Thyroid Conversion - Stress Reduction, Diet Changes, and Mineral Support

Thyroid issues can be frustrating and difficult to navigate. Many people are not aware of the role of thyroid hormone conversion. The pituitary gland releases TSH, which signals the thyroid to produce T4 and T3 (Walker, 2024). 94% of the hormones produced by the thyroid are T4, and only 6% are T3 (Redd, n.d.). Cells require T3, the active form of thyroid hormone, to carry out vital functions (Walker, 2024). When the conversion of T4 to T3 is not operating properly, you may experience symptoms similar to those of hypothyroidism (Root, 2019).

The conversion of T4 to T3 occurs in many places throughout the body. The liver, kidneys, and gut are where most of this conversion takes place, but it also happens in the heart, muscles, nerves, and fat tissue (Redd, n.d.; Doyle, 2024). Poor conversion is multifactorial. The factors with the strongest influence on T4 to T3 conversion are chronic stress, restrictive dieting, inflammation, gut dysbiosis, toxin exposure, and certain genetic mutations (Doyle, 2024; James, 2025; Redd, n.d.; Root, 2019). Addressing these factors can help support your body’s natural ability to convert T4 into the usable form of T3.

Chronic stress, which can be from physiological stress, inflammation, emotional stress, caloric restriction, or trauma, causes cortisol levels to increase. Cortisol is a stress hormone that puts the body in survival mode. Cortisol impacts thyroid hormone conversion by causing T4 to be converted into reverse T3, an inactive form of T3. In effect, the body’s metabolism is slowed (Root, 2019). Managing cortisol levels requires a whole-life approach (James, 2025).

Stress management, sleep hygiene, exercise, and a balanced diet can support a balanced cortisol level. Some effective ways to manage your stress levels include fostering healthy relationships with friends and family, engaging in breathing exercises and relaxing activities, nourishing your spirit, completing meditation and mindfulness sessions, journaling, and building a healthy relationship with yourself. 

Sleep allows the body to recharge and helps regulate cortisol secretion. Proper sleep hygiene entails sleeping 7 to 9 hours nightly, keeping a consistent sleep-wake schedule, avoiding electronics for at least 45 minutes before bed, watching the sunrise and sunset, maintaining a cool, dark, and quiet bedroom, avoiding caffeine after 12pm, and eating your last meal at least 2 hours before bed. 

Regular exercise helps relieve stress and balance cortisol. If you don’t have an exercise regimen, slowly increase your activity to about 30 to 60 minutes of moderate activity daily, but avoid intense workouts, which can raise cortisol. 

Diets that are very low in calories trigger an increase in cortisol. Avoiding such diets can prevent thyroid conversion issues, sluggish metabolism, and even weight gain due to cortisol imbalances (James, 2025; Root, 2019). Inflammatory foods and poor blood sugar regulation also increases cortisol production. The most inflammatory ingredients are refined grains, added sugars, seed oils, processed foods, processed meats, artificial sweeteners, alcohol, and trans fat. Focus on eating organic whole foods, including a variety of vegetables, fruit, whole grains, healthy fats, legumes, and lean proteins.

Poor blood sugar regulation raises cortisol and contributes to inflammation. Whether you frequently experience high blood sugar, low blood sugar, or unstable blood sugar, changing your eating habits can set you up for better health. Some simple ways to support healthy blood sugar balance include eating breakfast within one hour of waking, ensuring that each meal and snack contains fat, fiber, and protein, pairing carbs with fat, fiber, and protein, limiting carbs to no more than one serving per plate, eating the carbs last, spacing meals and snacks 3 to 4 hours apart, and walking after meals. It’s also important to avoid foods that contribute to blood sugar imbalances, like added sugars, refined grains, and juice.

Inflammation can be addressed by following an anti-inflammatory diet, regulating blood sugar, and exercising regularly. Avoiding toxins and supporting the body’s natural detoxification pathways is often overlooked, but it is often key in reducing inflammation. Toxins include smoking and smoke exposure, drinking alcohol, drug use (even prescriptions), heavy metal exposure, mold exposure, pesticides and herbicides, and many other compounds. Ways to support your natural ability to detox include eating an organic whole food diet, staying hydrated, exercising regularly, eating adequate fiber, taking probiotics if necessary, sweating, and exfoliation. Consider using an infrared sauna, like the one available at Renewed Hope Nutrition, for extra detoxification support.

