When I support thyroid health, I look through three key lenses: biochemical, nutritional, and emotional. From a nutritional perspective, several nutrients play a vital role – there’s iodine, which is essential for making thyroid hormones. It’s a sea nutrient, not a soil one, so we find it in seaweed, seafood and iodised salt (always check the label). Just a little wakame or nori in a soup or broth can offer a gentle infusion of iodine – plus flavour.

Selenium is another crucial trace mineral. It helps convert the inactive thyroid hormone into its active form. It’s found in very few foods, but just 2–6 Brazil nuts a day can provide what your body needs.

Then there’s iron and zinc. I’ll write another newsletter soon about iron and the thyroid, as it is so vital to thyroid hormone production and I have so much to share on that topic. For now, just know that these minerals are also key to good thyroid function, particularly for menstruating women, where low levels are common. Food sources of iron include red meat, organ meats, mussels, sardines and eggs. If you follow a plant-based diet, lentils, green leafy vegetables and parsley are helpful for iron, particularly when combined with a source of vitamin C to aid absorption. You’ll find zinc in oysters grown in clean waters, red meat, eggs, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds. 

Of course, more isn’t always better. Not everyone with thyroid symptoms will benefit from higher amounts of iodine for example – especially if there’s an autoimmune condition such as Hashimoto’s at play. With autoimmune thyroid conditions and for those on thyroid medication, iodine supplementation may not be appropriate and it must only be considered with the close guidance of a highly experienced healthcare provider.

It’s also important to address what’s behind the dysfunction. If your thyroid hormones are struggling because of low selenium, correcting that can help. But if the cause is hormonal – such as too much estrogen and too little progesterone – then no amount of selenium will solve the problem. Addressing the hormonal scenario will. The road in is the road out and this is one of the reasons why I write books and host speaking events – to help you decipher your road.
If your symptoms are resonating, I gently encourage you to speak with your GP or nutritional health practitioner. A full thyroid panel – including antibody levels – can offer a much clearer picture than standard testing alone.

Because you deserve to feel energised. You deserve clarity, vitality and calm. And you deserve to understand what your body is trying to tell you.