You’ve got Hashimoto’s, now what? Here’s what foods should you avoid, and the best foods to eat to get you feeling your best.

Paleo, low-carb, gluten free, AIP, low fodmap, you name the healing diet, I’ve probably tried it to help heal my Hashimoto’s. While many of these diets do help with inflammation and food sensitivities that may arise when living with an autoimmune disease, a magic diet doesn’t exist.

Disclaimer: this is not intended to be medical advice, but instead, I’m sharing what I’ve learned on my journey, in hopes that it can help someone else. There is no one size fits all approach and you have to do the work to figure out what's best for you. If you chose to do an elimination diet, I strongly suggest you work with a practitioner who can guide and support you, one who can create a protocol that is catered to you and your own unique dietary needs.

“Let food be thy medicine, thy medicine shall be thy food” -Hippocrates

While it’s common knowledge that the foods we eat have an impact on our health, dietary changes are some of the hardest changes to make when choosing healthier habits. There’s also a ton of conflicting information everywhere you look, so how does one even know the correct sources to trust? It can be really overwhelming.

When I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s, an autoimmune condition that affects the thyroid gland (check out my post on where to get started with your diagnosis, here), I had a ton of knowledge on this topic through previous experience. My son was 4 months old when he developed severe eczema all over his body. After months of research, remedies and doctor visits we discovered he had several food allergies. The only way we began to get it under control was through dietary changes, nutritional supplements and using all natural products on his skin. This opened up my mind to the idea that food could be used as a tool, a form of natural medicine that plays a key role in healing. I circled back to remember all I learned with my son so I could apply this knowledge on myself and begin a healing path. After doing some additional research on the topic of thyroid healing I followed these steps:

I began focusing on eating nutrient rich, whole, unprocessed food in its natural form.
I avoided processed foods and started reading food labels on packaged foods. Not all packaged foods are bad for you, you just need to be conscious of the ingredients. Steer clear of items with unnecessary added sugar, chemicals, food dyes, flavor additives, preservatives and inflammatory oils (also known as seed oils like canola or rapeseed oil, sunflower, soybean, safflower, peanut, corn, and cottonseed oil).
I eliminated gluten, soy, conventional dairy, corn and other grains; this was only momentarily, I now enjoy gluten free grains and organic or occasionally raw dairy. I also had to eliminate eggs during this time because I couldn’t tolerate them.

Should You Go Gluten Free?

When it comes to gluten, soy and corn, many people avoid due to the way they are conventionally grown in the US. Many are genetically modified, and sprayed with pesticides which make their way into the finished product that we eat. There have been cases of farmers who are routinely exposed to these toxins getting certain cancers, so we really do not know how safe these chemicals are to eat in our food. There is also the risk of these chemically sprayed foods poorly affecting the integrity of our gut microbiome. These are the colonies of bacteria that populate our intestines. Chemicals such as glyphosate can cause harm to our digestive tract by degrading the lining of our intestines. When this happens we no longer have a strong protective barrier stopping food particles from entering our bloodstream. You may have heard of leaky gut, while not an actual medical term, this is probably the easiest way to describe what it means.

So, for someone with a low functioning thyroid, or any other autoimmune condition, these foods, (especially gluten) can be aggravating to the gut. This is why I made the choice to eliminate them and replace them with foods that supported my immune system (organic fruits, veggies, and properly raised meats) so I could begin to feel better.

The Right Way to Go Gluten Free

The good news with making the choice to eliminate gluten is that there are so many options on the market. But please don’t make the mistake of grabbing up all the packaged products on the supermarket shelves labeled “gluten free”. Many times the gluten free label is just a marketing ploy used by food companies to health wash an item, or trick you so you think it’s more healthy. Don’t be fooled! Read labels and make sure the item actually has minimal ingredients to make sure it’s a better choice. Gluten free packaged foods are still packaged foods and many substitute gluten with other unsavory flour blends or grains like corn which can also be inflammatory for those with autoimmunity. When in doubt limit these foods to special occasions or make your own yummy gluten free treats!

A note on elimination diets

Since I started working with clients, my mindset has changed a lot about how I view elimination diets. I used to be a strong advocate for them, when I saw how well this approach worked for my son when he was going through his issues with eczema. However, I’ve realized that while it worked really well for him, no two people are exactly alike and so, everyone needs an approach that works for them. While I do think elimination diets do have their place and can be helpful and even effective with autoimmune conditions like Hashimoto’s, they can also add to the stress and confusion you’re already facing when newly diagnosed. There are a ton of resources in the autoimmune community that will be so helpful for you when deciding which approach to take, so please just make sure it feels right for you, and go slow if you have to. Instead of doing a traditional elimination diet (like the autoimmune paleo protocol diet, know as AIP) try focusing on foods that you may find are triggering your digestive issues or other symptoms. One way to do this is by keeping a log of your meals so you can try to pinpoint which foods may be bothering you. For example if you notice every time you eat cheese you’re gassy or worse, get diarrhea, this food may not be the best for you right now. The goal isn’t to eliminate these foods forever, it’s a temporary way to provide your gut support while you heal, so you can eventually eat those foods again.

