Hashi’s diet

[masa2333]

Hi,

I have been diagnosed with Hashimoto when I was 9 years old. I am 21 now. Taking Levothyroxine 150mcg. My ferritin, vit D and B12 levels are low, and calcium is high (?)

I just recently read so many things about diet and Hashimoto’s but never been advised by my endo to make any dietary changes. Could you tell me what has helped you? Do you have any regimen of eating with Hashimoto’s? Do certain foods make you better (or worse)? I read that the most problematic is gluten and I’ve been eating it every day since forever!

Thankful for any tips

[SlowDragon Administrator]

If you search gluten in the search bar you will find thousands of posts on here about gluten intolerance

Medics only officially recognise coeliac. Gluten intolerance doesn't show in any NHS tests

But many of us find gluten is a hidden problem

Dairy (or lactose) is often a problem too or instead

Other more unusual things are nightshades - tomatoes, pepper,

[masa2333 in reply to SlowDragon]

I’m sorry, but I’m new here so I don’t know how to search it? I mean, when I enter the group only two options I can see is Write a post and view Pinned posts.

I will ask my endo about this and why she never warned me about it. I’ve been literally diving in cheese, pizzas and bread! Especially before my menstrual cycle. Also found that I always felt more lethargic and tired all the time and irritable but I guessed it must be due to PMS...

[JCMK in reply to masa2333]

Hi masa2333, the search is at the top of the page, on the right hand side. It is to the right of the HealthUnlocked heading. Hope that helps 🙂

[masa2333 in reply to JCMK]

Thanks! 😊 found it!

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to masa2333]

Endocrinologists only treat the resulting hypothyroidism

They are, on the whole, disinterested in the root cause

This is a search on gluten (only brings up public posts, but there are many more)

healthunlocked.com/search/p...

Suggest you read as many daily posts as possible

You'll soon pick up on common issues

Soya is best avoided too

[masa2333 in reply to SlowDragon]

Thank you lots!😊

[hjh88]

Welcome to the forum!

I have hashis too and am in the process of improving my diet to help. Yet to try gluten free but that’s on my list for the next few months. There are a lot of people with hashis who find it makes an improvement to their health but for some it doesn’t. If you’re not actually coeliac, the only real way to know is to try going gluten free and see if it helps!

Something I’ve found that’s helped me is just to improve my diet in general - more fresh foods, more fruit and veg and less processed food. The effects have been very gradual but I’m noticing that I do generally feel a bit better for it. It’s most noticeable when I do eat processed foods in particular now. I get an almost food hangover which puts me off eating badly further - quite useful!

There are plenty of things to try though and I’m sure some of the other members will have some advice on raising vitamin levels. If you’ve not done already, it might be a good idea to put your test results in your profile so you can get the best advice 😊

[masa2333 in reply to hjh88]

Thank you for welcoming me 😊

I don’t know if I actually am coeliac because I never tested and I’ve been eating gluten since forever so I don’t know what would be the symptoms for someone who has actually always eaten gluten.

I agree that improving diet in general helps, but I’ve recently started taking medication for panic disorder and they are making me so hungry and craving sweets all the time! 😔

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to masa2333]

Getting a coeliac blood test just to rule it out it first step

Ask GP or buy online for under £20

[masa2333 in reply to SlowDragon]

I will check

[hjh88 in reply to masa2333]

I find I crave sugar when I’m not well medicated for thyroid. It does make it hard! But I take they view that my diet doesn’t have to be perfect all the time. If I can still eat lots of fruit and veg that’ll help and if I can have days where I manage to avoid processed stuff then that’s good too. But it isn’t always the case!

I’m not sure if the full symptoms for gluten intolerance but I’m pretty sure bloating and discomfort are a couple. Might be worth a google or a look around this forum for and idea of what you might be looking for.

[masa2333 in reply to hjh88]

I crave it before my period and then it’s a mess. Also, If I’m not super careful about what I eat, I tend to gain tons of weight in a very short period of time. That really bothers me, but I guess I’ll have to deal with it with Hashi’s. I found it I felt the best (regarding digestion and body feeling) when I ate a lot of smoothies with fresh fruit and seeds and plant based milk, and lot of salads, and my meat and diary consumtion was minimum. But I had lightheadedness, I guess it came from deficiency in viramins! Had hard time eating meat and diary again. I will try to eliminate gluten and see what happens!

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to masa2333]

Many with Hashimoto's are dairy intolerant

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

[masa2333 in reply to SlowDragon]

I find it hilarious that no doctor has told me this yet! Not about diary and not about gluten. Only recently I’ve been asked to do blood test on vitamins and minerals, and I’ve been struggling with Hashimoto’s for 12 years now!

Thank you on links

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to masa2333]

If you are dairy intolerant you need lactose free Levothyroxine.

