Granted, any non-poisonous plant is healthy in one way or another, but the narrow field of milk thisle benefits doesn’t reduce its efficacy at all. In fact, milk thistle’s benefit of cleansing the liver is so strong, that milk thistle is often used to treat alcoholics (most effectively helps reformed alcoholics) and those poisoned by death cap mushrooms.

Another of milk thistle’s benefits is that it’s very high in antioxidants. It’s considered a wonderful, mild, daily detox. Because milk thistle stimulates the liver and gallbladder, it may have a mild laxative effect, so you may want to first try it when you’re around home to see whether you’re effected or not.

In addition to cleansing the liver of toxins, one of milk thistle benefits is that it can actually protect the liver from toxins. It can even help to protect the liver from certain drugs that are used to treat schizophrenia. Milk thistle has been used to effectively treat liver cirrhosis and has been shown to help liver cells regenerate.

There are very few side effects, and aside from the laxative effect, are rare. Some of the potential milk thistle side effects are headaches, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and skin rashes.

Milk thistle is available in teas, as supplements, and as milk thistle seed extract. If you can find or plant milk thistle near you, you can even cook it and eat it as a vegetable.

As for how milk thistle tastes, there isn’t much of one. I’ve found that milk thistle tea is rather bland, with a definite vegetable flavor. It tastes as though it should be mucilaginous (read: thick and slimy) but it isn’t in the least. Though the flavor of milk thistle isn’t strong, it is pervasive, and if you find that you don’t like the flavor, you can mix it with a stronger flavored tea (perhaps a mint or fruit flavored tea), or switch to milk thistle capsules.

It may not be easy to find milk thistle tea, capsules, or extract near you. I found Alvita brand milk thistle tea in our local grocery store’s organic section. If you’re unable to find it in your local store, you can buy milk thistle tea and supplements here, and milk thistle seed extract here.

If you found this article on milk thistle benefits useful, please explore the rest of this site for more holistic nutrition information.

The problem with avoiding goitrogenic foods is that many of them are among the healthiest foods available. Cooking breaks down much of the isothiocyanates (a type of isoflavone) in cruciferous vegetables that cause goiter, but cooking also destroys many of the beneficial enzymes. And soy contains genistein (another isoflavone) which blocks the enzyme responsible for adding iodine to the thyroid and that isn’t broken down by cooking. Cabbage is even available in the form of cabbage powder. It’s unknown if this qualifies as cooking, though fermentation does not (in other words, no sauerkraut for thyroid sufferers).

Foods To Avoid For Hypothyroidism:

Vegetables:

Broccoli, Brussel sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Kale, Kohlrabi, Mustard, Rutabaga, Turnips, Spinach, Radishes

Fruits:

Strawberries, Peaches

Other:

Soybean and soy products including tofu, peanuts, and millet. But the worst offender is soy and should be avoided in all forms. Be particularly wary of processed foods- check all labels carefully as soy and soy oil are ingredients in nearly every store bought loaf of bread.

As you can see, being vegan or even vegetarian may be particularly difficult from those suffering from hypothyroidism.

For example, magnesium is the center of the chlorophyl molecule, which means that EVERY leafy green is a good food source of magnesium. Technically, I suppose every green leaf would be, if they were all edible. Why not add lime leaves to a few of your dishes as Thai food does? Or some beet and turnip greens?

So, obviously spinach, swiss chard, most lettuces, and green tops to other plants (I’ve heard that carrot tops can be eaten, but I’ve never tried it) are good food sources of magnesium, but even if you eat raw, you need more food than just greens.

Fish:

Salmon, Halibut, Pollock, Tuna, and Haddock  are listed as being high in magnesium. Other fish may be as well, but these are the ones that are high enough in magnesium to be considered a good food source.

Legumes/Beans/Seeds/Nuts/etc:

Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, brazil nuts, almonds, cashews, pine nuts, and sesame seeds are high in magnesium.

In addition to the nuts and seeds, soy beans and products made from soy, black beans, navy beans, and pinto beans, white beans, lima beans, lentils, kidney beans, black eyed peas, and peanuts (and products made from peanuts), are all listed as good food sources of magnesium.

Grains:

Quinoa is supposedly high in every nutrient, and magnesium is no exception. Also high in magnesium are wheat germ and bran- the parts that are stripped out of wheat to make white flour- so any whole grain wheat anything is high in magnesium, and germ and bran can be easily added to a number of foods including high fiber meatloaf. Oats and brown rice are also considered to be high in magnesium.

Other:

Okra, avocados, potatoes, bananas, raisins, and artichokes are considered to be good food sources of magnesium.