Hashimoto’s disease is one of the leading thyroid diseases, and whilst medically it is just managed with thyroid medication, many people discover that they can’t reclaim their health and weight with standard treatment.
In fact, a large number of Hashimoto’s patients end up having more than 3 other health concerns to deal with at the same time, and until the autoimmune disease is managed, they never seem to feel well.
The other issue is that Hashimoto’s is not always picked up in pathology testing. One – it is not a standard thyroid test and often not run unless there is an obvious goiter or inflammation around the thyroid area of the neck. Second – The sensitivity and specificity of thyroid antibody testing varies between labs and results are hard to compare when done by different labs historically.
Foods to AVOID and some alternatives
This is a general food list that people with Hashimoto’s will benefit from avoiding. Many times they can be re-introduced once healing has taken place, but for some people, symptoms will return when the food is eaten again – hence keeping a food and symptom diary is beneficial.
All the foods listed are excluded in the AIP (Autoimmune Paleo) Program, but may also be recommended for you if you suffer from other symptoms such as IBS and arthritis.
Gluten – Many studies suggest that a gluten-free diet may bring clinical benefits to women with autoimmune thyroid disease. Once thought that only people with Celiac disease needed to avoid it, we are now seeing that many people have positive health outcomes when avoiding gluten.
Non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) is most likely why so many people feel significantly better when going gluten-free, even if they don’t have Celiac disease.
Gluten-Free Alternatives:
Buckwheat: Buckwheat is the seed of a plant related to rhubarb. It is high in fiber, iron, and B vitamins. Great as flour in many baked goods, pancakes & waffles too.
Quinoa and Amaranth are alternative winter grains. Quinoa (keen-wah), is a complete protein containing all 8 amino acids as well as a fair amount of calcium and iron.
Rice: Brown rice, rice bran, rice wafers, snaps, crackers, puffed rice, Rice pasta.
Corn: Sweet corn, fine and coarse cornmeal, puffed corn popcorn homemade, corn pasta, corn chips (watch additives), polenta (ground).
Millet: Is a small round grain that is a rich source of B vitamins. It can be used as flour, grains, and flakes for porridge (soak overnight to soften and quicken cooking) puffed milled.
Nightshades to AVOID
Nightshades are a family of vegetables referred to scientifically as Solanaceae.
Many people can have a sensitivity to this family of vegetables and will need to avoid them for a set period to reverse health symptoms.
White potatoes – Instead use sweet potatoes, turnips, parsnips, and cauliflower. These can be baked, mashed, and even fried.
Tomatoes – In certain dishes, strawberries or strawberry sauce can swap the acidic, slightly sweet combination of tomatoes. Pumpkin and squash-based sauce can replace tomato sauce for pasta-based dishes. Beets combined with radishes and watermelon can also come together to replace a tomato sauce perfectly.
Capsicum – Try sliced radish, zucchini, yellow squash, and carrots in a salad for crunch. In cooking, radish can add the pepperiness of capsicum.
Chili and Cayenne Pepper – Black and white pepper are actually berries and a great substitute. Turmeric, cumin, cloves, and ginger can give some heat and spice to nightshade-free meals.
Eggplant – Portobello mushroom caps can substitute for eggplants in vegetarian and Paleo lasagnas, as well as in other baked dishes. We like grilled Portobello mushrooms in place of buns for hamburgers.
Dairy
A dairy intolerance or allergy is often implicated in eczema, sinusitis, rhinitis, headache, migraine, asthma, and digestive disturbances. Many people may not need to stay off these foods permanently. When the immune system and thyroid is balanced, they will regulate the body’s inflammatory response and you may tolerate some dairy again. But until your thyroid antibodies are in remission, most people benefit from avoiding all forms of dairy.
This should be a short term diet…
It can be extremely frustrating – and hazardous to your health – to omit food groups long term. If you finding yourself eating only a small array of foods, you will end up with nutrient deficiencies which complicate your health and fuel disease.
The first step is thorough testing to discover the root cause to your symptoms. This also allows us to prescribe the correct dose of nutritional supplementation to rebalance your body.
Hashimoto’s patients respond very quickly to diet modification coupled with herbal medicine to correct the immune response. Herbal medicine may also be used to target viral loads, adrenal stress, brain fog, inflammation, energy and metabolism to get you well in the fastest time possible.
Stop guessing and book a free consultation to speak to a Lucy Rose expert!
“I just wish I had found this years ago!! General dr told me my thyroid was “fine” and I needed antidepressants. Through thorough testing, this clinic (as I suspected) found out that I have hypothyroidism. By taking all sorts of supplements and following the food guide, I am healing my gut and restoring health! Amazingly within weeks I started seeing results- weight loss, mood stability, more energy… I’m a month and a half into the treatment, and can’t be happier about the results so far.” – K.W.
