Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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As I understand it, the cabbage in sauerkraut is not cooked, only fermented. Does that mean it's goitrogenic?

I love cabbage in general, and would like to eat sauerkraut in particular for its beneficial gastrointestinal effects, but have been avoiding all cruciferous vegetables ever since I read they were goitrogenic. Some sources say cooking greatly reduces this effect (although I'm not convinced). What about fermentation?

(Goitrogenic = interferes with thyroid function / Cruciferous = a family of vegetables that includes cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, brussel sprouts, horseradish, mustard,...)

flag	asked Mar 21 2010 at 7:15 archaea 2,964●13●31

Mady · Accepted Answer · 2010-03-21 09:40:46Z UTC

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Yes, fermented crufifers are still goitrogenic. WAPF used to circulate information that fermentation reduces or eliminates the thyroid suppressing effects, but have since reversed their position. As someone who can easily eat bowlfuls of kim chee, I have personal experience with this as well as being able to provide links. (Nothing like a basal body temperature of 95 degrees and all of your hair falling out to get your attention!)

Cooking is a far better method of removing the goitrogens. And there is still a strong case to be made for consuming femented crucifers in condiment quantities, especially in combination with good dietary sources of iodine. Read more here and here.

answered Mar 21 2010 at 9:40

Mady
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Does cooking remove all goitrogens? – Louisa Mar 21 2010 at 12:02

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If you like the taste, you might enjoy lactofermented carrots or other veggies. – Bread-Eating Beelzebub Mar 21 2010 at 13:07

So what about if you cook the fermented sauerkraut- does that lessen the problem? – henny Mar 21 2010 at 13:47

@Louisa From the first link: Steaming crucifers until they are fully cooked reduces the goitrogens to one-third the original value on average. Since release of the goitrogens from steamed crucifers depends on intestinal bacteria, however, the amount released varies from person to person. Boiling crucifers for thirty minutes reliably destroys 90 percent of the goitrogens. – Mady Mar 22 2010 at 1:39

@AnnaA You could reduce goitrogens by cooking the sauerkraut, but you would also kill all of the good bugs in it. I would just cook the cabbage, and then drizzle it with raw apple cider vinegar after cooking is complete so that it has the taste and is still live (this is really good with home made sausage). – Mady Mar 22 2010 at 1:44

Glenn · Answer 2 · 2010-03-21 15:25:54Z UTC

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Cauliflower and cabbage interfere with your thyroid?! This is the first time I've heard this.

I'm not saying it's not true, but I feel like every time I turn around, there is another item that looks like "real food" but is supposedly off-limits: night shades - not technically paleo; tubers - not allowed according to some; nuts - have to be soaked; now broccoli is toxic!?!

I've made my own sauerkraut; it came out great. I had no problems. I will make it, and eat it, again.

answered Mar 21 2010 at 15:25

Glenn
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I'm with you on this, Glenn. To me, Paleo is the Real Food Diet, not the Bubble Boy Diet where you fear every little thing. – Paleo Dave Mar 21 2010 at 16:57

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For those of us with healthy thyroids there is no worry, but a large number of people now have thyroid problems caused by eating improperly for decades. I'm lucky I only had two decades of bad eating and my thyroid is in great condition. Of course that's not a reason to gorge on thyroid disrupting foods...everything in moderation, which is easier on paleo because cabbage isn't a staple food, meat is our staple food. Contrast that to vegan diets where thyroid disrupting soy is often a staple. – Bread-Eating Beelzebub Mar 21 2010 at 17:44

Thanks Dave, I agree... I'm no Bubble Boy either! Melissa, good point. Btw, someone voted this answer down! ok. – Glenn Mar 21 2010 at 17:58

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I don't think it's a problem for folks who don't have thyroid issues but trust me, if you were hypothyroid with no energy and your hair falling out you would likely willingly skip eating it. – henny Mar 21 2010 at 18:42

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Individual foods aren't simply paleo/non-paleo in isolation (we should analyse lifestyles holistically), the important thing is quantity and context. Clearly cabbage etc are healthful in small quantities, but it's difficult to envisage the paleo context where masses of raw, 19-calories-per-cup vegetables like cabbage would be eaten en mass, we don't have the GI tract for it. I'd consider raw crucifers more a medicine than a food. – David Moss Mar 21 2010 at 19:16

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PrairieProf · Answer 3 · 2010-03-21 18:54:42Z UTC

Here is an extensive list of goitrogenic foods, of which there are surprisingly many: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goitrogen

But there's no need to freak out over this; they are in no way "toxic" as foods and there's no comparison to the evil effects of soy. Even people with hypothyroidism generally just need to keep an eye on intake and see by experimentation which if any of the foods seem to affect them; my understanding is that cooking the foods greatly reduces if not completely eliminates the problem. I avoided them all after I was first diagnosed but really they don't cause any problem that I can see. I don't eat any significant amount of raw crucifers though (maybe some bits of raw broccoli when hitting a salad bar, a spinach salad on rare occasion). But I certainly eat raw strawberries, and ate peanut butter before I went paleo.

The sauerkraut is interesting but I can't remember the last time I had any anyway -- not a big item for me without a hot dog underneath it. :)

Patricia · Answer 4 · 2013-03-09 17:54:15Z UTC

I was wondering about sauerkraut. Just made a crock... think I'll give it all away. Recently, I put cabbage in the Vitamix and drank it. Within 15 minutes I was horizontal. When I dragged myself out of that coma, I checked my temp...95.2. Bummer. Love sauerkraut.

Sauerkraut and thyroid

4 Answers