Has anyone cut out ultra-processed foods and seen a change in their thyroid symptoms/levels?
My doctor suggested it was worth a try, as this diet is known to reduce inflammation generally in the body.
- No ultra-processed food ( this means for example full fat dairy only)
- No sugar
- No refined oils ( eg vegetable, sunflower oils)
This sounds like a healthy way to eat regardless of thyroid, so I’m happy to give it a try.
So far so good. But I was wondering if others have tried this?
Yes, a very healthy way to eat. Although I'm a little bit meuhh about cutting out all sugar. I don't believe sugar is intrinsically bad, it's just that a little goes a long way. I often use it in cooking from scratch as a flavour enhancer - unprocessed sugar is best, of course - but I wouldn't want to cut it all out completely.
Has eating like that made a difference to thyroid symptoms? Difficult to say. Has it make a difference to blood levels? Absolutely not. 
Yes I agree we simply use too much sugar. But I intend to follow it strictly for at least a month. At the moment I simply use different flavour enhancers, caramelised onions or honey for example.
But in the longterm I can see myself being less strict.
Interesting to know it hasn’t made a difference to your blood levels. And yes, symptoms is hard to say sometimes with so many things in life fluctuating!
Do let us know how it goes Dandelions! 🦋
Will do.
Have you tried date syrup?
Agree also that diet changes made no noticeable difference to my symptoms or levels. Just my bank balance and stress levels. Although, a sent of control for a brief while was nice.
No, but I have some whole dates to hand.
It's not stressful now. But bank account yes, I'm hoping the lower demand of snacks will balance out the more expensive ingredients.
I do recommend a decent organic tea hole food protein and fibre shake.
It’s funny how more and more GPs add in functional type medicine advice to their services these days.
I dare say it shows how gazumped they are, and hopefully are trying to help!
Yes. She was the first doctor who actually listened and tried to help! But she still said she was tied by guidelines and blood levels... 🙃
She caveated the diet with: "As a person, not as a doctor, I would suggest this diet.' So I don't think she feels the NHS supports her in more functional medicine.
But the NHS does recommend this diet + low carb routinely to diabetic people, apparently.
A while back I ate absolutely nothing processed at all, just meat, veg and fruit. Definitely felt much improved for doing that but its very hard to maintain as need to take food with you when out as virtually everything contains some form of processed foods.
I do wish they would have a sliding colour scale on packaged, processed foods to be able to tell just how processed or ultraprocessed foods are.
Interesting! How long before you could tell results? Did they last when you went back to a more convenient diet?
Yes, out and about seems to be the most complicated. At home it's not too bad. It seems to be just fruit you can buy on the go.
It is a bit shocking to see how thoroughly processed everything seems to be.I had a bottle of soy sauce in the fridge, which on closer inspection stated it contained 17% soy sauce 🤯 .
It does pay to read labels carefully, but the reality in day to day life is that purchases are often rushed and its difficult to read tiny small print on the go, hence the need for clear colour coded labelling.
Only a few weeks to notice the benefits. I managed to do this for a few years and when I lapsed the benefits lasted quite a few months. I can feel the difference in myself if I eat completely processed food free.
Buying food out theres really only whole fruit or pre prepared salads that I could eat. Was known to take a boiled egg out with me for a snack!
Thanks Jaydee!
You had a good go for quite a long time then!
Yes, reading labels can taken over your whole day if you'd let it.
I doubt you could ever contribute thyroid improvements ( how you feel or blood results) to such a change in diet though you might well feel better for it. Have a look at some , or all, the Zoe Food and Nutrition podcasts…very anti ultra processed foods, but they realise it’s difficult to exclude everything that should be in this category out of your diet. Zoe tend to go down the ‘could you make it in your kitchen?’ route of being ok. They also stress your body doesn’t necessarily know where it has got its ‘building bricks’ of food from whether plant or meat protein or glucose ( honey, corn syrup or granulated sugar) etc, it’s all those ‘extras’ that go into ultra processed food that are so worrying like emulsifiers. At least the Uk have banned many of these substances decades ago, unlike the US! I’m a diabetic with a continuous blood glucose monitor and can ‘see’ carbs/sugars in foods ‘slipped’ into foods, or claiming ‘healthy’; beware fresh dates wow for me one has far more and longer effect than a traditional naughty piece of chocolate cake!
Yes, you're so right. But I guess diets and food products have become such a lucrative business that these claims about what's healthy and unhealthy are made left, right and center. I tend to not worry too much.
But I guess we can all agree that things like emulsifiers are bad and that there are lots of things in our food which shouldn't be in there. How these affect us.. I don't know!
Zoe’s latest podcast released today says colon cancer will be the biggest cancer related death for male/ females in USA by 2030! Something not right with their food, or other stuff like meds/ supplements etc!
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