Not a milk-drinker? Your thyroid could be in trouble

I stopped drinking milk for a period of time about five years ago. Like a lot of people, I jumped on the “dairy is no good for you” bandwagon. Fortunately, for me, it was a short ride…

You see, one of the arguments against eating and drinking dairy products is that they raise your risk of heart problems — and with my family history, that’s something I pay attention to.

As it turns out, this just wasn’t so, according to more recent research. In fact, certain types of cheese, like the blue-molded French cheese Roquefort, are heart-protective.

So, even though it was a short-lived time in my life, my milk-free period was not a good one…

I began to feel worse almost immediately after giving it up. And that’s how I discovered that not only was I unnecessarily cheating myself of creamy dairy goodness, I had inadvertently caused my low thyroid to worsen.

Here’s why…

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Do you get enough iodine?

That milk I had given up is a natural source of iodine.

What does that have to do with the thyroid?

You have to have iodine to make thyroid hormones. And those milk-alternative products, like coconut and almond milk, just don’t supply it sufficiently.

In fact, according to researchers at the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom, the majority of milk-alternative drinks have iodine concentration levels of around two percent of that found in cow’s milk.

After examining the iodine content of everything from soy and almond milk to hazelnut and hemp milk, they found that a glass of a milk-alternative drink only provides around 2mcg of iodine. To put that in perspective, the adult recommended iodine intake is 150 mcg/day.

What do you do if you don’t drink milk?

So, if you opt for soy, almond or coconut milk like so many people do these days, you’re missing out on iodine your thyroid needs.

Or, if you can’t do dairy due to an allergy or autoimmune conditions, then supplementing with iodine is extremely important.

What’s the right amount of iodine to look for?

Well, that 150 mcg/day recommended for adults is a starting place, but not enough to truly give your thyroid the nutrients it needs to function optimally, especially if it’s been starved.

Instead, look for 500 mcg/day of iodine along with other thyroid-supporting trace minerals like zinc, copper and selenium (and the amino acid l-tyrosine, to help with weight maintenance).

Remember, before you jump on the next health trend, really check it out. Sometimes “new” is not better than the nutrition we grew up with.