It’s also important to avoid toxin exposure by choosing natural personal care and cleaning products, eating organic unprocessed foods, using air purifiers, and addressing other sources of toxins. It can also be useful to complete tests to identify which toxins are present in your body. Renewed Hope Nutrition offers several testing options, including tests for mycotoxins, heavy metals, glyphosate, and full toxin panels.

Gut dysbiosis, which is an imbalance in the bacteria living in your gut, plays a pivotal role in T4 to T3 conversion. When the microbiome is balanced, about 20% of thyroid hormone conversion occurs in the gut (Redd, n.d.). Supporting gut health can help maintain proper thyroid function (Redd, n.d.; Root, 2019). Eating an anti-inflammatory whole food diet rich in fiber, drinking plenty of water, and eating foods to support the gut can help reverse gut dysbiosis. Some foods that are great for gut health include bone broth, raw dairy, fermented foods, coconut products, healthy fats, omega-3 fatty acids, and fruit. Personalized nutrition insights and supplement recommendations are the most effective way to overcome gut imbalances. Schedule an appointment to receive personalized advice.  In some cases, GI mapping can help reveal bacterial imbalances. This test is available through Renewed Hope Nutrition.

Nutrient deficiencies could also be at the root of poor thyroid conversion. The most common culprits are zinc, selenium, copper, and vitamin A (Doyle, 2024). Increasing dietary intake of these nutrients and supplementing if necessary can help support your thyroid.

Foods high in zinc include:

• red meat

• oysters

• chickpeas

• lentils

• pumpkin seeds

• sesame seeds

• pine nuts

• cashews

• almonds

• peanuts

• cheese

• eggs

• quinoa

• oats

• potatoes

• sweet potatoes

• kale

• green beans

• dark chocolate

Selenium is found in:

• brazil nuts

• fish

• grains

• pork

• beef

• turkey

• chicken

• cottage cheese

• brown rice

• eggs

• sunflower seeds

• mushrooms

• oats

• spinach

• lentils

• pistachios

• bananas

Copper rich foods include:

• beef liver

• dark chocolate

• sunflower seeds

• cashews

• chickpeas

• raisins

• lentils

• hazelnuts

• dried apricots

• avocado

• sesame seeds

• quinoa

• turnip greens

• shiitake mushrooms

• almonds

• asparagus

• kale

• goat cheese

• chia seeds

Vitamin A can be sourced from:

• liver

• carrots

• tuna

• butternut squash

• sweet potatoes

• spinach

• eggs

• cantaloupe

• mackerel

• romaine lettuce

• red bell peppers

• ricotta cheese

• apricots

• pink grapefruit

• broccoli

• salmon

• mango

• tomato

Regular functional lab interpretations can help reveal whether you are moving closer to the optimal target for these nutrients and other important biomarkers.

Whether you’re suspecting a thyroid hormone conversion issue or have been diagnosed with a thyroid condition, having a holistic health advocate can help you make informed decisions about your health and build a lifestyle that supports long-term wellbeing. Contact Renewed Hope Nutrition to schedule a consultation and receive personalized advice, functional lab interpretations, and natural health tips.

References

Doyle, A. (May 3, 2024). Thyroid Health: Looking Beyond TSH and T4. Pure Encapsulations. Retrieved from https://www.pureencapsulationspro.com/blog/thyroid-health-looking-beyond-tsh-and-t4

James, M. (October 21, 2025). Why you might not need thyroid medication. Women’s Health Network. Retrieved from https://www.womenshealthnetwork.com/thyroid-health/what-is-thyroid-hormone-conversion/

Redd, J. (n.d.). How Poor Conversion of T4 to T3 can Lead to Low Thyroid Symptoms Despite Normal TSH. Red River Health and Wellness Center. Retrieved from https://www.redriverhealthandwellness.com/how-poor-conversion-of-t4-to-t3-can-lead-to-low-thyroid-symptoms-despite-normal-tsh/

Root. (May 20, 2019). Conversion of t4 to t3 thyroid hormone. Root Functional Medicine. Retrieved from https://rootfunctionalmedicine.com/conversion-of-t4-to-t3-thyroid-hormone

Walker, J. (August 22, 2024). Thyroid Cascade Profile Test. Paloma. Retrieved from https://www.palomahealth.com/learn/thyroid-cascade-profile-test