Hi everyone,
I'm pretty new to this! I had half my thyroid removed last year and have since been put on thyroxine. I've been looking into diets to help hypothyroidism and have seen a lot of articles saying to go sugar free, gluten free and to avoid fatty oils (so basically anything nice!). I was just wondering if anyone had tried this and if it actually helps?
Thank you!
Siobhan
It works for me, less bloating and also lost weight- you will only know if you try it, give it long enough then you will find you don't miss all those "nice" things that are not very good for you !
Depends what you expect it to do for you. I once went gluten/dairy/sugar-free. Did nothing at all for me. But, then, we're all different. And different things help different people.
Gluten-free is usually recommended for those with Hashi's, to lower antibodies. But, a lot of people are sensitive to gluten, so obviously it helps to cut it out. But, it's not going to make you less hypo, or repair a damaged gland. It might help to repair a damaged gut, though.
Some people are sensitive to dairy, so it helps them to cut it out - and some do find it helps lower antibodies. But my personal opinion is that a little sugar from time to time does no harm. Once again, cutting it out is not going to repair a damaged thyroid.
When it comes to food, it's the same as thyroid hormone replacement. You have to try things to see what works for you, and what makes you feel bad. It's all trial and error, I'm afraid.
There is a belief that going gluten free reduces thyroid antibodies, the evidence isn't clear. In any event I' m not sure if it were me whether I'd rather reduce the antibodies and have a slower thyroid decline or get it over with quickly.
In your case you have had a thyroidectomy and the research shows that antibodies usually decline about a year after the thyroid has been removed.
I see lots of recommendations to go dairy and gluten free, it gets me frustrated and I usually go to Pizza Express as an antidote.
I didn't know that my antibodies decline after a year of having my thyroid removed. I'm guessing there's nothing I can do about that!
Haha yes I've been attempting 'gluten and sugar free diets' this week, I went to pizza express on Wednesday and had the gluten free pizza - I can confirm it's nowhere near as good as normal! (Don't waste your money!)
I am a firm believer in 'a little bit of what you fancy does you good,' however I did go gluten free after finding out I had hashis and it has reduced my antibodies and has helped with bloating and digestive issues (I have had IBS for 20 years, dx Hypo 2 1/2 years) so I will keep it up. I will most definitely not be going dairy free or cutting out fats unless there was an extremely good reason why I should and although I have tried to cut back on sugar, I haven't cut it out. I think we need to give very careful thought before cutting out major food groups like dairy, fat and gluten as they provide essential nutritionx
I think that the majority of exclusion diets are for those of us that are at the more severe end of the spectrum. I couldn't comfortably eat anything so reducing the foodstuffs and only eating cooked food was spot on for me. But the important point in exclusion diets is the reintroduction, you should only exclude for 3 to 4 weeks and then aim to systematically reintroduce and check for symptoms or signs.
For me I was never able to reintroduce, which is a very clear sign that something was undiagnosed and required investigation and possibly treatment. So only exclude if you are well prepared and have read everything you can get your hands on about the whole process. And beware getting stuck in the exclusion phase as I have been for the best part of 9 years. I need to be the awful example that others learn from.
Personally I wouldn't cut out dairy (unless its causing GI issues/sensitivities). I have reduced gluten to a minimum because it can cause damage over time to the villi in the small intestines and reduce absorption of nutrients but it doesn't (and hasn't) caused me any problems. The one thing, however, that I have cut out completely are oils of any kind. Oil oxidizes, the longer you keep it in a bottle the more it oxidizes and this process is accelerated when used for frying etc. Oxidation causes inflammation, free radicals and damage to cells. If your diet contains plenty of antioxidants the effects can be minimized by the body but I would prefer not to add to the oxidative stress. Animals fats are the only ones I use, butter, lard etc.
Ok thank you.
Yea I've heard that before, I only use butter, coconut and olive oils anyway. Not so easy when you eat out though!
All my autoimmune and other diagnosed issues all reversed after going gluten free apart from too late for my thyroid as already dead! I have reduced my thyroid meds by about a third since though. It was proven to be the cause of all my issues though and have a diagnosis of NCGS by the NHS as test negative for coeliacs. When you feel that bad, anything is worth a go isn't it lol? However, I would add if you do, it has to be 100% gluten free including cross contamination for it to work and needs to be at least three months to know for sure.
Actually there is quite a lot of research published in medical journals indicating gluten a problem or highly associated with autoimmunity. This is why I tried it in the first place.
I eat lots of nice things, most the worlds food is actually supposed to be gluten free (although it's often covered in the stuff - potatoes, rice, quinoa, meat, dairy, fruit and veg, nuts and seeds. All these are fine so not missing out on much to be honest
Fatty oils, fail to see how that would help?? Fats are required along with everything else especially if you're hypo.
I wouldn't give up dairy unless you have cause to do so and sugar - well we all know that's bad for us - I still eat it mind you lol!
You don't know until you try but may not work for everyone 
Thank you that's really helpful! I'll definitely give it a go then. How did you find out if it helped? Just by a blood test to check your thyroid levels?
I think the thing I struggle with is trying to be healthy by not eating a lot of carbs, and then trying to go gluten and sugar free on top of that. I felt like I'd be eating meat and veg for the rest of my life lol, but your list doesn't seem that bad! Think I need to research more into what I can eat.