What’s the Problem with Vegetable Oils?

Do you think that seed oils like canola, soybean (vegetable), corn and cottonseed oil are healthier because they are lower in saturated fat, making them better for your heart? Commonly used oils like canola, soybean, corn and cottonseed oil should actually be avoided. These oils are not only highly processed, they’re extracted and treated with toxic chemicals like hexane, then bleached and deodorized so they can have a nicer appearance to look better on a shelf.

Want to see how canola oil is made? You’ll be surprised at how gross it looks before it’s all cleaned up and bottled. Another reason you may want to avoid these oils is the seeds are usually genetically modified. Genetically modified crops are heavily sprayed with pesticides like glyphosate, so there may be traces of this in the finished product. Unfortunately, unless you make all your food at home, its not possible to completely avoid these oils, most restaurants use them, but it’s important to know so you can make more informed choices when you’re able.

The oils you’ll want to make sure you have stocked in your pantry are extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil and avocado oil. Try to look for oils that are cold extracted and expeller pressed, and make sure they aren’t mixed with poor quality oils. You can also use animal fats like butter, ghee, or beef tallow to cook or sauté. Since these options are solid at room temperature, they can handle higher cooking temperatures.

Each one of the above mentioned cooking fats are filled with nutrients and healthy fats like omega 3’s which keep your brain and heart healthy!

Avoiding Added Sugar

Do you struggle with that afternoon dip in energy? Maybe you find yourself reaching for a sugary snack after lunch? Are you hungry shortly after a meal, or struggling with a sweet tooth? One of the quickest ways to gain some control of the Hashimotos’s fatigue is to get your blood sugar under control. A great start is cutting back on added sugars and if you’re already limiting packaged foods, this will be much easier to do. There’s nothing wrong with having something sweet from time to time, the problem with added sugar, however, is that it’s hidden where you may not even think to look. This can cause you to consume much more than you normally would, so this is why checking labels is important! Another trick many manufactures use is calling sugar different names so they can cram as much as needed in the product to make it taste better. Here are the sneaky names used so you can watch out for these when you check nutrition labels.

So try to avoid added sugar when you can, and read on for some tips on how to keep your blood sugar in check.

It’s totally normal for our blood sugar levels to fluctuate through out the day. We want them to look a bit like small rolling hills, but when they go up drastically (a spike) then shoot down just as drastically, this can cause blood sugar regulation issues. Envision a roller coaster ride—we want to avoid this! The best way to avoid these spikes is by eating balanced meals and snacks. A balanced meal or snack will consist of each of the macronutrients, protein: the most satiating macronutrient— keeps you full, fat: and carbs. Having too many carbs alone on their own, also known as “naked” carbs can leave you feeling sluggish and unsatisfied, then craving a snack shortly after.

For breakfast instead of having a bagel with butter and fruit, enjoy your bagel with eggs, chicken sausage, and fruit. Don’t just eat a plain salad with just lettuce and other vegetables for lunch, throw in some chicken, steak, salmon or any other protein so you’ll finish it feeling satisfied. For dinner enjoy your pasta with sauce, but add protein, healthy fats and veggies for fiber to leave you feeling more satisfied, without the crash.

Balance is the key to blood sugar happiness, allowing you to feel energized, satisfied and get through your day feeling your best!

A Balanced Diet is Key

Eating a balanced diet goes hand in hand with balanced blood sugar. If you’re finding your meals don’t leave you satisfied and you feeling like you’re always snacking, this is a good sign that you’re meals aren’t balanced. What does it mean to have a balanced meal? You want to make sure that your plate h

It’s possible your meal either wasn’t very balanced, or it was carbohydrate heavy. Eating meals that are higher in carbohydrates can leave you feeling sleepy, sluggish or unsatisfied. Tip: to avoid this, make sure your meals are balanced, including protein, fat and carbs. Instead of having just pasta with sauce, add protein, healthy fats and veggies for fiber to leave you feeling more satisfied, without the crash. I created a free meal guide to help you build balanced meals and avoid these issues! Click here to grab my free meal guide.

This was only one of the first steps but it was crucial!

Within a few months of making these small changes my thyroid antibodies drastically went down, I had much more energy and little to no digestive issues.

I know it sounds like a lot, and it is. In order to make any change in your life it has to be attainable and achievable or you won’t succeed. Start slow, implementing one change at a time. You can start by limiting processed foods, or introduce more vegetables. It won’t happen overnight. Take your time, but commit to the improvements you plan to make.

I hope something in here was helpful! Here are some extra resources to check out that support some of the information shared in this post.

Helpful Articles & Videos on Hashimoto’s and Diet

The Best Diet for Hashimoto’s - Dr. Izabella Wentz

The Gluten Thyroid Connection - Chris Kresser

The Functional Medicine Approach to Hypothyroidism- Dr. Mark Hyman

How to Read Food Labels