If you have a sweet tooth, I’m sorry to say but your thyroid might be suffering.

Sugar is one of the hardest food ingredients on your thyroid. It’s one of the first things I cut out of my diet when I started on my thyroid-health journey, and it’s something I recommend you avoid, too.

How sugar throws the thyroid out of whack

Refined sugar causes inflammation, which is really hard on the thyroid in a few ways. It can get in the way of the thyroid hormone receptors. It can lead to Hashimoto’s disease symptoms flaring up, and it can cause us to not absorb all of the nutrients from our food.

Along with that, eating or drinking a lot of refined sugar can also cause your blood sugar to spike and then later drop. This can impact your cortisol, which is your stress hormone. Cortisol can be released to help manage those crazy blood sugar spikes, but the prolonged release of cortisol in the body can also slow the thyroid down. 

So, refined sugar is one ingredient that I recommend anyone with thyroid problems to avoid at all costs. 

But does that mean everything you eat has to be void of sweetness and flavor? Absolutely not!

What to use instead

Stevia and monk fruit are two fantastic natural sweeteners (made from a plant leaf and fruit, respectively). If you’re baking or need a direct sugar swap, these are great as they’re both sold as powders and you can typically buy them at any natural food store. Stevia has been around for a while so you can sometimes find it in the natural or organic section of your local conventional supermarket, too! Just remember that they are quite a bit sweeter than refined sugar, which means you don’t need to use as much. 

Another good natural sugar substitute is coconut sugar. This is a great swap in baking or cooking as well, and it has almost a nutty flavor which is delicious. Maple syrup or honey are good liquid alternatives, depending on what you’re using it for.

Natural sweeteners in packaged products

Then, if you’re reaching for something premade on the grocery store shelf, there are a few good brands that use natural sweeteners in their products. By the way, none of this is sponsored - these really are the brands I buy, eat, and recommend!

One of my favorite brands for gluten-free products is Siete and they make all of their cookies with coconut sugar! I’ve tried all of them and they’re all amazing.

Hu Kitchen and Lily’s Sweets both make fantastic chocolate, chocolate chips, and other sweet treats.

If you’re looking for things like pancake, cookie, or other baking mixes, I recommend checking out Birch Benders or Simple Mills.

So that’s that! For all of us who live with hypothyroidism, sugar is not our friend and it needs to come out of our diets. But there are so many great products on the market, I promise you’ll be able to find some new faves. 

That combined with how good you’ll feel when sugar is out of your life, you won’t miss it at all!