturally present in most plants, nuts, seeds, and that will occur, how to protect many toxins in plants to protect plants from insect damage or just general. The main food sources are okra, sweet potatoes, elderberry, figs, leeks, buckwheat, celery, spinach and other leafy vegetables. For most people, oxalates are not really a problem, but there are some genetic defects in the enzymes, oxalate, a disease called primary hyperoxaluria, which is extremely rare can lead to compromise. It's like 1-3 people per million, so it is very unlikely that you have this condition. But there are other conditions that may increase calcium or oxalate in the urine and the risk of kidney stones composed of calcium oxalate, which can happen if you are deficient in magnesium because s oxalic acid is easily oxidized and combines to increase with calcium, iron, sodium, magnesium, potassium, and, I believe, less soluble salts called oxalates form and intestinal bacteria reduce oxalate as to bring in the stool. What this means is that if you have been affected or suffer from your intestinal flora intestinal permeability, these oxalates can turn to get into the blood and stored in crystals in the tissues, causing pain and inflammation.
Again, we see that there is no one size fits all approach for all. Most people, especially if you are a healthy colon and no genetic mutations to have to predispose it well with oxalate in food, if you have intestinal problems and especially a permeable intestinal barrier, then oxalates, but can before all muscle and joint pain and the type of general inflammation occur. In this case, you want it easy to take on all the foods just mentioned. Not much influence on the cooking of these foods that I'm aware of oxalate, so you just kind of need to reduce overall consumption of these foods.
Steve Wright: If anyone thinks that with a load of oxalic acid in the body suffer, they would try to meet with more magnesium or calcium to try to help with this? Would it help?
Chris Kresser: Yeah, you definitely want to make sure that your mineral balance is in. You do not want too much of these minerals, and you do not want to, but maybe have some tests to see where you are on the spectrum, is a mineral balance good idea, then magnesium supplementation, in particular, can be helpful.
Steve Wright: Is there a specific test that you like for calcium and magnesium?
Chris Kresser: That's a good question. I tend to use the Genoa or nutrient data and elements of the medical test. I still look a bit like a grain of salt, I think. I'm not sold 100%. It is quite difficult to test minerals and vitamins due to different minerals and vitamins that are represented differently in the body tissues and blood. Take magnesium, for example. When testing serum magnesium, which is usually that which is the case in these tests, an overlap reading is obtained, but less than half of 1% of magnesium in the body at any given time in the serum. Therefore, the serum magnesium test is not to say what the status of half a percent of their total body stores of magnesium. And it would be wonderful if it with the other 99.5% magnesium correlated perfectly in the body, but it is not. I mean, you can have an idea. If it is low, it is likely that your body stores of magnesium are low, but this is not a perfect correlation.
Steve Wright: And that's different readings of RBC magnesium, right?
Chris Kresser: Yeah, magnesium RBC red blood cells, resulting in another half percent magnesium.
Steve Wright: We're up!
Chris Kresser: Yeah, but the other 99% of magnesium is stored in the cells in tissues and bones, and the only way to test it, there is a test from a lab in Oregon, I think, where they play a rod so they are a real test for the intracellular magnesium, but it costs $ 270 just for this test, and often are not, in my opinion, is clinically. It's better just to get the person to take some magnesium how to take it safely and are fully and see if your symptoms improve. That's the problem with some of these tests, minerals, and this is not the only example. There are other examples of minerals and vitamins that are difficult to detect. Vitamin K2, for example, is very difficult to detect with accuracy. I know that Chris Masters John actually worked in a test, which would be an exact functional levels of vitamin K2 reading. Some of the B vitamins are not to be really accurate are indirect markers that really tell us the quantity of the active form of vitamin B that is available, methylmalonic acid and B12, which I've written about before or in the blood or urine. Formiminoglutamic sensitive to acid is a good marker of active folic acid deficiency. So that's a great question, Steve, but in reality the answer is not as cut and dry as we would like.
Steve Wright: It is never evidence.
Chris Kresser: Yeah, exactly. So I hope this has been helpful. The snack bar is again that the oxalates and goitrogens are not a problem for everyone. Goitrogens are a problem for people with thyroid problems, in particular. Pregnant women should be aware of what we talked about and the following recommendations. And oxalates can also be problematic for people with thyroid problems, but especially those with genetic mutations that they do not favor able properly to break the people who have bowel problems and experience muscle pain, and his and joint and inflammatory diseases .
Steve Wright: Yeah, I've actually seen some of these people. Getting very inflamed intestines, can certainly make it more difficult.
Chris Kresser: Yes.
Steve Wright: Well, thank you, Chris. That was an informative podcast. I like the way that led us into the rabbit holes testing for some time, and I think it sounds like the message, again you just have to try to listen to your body.
Chris Kresser: Yeah, it's almost always the result.
Steve Wright: awesome. Well, thank you all for your attention. Between episodes, you can go to Facebook.com / ChrisKresserLAc and find some studies that Chris reads and using the formulation of this type of podcasts and blogs and more at Twitter.com / Chris Kresser on which tweeter to catch up here. Thanks for listening, all of you. Thank you, Chris.
Chris Kresser: Thanks to all. Thank you, Steve. Until next time.
Steve Wright: Look.
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