Ahh kale, everyone’s favorite green, nutrient-dense veggie.
In my health coaching course, we all got a little obsessed with kale. Regular kale. Curly kale. And my very favorite, Cavolo Nero.
In fact, I even wrote a post last December extolling the virtues of this vintage veggie – sharing my favorite breakfast recipe for using kale!
But alas, I’ve been taught another important lesson (again):
Moderation and variety are important in all things – even healthy foods!
A recent trip to the doctor (because of unusual tiredness, poor digestion and low appetite) revealed that my thyroid was very underactive.
And then some internet research turned up a possible cause – some foods are goitrogenic, meaning that they suppress thyroid function. And what did I find on that list of foods, but my beloved kale!
Could it be true? Could eating too much kale be the cause of my low thyroid?
Goitro…what?
Maybe you’ve seen those pictures from old medical books of people with huge Goiters on their throat (they made an impression on me when I was a kid!) As I understand it, a goiter is an extreme swelling of the thyroid. Similarly, goitrogenic foods suppress the action of the thyroid, which can cause goiters in extreme cases, or less severly, can contribute to low thyroid (hypothyroid).
Common goitrogenic foods include: cabbage, collard greens, bok choi, KALE, cauliflower, broccoli and brussels sprouts.
Yep, loads of very healthy foods on that list.
Should you stop eating these types of veggies?
No! Cruciferous veggies (like the ones listed above) are super healthy and packed with good nutrients.
My problem (I think) is that I was eating way too much kale – no variety, no moderation. I was also eating a lot of it raw in green smoothies (some sources indicate that eating these veggies cooked deactivates the thyroid-suppressing effect.)
So how much kale was I eating?
A lot. Too much. I went from never tasting kale in my life, to eating it almost daily – sometimes twice per day.
Was too much kale the cause of my low thyroid?
I don’t know … yet.
But when I think about what changed between last year (normal thyroid reading) and this year (low thyroid reading), the two major differences are: 1) higher stress levels and 2) lots of kale!
So I’m trying an experiment. I’m reducing those types of foods in my diet, getting back into meditation/yoga, and will retest in a few months. I’ll report back to let you know the results!
So the moral of the story is:
Moderation. Variety. In everything, even healthy foods.
Don’t eat the same thing everyday.
Experiment with new veggies and grains.
And listen to your body – it will tell you if your diet is working for you
Have you ever eaten too much of one food, even a healthy one? What are your favorite tips to keep variety in your diet? Share in the comments below!
Amanda, that is concerning for sure. But like you said, definitely not a reason to stop eating those vegetables. To me, one of the biggest surprises was to hear bad talking about soy beans. I always thought they were great, excellent option for vegetarians, but they are also said to be goitrogenic. I am not going to stop eating that, but will try to balance it out. One tip to keep a good diet is to use the colours of vegetables and legumes, trying to include them all once a day. A little bit of red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple. BTW, love your blog! Take care.
No, not kale! I think I’ve eaten all of the goitrogenic vegetables you listed in the past week. I hope you’re feeling better now.
Starting to feel a lot better, yes! Seriously, don’t stop eating all these really health veggies – it’s just important to eat a variety of food, not become kale-obsessed like I did
OMG! Amanda. I am so glad I am not the only one Like you, I never tasted kale. Brought a juicer and became obsessed with it. SOmetime twice a day and on ly drinking kale juice (with 2 stalks of celery). I am bummed becasue it really made my skin and hair nice, but my thyroid was always healthy. Now its low and I have gained weight, and my doc said to stop the kale. I am also mad at myself for not knowing this sooner, as I have gained 10 pounds since October! He put me on a low dose of syntheroid for 2 weeks and then I go back. SHould I just stop the kale(of course I did) and not take the medicine.
HI Agnes, thanks for sharing your story! First of all, I’m not qualified to give you medical advice on this, just sharing my personal experience! Do NOT stop any prescription meds without talking to your doctor first. But I think it makes sense to vary your greens, maybe eat your kale cooked rather than juiced (some studies show that cooking the kale deactivates the goitergenic compounds) and give your body time to heal. If you’d like to talk more about it send me a message through the contact form.
Oh my God, the same exact thing happened to me, I was drinking kale smoothies w/out fail five days a week and sometimes eating it cooked at night and gained 5 lbs, am bloated constantly and overly tired a lot of the time! I’m easing out of it, but do you know if your thyroid will resume it’s normal functioning?
To the person who says she was having kale smooties and gained 5 lbs. and was tired. Same thing here (7 lbs). I hope the thyroid resumes to normal. I will let you know. I will be retested in one month. I stopped all juicing, except for non-cruciferous vegetable. Ugh! I share your pain! I am sooo bloated all the time! By the way, I have more energy since I stopped juicing but still have bloat/weight gain. Lets keep each other posted.
Agnes — any updates? I got bloodwork done and everything came back fine. I’m still having the problems even though I’ve cut out the daily smoothies…
Glad to see your bloodwork came back fine. After how long after stopping the kale did you get restested. You said you still had the problems? WHat problems?
I’m glad! I certainly won’t stop eating any of those veggies, but I’ll definitely take the cautionary tale about excess to heart. You’re experience with kale sounds like me with dark chocolate. I’ve actually gotten myself sick eating too much dark chocolate.
Yep, that’s me. Too much dark chocolate.
I started juicing a head of kale everyday, and have been experiencing abdominal pain and digestive issues, which led me to this site. I am shocked to but thankful for this info.