If you are in the UK the only options are Teva Levo tablets, but many people don't get on with this brand.

Or liquid Levothyroxine, which is expensive so they don't want to prescribe

[masa2333 in reply to SlowDragon]

I live in Montenegro. Only option I have here is the usual Levo. I will check with my endo if she know of any alternatives

[msb44]

Anytime Calcium is high, even just a bit, along with low Vitamin D, might want to check out parathyroid hormone levels to rule out hyperparathyroidism. Then continue to work on thyroid issues.

Learned the above the hard way, when my calcium was barely out of range, but PTH levels were high.

I had three docs tell me I was fine, despite elevated calcium.

Good luck.

[masa2333 in reply to msb44]

Hello,

My PTH is 2.7 pmol/L and the reference range is 1.3-8.2

Vitamin D is 43 and normal is >50

Calcium 2.56 (2.10-2.55)

My prolactin is also elevated at 620 (reference range 109-557)

And low ferritin at 10 (ref. range 15-260)

Does it seem like it? What were your pth and calcium levels if you can tell? Thank you

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to masa2333]

Vitamin D is terrible and ferritin dire

GP should be looking at iron infusion to raise ferritin rapidly. Ferrous fumerate supplements are likely to take months to improve levels

Read many of SeasideSusie excellent replies about vitamin levels

[masa2333 in reply to SlowDragon]

Wish me luck to get that infusion! 🤔 my endo told me to take Magnesium and Selenium+Zinc 2 times A WEEK .. And I feel like I need more. I think she will just put me on supplements 😔

[HLAB35]

In terms of deficiencies, that sounds pretty standard. High blood calcium levels are not ideal as calcium can clog up soft tissues. Taking some vitamin k2 and quite a good Magnesium supplement or powder (Citrate if you're more prone to constipation - I am; Chelated Glycinate if you have the opposite) could help sort that out and get that Calcium into your bones - presumably you already take vitamin D3?

Here's a pretty comprehensive, but not exhaustive list of symptoms and the corresponding deficiencies..

drmyhill.co.uk/wiki/Nutriti...

Vitamin K2 is manufactured from dark leafy greens in the gut (but you do need a good functioning gut) and Magnesium is also found in these plants and quite few nuts like almonds and cocoa beans. Magnesium levels are dropping off this century due to over intensive horticulture, so it's wise to supplement anyway. I really cannot get started on all the benefits of Magnesium; there are so many, but one of them is an improvement in thyroid hormone conversion.

To boost iron and b12 uptake I eat liver or black pudding quite frequently. Also I make a lot of broths and casseroles. Slow-cooked meat is a lot healthier than flash fried. The amino acids you get from broths and casseroles are really good for tissue repair and improving immunity.

[masa2333 in reply to HLAB35]

Hello, yes I do take Magnesium powder, I am also prone to constipation and can’t go in toilet for days. I am also supplementing with D3 (but please note that i have only started supplementing recently). According to this list, I have magnesium and B vitamin deficiencies for sure🤔

Thank you for sharing your tips. I also make sure to eat enough red meat now, as I’ve had periods where I would starve myself (teen years) to lose weight, so I wouldn’t eat much meat or carbs and diary...

[HLAB35]

Just done some digging on the hypercalcemia situation..

acidicbody.com/hypercalcemi...

I'm interested as parathyroid issues exist in my family.. it's linked to kidney stones and pancreatic inflammation, so it's important to get on top of it. I don't think taking Magnesium will be problematic and should help as Magnesium is deficient if Calcium is high, but Epsom Salts or transdermal Magnesium may be the best way to start.

[masa2333 in reply to HLAB35]

I will have my magnesium blood level tomorrow and I’ll go to my endo. I’ll update you on what she told me, maybe someone has a similar situation and it could help. Thank you on these useful links, couldn’t find anything good on the internet, only some general sites that scares you more than helps.

[HLAB35 in reply to masa2333]

Just bear in mind that Mag serum is not recommended by many experts on Magnesium deficiency as the body will do its best to keep it in circulation (being so vital to the heart and other organs). The gold standard test is a RBC test, but few places offer it. As you cannot easily overdose it is usually advised to go by cessation of deficiency symptoms. I read the Magnesium Miracle and it has really woken me up to the problems that MDs have in not recognising a root cause of many illnesses as nutrition is not part of their training.

[masa2333 in reply to HLAB35]

Yes, doctors usually understand nothing about nutrition. I’ve constantly complained to mine about stomach pains and abdominal pain in general and all she did was took blood test for Helicobacter plyori and that came back negative so she just let me go without any advices or causes of my pain. I myself changed the diet later and it helped me a lot. It is sad that in 21st century we have to self-educate about stuff that doctors should’ve known and help us with...

[masa2333]

Thank you😊