The fatty oils in the article I read, we're talking about sunflower oil, mayo and that sort of stuff. Not butter or olive oil, it said they were good oils.
Lol I really struggle to give up sugar, I'll try and cut it back but who can turn down dairy milk buttons?!
Yeah, I don't think I'll be giving up choc anytime soon but I do cut down lol!
Bodies need carbs especially those like us with metabolic issues. There are healthier options that don't spike sugar levels as much though. New potatoes are better than Mash/chips/roasts - jackets are the worst. Basmati or wild rice is better than other types and pseudograins are great - quinoa and buckwheat etc and much healthier.
I was on 60mcg T3 for thyroid for 15 years as could not convert T4, I also needed high levels of T3 to keep tsh low indicating hormone resistance. A few months after going GF, I had to quickly drop from 60 to 40T3 as I could now absorb the meds and resistance seems to have cleared up and became hyper/overmedicated. I have also just added a little T4 back in and it appears I may be able to convert better now - although system still does not like T4.
I did four gluten trials with extensive testing on everything. On each trial and after six weeks of eating gluten with no med changes, my tsh had risen to 30-50 and took three months to go back to normal after finishing the trial.
The same kind of result showed on all my other tests also.
Plus it removed all my other health issues including fatigue/digestive that I had been diagnosed with since my teens including an autoimmune sleep disorder, IBS, adrenal Failure/fatigue, unstable sugar levels, Pompholyx, water retention, systemic inflammation etc lol! They all come back when I eat it- even a tiny crumb!!!
Oh I should add, because of the seemingly different impact on immune response that gluten seems to have over other food intolerances, this one is recommended to be 3 months to know for sure as can take a while for immune response to go down - although I did have improvements quicker than this. Other food intolerance seem to be quicker to work out and only require a six week elimination diet - normally.
You have to read up on cross contamination though as even crumbs keep me ill.
I will warn you some people get withdrawal symptoms for a couple of weeks. THe withdrawal sometimes makes people think it's not good to continue and give up but bear in mind you only get withdrawal from things that are bad for you- you don't withdraw from not eating a carrot for a few weeks for example lol. Some Gluten Free products are nasty lol. There are nice ones though, M&S has lovely stuff and other supermarkets too but expect bad pizzas although there are also nice ones lol. Schar seeded bread is nice. But you'll find these if and when you decide to stay GF.
Also, I would add the one problem with going GF is if you don't eat healthily enough in the first place. To compensate for bad eating habits aongst the general population, the government have made it a legal requirement to fortify wheat flour with folate, iron and other vits and many cereals and wheat products heavily add vits to them so someone who eats just crap, who then switches to just GF versions of this crap (which are not fortified) will find vit/mineral levels decreasing
"Fatty oils" is I think a bit of a misnomer. Fat is derived from animal sources, oils come from plant sources. Animal fats, I would agree are essential for everyone. Oils oxidize and produce inflammation and free radicals - not something we want if we are hypo.
Hi siobhanlh
Welcome to the forum. It's awesome given me a lot of confidence
I had radio iodine treatment in April 16 and am now on 175mcg of levothyroxine and five stone heavier!!!
Listening to the lovely ladies and gentlemen on here, I've change to gluten free and lactose free. I can confirm it does help. My system is nice and quiet No nausea no bloating no having to run to the loo!
I have also lost half a stone. I would recommend you give it a try.
Schar (the range name ) do lovely ciabatta rolls. Tesco's own free from range do really nice burger rolls. There's a lot more gluten wheat diary free appearing
Let's us know how you get on.
Thank you, yes it is really helpful speaking to people going through the same symptoms and problems. I'm starting my gluten free diet today, will see in 3 months time!
I gave up gluten to help reduce antibodies. My antibodies have reduced. I guess I can’t prove it’s the gluten-free diet. I’ve also given up soya, as that is often recommended too. I wanted to do whatever I could to help myself.
I have also had to give up all forms of sugar (including fruit), yeast and certain specific foods that I react to, as I had raging candida in my gut, SIBO, and issues with heavy metals. Low stomach acid meant I wasn’t absorbing enough nutrients from my food, so I was very deficient in just about everything, including vitamin C (the GP said my bleeding gums weren’t important). I have to supplement a lot of things even now. My awful gut symptoms started quite a while after my Hashimoto’s diagnosis, so I totally blame that.
I think our gut health is extremely important to look after, and I wish I had known that long before I had so many problems – I like to think that I would have looked after myself better before things became so bad, and I became so unwell. My health has improved immeasurably since making all the changes. I have had some major blips (Christmas and Easter for starters), and I pay the price for weeks afterwards.
Making dietary changes if you don’t actually feel ill can be hard to do, but it isn’t written in stone that you have to stick to it forevermore.
Oh really? I didn't know that hashimoto would lead to that, I had mine diagnosed nearly a year ago so I should probably get my act together! Sorry to hear about your symptoms, but that's great your diet now has helped! Thank you for the advice, I'm starting the gluten free trial today so will see if it helps in 3 months time.
Just because I had additional problems doesn’t mean it would happen to you, I think I was just unlucky.
Be careful which gluten-free products you buy, they can throw in all sorts of added rubbish that you don’t want either. I buy GF pasta and basics like that, but everything else is cooked from scratch. Good luck
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