I’ve learned that variety is so important – especially with the foods we eat. So have fun and mix up your daily greens
Amanda, I’d love an update on how you’re feeling and what you’ve learned. I found this site because I thought I had been eating the healthiest diet of my life over the past year but realize that I’m very low energy. Diet was mostly vegetarian, lots of kale (daily green smoothie), brussel sprouts, etc, low gluten, low animal protein, low dairy. But I’m sleeping 10 hours a night if I can! I started doing research on my diet, thinking low protein might be the issue, but then I found this kale-thyroid link! Turns my (dietary) world upside down. You’re months ahead of me on this discovery, so I’d love to hear what you’ve learned several months into eating less kale.
Hi Shannon, would love to hear how you’re doing – send me a message through my contact form. I’ll post an update on the blog soon when I get my latest blood tests back to check my thyroid level!
Keep the kale, mix it up with other colors. Also, check how much gluten you’re consuming. I think thats one of the biggest thyroid boosters, n thats not a good thing. Overworks it, as does the kale, but its more likely that you consume a significantly higher amount of gluten. The 1 or 2 kale shakes a day could have been just the extra goi needed to cause a problem. Flip the scales. It seems difficult to cut so many gluten filled carbs from a diet, but I’ve found replacing them with healthy fats like free range eggs, chicken, and beef as well as grass fed butter, MCT oil, and even raw milk and yogurt, if u can get it, becomes an excellent pairing with vibrant vegetables to curb apatite and give multiple bodily systems and energy levels a healthy boost. But, if your eating conventional goods filled with GMO’s, hormones, chemicals, and mycotoxins, u might as well kiss that thyroid and other wonderful immune functions goodbye.
I’ve been looking into this too, thanks for the info! I’ve been eating a large leaf of raw kale in my morning smoothy every day for years in fact—I often switch to spinach, but I might eat kale for weeks on end or more before switching to spinach and vis versa. I’ve always had digestive difficulties and have to be careful with what I eat, but I’ve started to become suspicious of all the raw kale that I eat, and have been off it for a few days, and will eat it less regularly and steamed for a while to test. I hope that my digestion improves.
Hi Eric, thanks for sharing. I think the important thing is to vary the greens that you eat … so mix it up between kale, spinach, romaine lettuce, bok choi etc. Good luck!
WHAT IF YOU BOIL THE KALE AND THEN FREEZE IT FOR LATER USE?
I had my blood work yesterday. Its been a month that I stopped doing kale juices. I did not take medication and doctor was not mad, so I guess it was not too bad to begin with. I’ll keep everyone posted with the results.
Hi thyroid-healing readers – really interesting interview with Andrea Beaman here on how she healed her thyroid with whole foods – love her! http://www.sarahwilson.com.au/2011/09/how-i-healed-my-thyroid-with-food-my-fun-chat-with-top-chefs-andrea-beaman/
I’m so glad I stumbled onto this blog post. I’ve been having a love affair with kale for the past few weeks (like, two or three servings a day) and just can’t seem to get enough, but it looks like I’ll have to back off a bit before I have any adverse side effects. Bummer.
I’m kale obsessed! I’ve been having smoothies 5 days a week for breakfast and suddenly, 2 months into it I started noticing bad skin. Also my bathroom trips have been of the lighter kind. Im definitely suspecting the kale or the new multi vitamins I just bought. Thanks for all of your feedback I’m going to have a double check with the doctor and get back to you!
Hi Linda, let us know how you get on!
I have been eating half a plastic container of raw kale 2-4 times a week. For dinner I eat cooked Chard. No problems so far, in fact I’ve lost 12 pounds over the course of six weeks. Also have very high energy. I’m hesitant to slow down, you know what they say: if it ain’t broke … But I am on alert. What were some early symptoms if any of you with problems remember?
Hi Frank, if you thryoid starts slowing down typical signs would be feeling tired, feeling cold all the time, noticing your digestion was slower (constipation), dry skin, and starting to lose hair. You can always alternate or combine the kale with other greens: spinach, romaine lettuce, some parsely or cilantro/coriander, any dark leafy greens really!
Hi Frank, I agree. I was constantly tired and gaining weight. However, You are doing it right but not doing it every day. I did one kale smoothie every day for a year. Too extreme! My thyroid is better now, just “mildly” high. Amanda, do you think I can juice kale like once a week , or should I just wait until my thyroid level is completely in the range. Its 5.2.
One month without kale juicing, and my thyroid went from 7.43 to 5.590 (up to 4.200 is normal). I will be rested in one month and let everyone know. I took no medication either. Have lost like 2 lbs (10 lb. weight gain), but its hard to know if its all from the thyroid, or/and a combination of hormonal imbalance. I am in menopause. Going to the gyno in 2 weeks, but I have to tell you kale lovers, I have so much energy now that I have stopped the kale juice. Physically I feel great and have my normal energy back. So just don’t overdo it on the kale, or any cruciferous vegetable. Everything in moderation, although I am too afraid!
Hi Agnes, so glad to hear your thyroid is getting back to normal! Everything in moderation is right
Any other vegetable I can juice? I have been doing carrot/or beets, celery and cucumber. SOmetimes mixed with dandelion. Can I do spinach, or is that goitrogenic too? Really afraid of the vegetables with goitorogens. ANy helpful ideas for juicing would be helpful, except for the cruciferous vegetables. Thanks.,
I overdosed too. But how long does it take to leave out systems? Anyone know. I had one kale smoothie for one year. Was diagnosed in January with sluggish thyroid. Getting retested Wednesday. Keeping my fingers crossed. I hav ebeen off kale since January 18th.