I was diagnosed with autoimmune hypothyroidism 2 weeks ago. Was then started on 100mg levothyroxine. After my second blood tests (don't have access to the results, sorry) the dose was increased to 150mg levothyroxine and I was told my kidney function is off, as well (having a kidney and thyroid scan done whenever the hospital sends me the appointment).
I was told by a friend who has overactive thyroid that there is some food I shouldn't eat but because our diagnosis are different she doesn't know what is advised for my case. My GP has no idea about food I should avoid...
So, my actual question is, a part from trying a gluten free diet, what else should I be avoiding in terms of diet/food.
Thank you!!
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AnaLopes9
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Foods to avoid like the plague with any sort of hypothyroidism:
1. Soy. All forms of soy: soy protein, soy oil, soy flour, etc.
And, that's it, really. So, why soy? Because soy impedes the uptake of thyroid hormones by the cells, meaning that you can have good levels of T3 in the blood, but you will still be hypo because it's not getting into the cells.
Foods to avoid if they don't agree with you:
1. Gluten. Hashi's people are often gluten sensitive, even if they don't actually have Coeliac Disease. Worth trialing a gluten-free diet for a few months to see if it makes you feel better - but it has to be 100% gluten-free. If it doesn't make you feel any better, try eating gluten again and see if it makes you feel worse. If you don't feel any different, carry on eating it.
2. Lactose/dairy. Most people know when they're lactose intolerent, anyway. It's not exclusively a Hashi's/hypo thing. But, just out of curiosity, you could trial a dairy-free diet, see if it helps. NB: eggs are NOT dairy.
3. Processed foods are a good thing to cut out because they tend to contain three things that are bad for everybody - not just Hashi's/hypo - artificial sweeteners, soy derivatives and processed seed oils. All three best avoided by the population at large!
4. Anything else that disagrees with you. Common sense, really.
The Goitrogen Myth:
So, someone told you spinach and chickpeas are bad. Someone else might tell you that broccoli and Brussels sprouts are bad. Or it might be cabbage and walnuts, or kale and strawberries... All these fruits and veg - and a hell of a lot more besides - fall into the group called Goitrogens.
So, what are goitrogens? They are fruit and veg that contain a certain substance that has an unwanted effect on the thyroid. What this substance does is impede the uptake of iodine by the thyroid, meaning that the thyroid can make less hormone. In order to get more iodine, the thyroid enlarges into what we call a goitre - hence the name goitrogen.
However, what no-one ever tells you is that you would have to eat one hell of a lot of these things for them to have any effect - like cabbage soup three times a day for years and years and years. Normal consumption of these foods, normal portions, won't have any effect unless you happen to be sensitive to them for some other reason.
Also, goitrogens are highly unlikely to affect anyone taking thyroid hormone replacement, because once you're taking that, your thyroid stops making hormone, so doesn't need the iodine anymore.
So, cutting out a list of about 30 or so foods on that basis is a pretty illogical thing to do, and really isn't a good idea. And is pointless, anyway. So, enjoy what you enjoy, and don't listen to people who don't know what they're talking about!
Ask the receptionist for a print-out of your results (don't ask the doctor!), it is your legal right to have one.
I don't know. Some say yes, some say no. Some say that formeting it removes the problem substances, some say it makes them more powerful. Never having liked soy products anyway, I've never experimented to find out.
I have cut out a lot of soy and gluten. Not 100% because that is difficult to do as both seem to be in most everything, but I definitely read labels now and refrain from having too much of either one. I also cut back significantly on my alcohol consumption as I began to notice it took a greater toll on my body. Goitrogens are foods to be wary of, but are fine when cooked. I have not needed to cut out lactose, but drink skim milk and lighter versions to avoid putting on weight. I have found that incorporating coconut oil in place of all vegetable oils has helped me also. I even add a little bit to my AM coffee along with some Ashwaganda. I feel the best when I use Adaptogens such as these in my diet along with a quality multi-vitamin, added Vit D, Iron and Omega 3 EFA's. I get tinctures if possible for the adaptogens so I can add them to my smoothies, coffee or meals without having to taste them. You basically just want to have a cleaner diet now so your body doesn't have to work so hard in processing it.Not sure where you are located, but stores like Wegman's and Whole Foods here in the states have truly been a Godsend for finding these items easily enough. Most natural or organic food stores are wonderful for clean eating.
Pinterest has a lot of info about all of these things which you can learn from, and this site is a great resource as well!
I was diagnosed with autoimmune hypothyroidism 2 weeks ago. Was then started on 100mg levothyroxine. After my second blood tests (don't have access to the results, sorry) the dose was increased to 150mg levothyroxine
I'm a bit puzzled by this. Do I understand the sequence of events correctly?
You were diagnosed with autoimmune hypothyroidism just two weeks ago, and you've already had your second blood tests and a 50mcg increase in your dose?
If that is what happened then you are not being dosed as you should be. Doses should never be increased by more than 25mcg at a time.
And once on a new dose patients should stick to that same dose for 6 - 8 weeks. After just two weeks your TSH will hardly have had time to respond to your 100mcg dose, never mind a dose of 150mcg.
A little snippet of information...
About 90% of hypothyroidism in the UK is autoimmune in origin.
The GP has requested I have blood tests done every 2 weeks. (Monday will be 3 weeks since initial diagnosis). I was told by her that she would have started me on a smaller dose and increased it every 2 weeks gradually according to blood tests, but the specialist advised her to start me on 100mcg and increase it to 150mcg after last blood tests. It is all new to me so I didn't think about questioning it.
I am afraid your GP is not very knowledgeable about thyroid disease and treatment. Levothyroxine has a long half-life (7-10 days depending on source) so will take weeks to build up in your system. Therefore, it is recommended to wait 6-8 weeks between tests. Having labs every two weeks will not adequately reflect your Ft4 levels, and if you keep raising levo by 50 mcg every time you risk missing your sweet spot. This has to be done slowly and carefully.
Current guidance is no soy within 4h of your meds.A few vitamins such as Vit D also need to be taken 4h away from your Levothyroxine.Most vitamins you need to take at least 2h away from your meds.
NB if you go gluten free it should be complete avoidance. The theory is that the immune system responds to the constituents of gluten by attacking the thyroid so amount is immaterial - any amount is bad.
In the sixty years since diagnosis I have not avoided any foods other than soy products, and even then enjoy a bit of soy sauce in sone recipes a few times a year.I eat loads of goitrogens, raw as well as cooked and never been any the worse for it. As part of a varied diet they are perfectly fine.
Night shades, soy, gluten, sugar are core. On top of that you will have foods specific to you that aggrevate yiur condition. Stress and sleep are critical.
My endocrinologist says there is no reliable evidence that what we eat has any effect on our hypothyroid state. I am vegan and have Hashimoto's so following advice on here, tried going gluten free and soy free for 2 years and noticed no difference except that without both I was not getting enough protein or nutrients so back on gluten though only a little (in contrast to advice of having none above). Please bear in mind though that my TSH was over 95 which is coma level which endo said means thyroid is doing virtually nothing therefore whatever I eat can't make it worse! It seems to me from reading various posts that diet makes a difference to some people but not all.
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