hi all.
I’ve been considering going gluten free for a while, but I keep seeing conflicting opinions and evidence about whether it would help symptoms of hypothyroidism specifically fatigue. Any positive or negative experiences going gluten free? I don’t want to remove a huge food group for no reason.
thanks in advance
CB x
my experience of going gluten free is that it resolved all sorts of health issues I didn’t realise I had. I initially tried gluten free alternatives, but in fact they tasted like cardboard (and when you look at the ingredients lists … ) and it was just easier not to replace. In terms of nutrients, fresh meats and veg etc provide more than gluten-heavy foods, and you’ll also be avoiding processed food (that often has gluten in), so also a plus.
I recommend you have a GF trial for 2-3 months to see if it benefits you. You need to fully eliminate gluten in the trial. Many choose to have a coeliac test whilst eating gluten (ie before a GF trial). Whilst I’m not coeliac, I’m certainly gluten intolerant- after following advice here to trial GF, I found all my gastritis symptoms resolved, I had more energy, plus my thyroid antibodies lowered considerably (although they are still out of range!)
One of the best things I did for myself. I discovered how good it was by doing an elimination diet for 6 weeks and then having some toast, crumpets and other delicious things. Immediately had pain between my shoulder blades and brain fog and days of digestive discomfort. Then eventually allowed myself to be persuaded by my GP that it was all in my head, ate gluten for a few weeks and went back to her feeling absolutely dreadful and she apologised. Coeliac inconclusive as I hadn’t eaten it long enough and she said if not that then a gluten or wheat allergy. But Rye, barley, spelt, ancient grains all do the same I’ve tried. I was the full sourdough bread maker before all this. If I make a cake for family I actually start sneezing and flour makes my hands itch. So we’ve made a GF side of the kitchen so the crumb makers and spreaders are separated from me. Separate spreads and butters, no double dipping knives allowed 🤣
I too don’t eat GF products much, I will if we are out for a meal or travelling but not at home, I’ve never been a massive pasta fan etc and we enjoy buckwheat, brown rice, quinoa, potatoes etc. I thicken sauces with potato starch (can get gloopy). And if I make a cake I’ll do a polenta or ground almond alternative.
I used to make a linseed bread recipe on DrMyhill website but that eventually became too much for me and folks said that many linseeds aren’t good for me. Was good for making stuffing for the Sunday roast.
I now make buckwheat crackers for pate and nibbling, can sweeten those to make digestives and added spice for a Christmas twist.
Ooh lovely ideas. Would you share your buckwheat crackers recipe? Nice idea to make them into digestives too.
here you go 🙂
Fantastic, thank you so much! How do you grind the grains of the buckwheat?
A Ninja I used to have a magic bullet but I’ve upgraded to a bigger one. Best gadget we own 🤣 grain to dust in 4-5 seconds . Grains from Waitrose, roasted ones in Polish section in Asda etc.
Looking through previous posts…..you have Hashimoto’s
GP should have tested for coeliac disease at your diagnosis, did they?
if not get coeliac blood test BEFORE cutting gluten out
NICE Guidelines
nice.org.uk/guidance/ng20/c...
Or buy a test online, about £20
Assuming test is negative you can immediately go on strictly gluten free diet
(If test is positive you will need to remain on high gluten diet until endoscopy, maximum 6 weeks wait officially)
Trying gluten free diet for minimum 6 months. If no noticeable improvement then reintroduce gluten and see if symptoms get worse
Only 5% of Hashimoto’s patients test positive for coeliac but a further 81% of Hashimoto’s patients who try gluten free diet find noticeable or significant improvement or find it’s essential
A strictly gluten free diet helps or is essential due to gluten intolerance (no test available) or due to leaky gut and gluten causing molecular mimicry (see Amy Myers link)
Changing to a strictly gluten free diet may help reduce symptoms, help gut heal and may slowly lower TPO antibodies
chriskresser.com/the-gluten...
amymyersmd.com/2018/04/3-re...
thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...
drknews.com/changing-your-d...
Non Coeliac Gluten sensitivity (NCGS) and autoimmune disease
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/296...
The predominance of Hashimoto thyroiditis represents an interesting finding, since it has been indirectly confirmed by an Italian study, showing that autoimmune thyroid disease is a risk factor for the evolution towards NCGS in a group of patients with minimal duodenal inflammation. On these bases, an autoimmune stigma in NCGS is strongly supported
nuclmed.gr/wp/wp-content/up...
In summary, whereas it is not yet clear whether a gluten free diet can prevent autoimmune diseases, it is worth mentioning that HT patients with or without CD benefit from a diet low in gluten as far as the progression and the potential disease complications are concerned
restartmed.com/hashimotos-g...
Despite the fact that 5-10% of patients have Celiac disease, in my experience and in the experience of many other physicians, at least 80% + of patients with Hashimoto's who go gluten-free notice a reduction in their symptoms almost immediately.
Post discussing gluten
healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...
Recent research in China into food intolerances with Hashimoto’s
healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...
More interesting Chinese research on Hashimoto’s and leaky gut
nature.com/articles/s41598-...
Similarly few months later consider trying dairy free too.
Approx 50-60% find dairy free beneficial
With loads of vegan dairy alternatives these days it’s not as difficult as in the past
Just to add ….i have Hashimoto’s
Tested negative for coeliac disease …..both results were negative
But endoscopy showed damage as if coeliac
Cutting gluten was a revelation
And similarly going dairy free a few years later has been equally beneficial
I also found I’m much better off dairy free too. If you’re going to try both, then try cutting dairy first (but again, don’t sub alternatives, they come with their own problems). Dairy washes out much faster than gluten so you’d know about dairy in a couple of weeks and can then move on to gluten (which can take a lot longer to wash out).
No, going gluten-free won't help with hypo symptoms, that's not the point. But it will help with gluten-intolerance symptoms should you be gluten intolerant. So, it won't help everyone - it did nothing for me - but for some people it changes everything. And that has nothing to do with opinions, that's just the way it is.
So, it's definitely worth trying for a few months to see if you are one of those people it helps. If it doesn't help, go back to eating it, that's all. 
I'm gluten intollerant and I am impressed by all the replies above.
First of all before deciding to go GF how do you feel? If you feel good then business as usual but presumably you’re posting because you’re not feeling great.
If that’s the case trialling GF (strictly so you know whether this is something to go with) is a no brainer. It completely changed my gut health - never get heartburn/indigestion or the terrible aches and tiredness I had when eating gluten.
But if you’re feeling generally ok then I agree removing a large food group isn’t a good idea. What I would say is if you are eating gluten make sure it’s good stuff, not in processed form. I think that’s what’s undoing peoples health.
I went GF pretty soon after my Hashimoto's diagnosis and it's one of the best things I've ever done. Yes, it can be a pain eating out, yes, my diet is more limited, but my digestion has been transformed. It's a bit too much info I know, but I had suffered from constipation all my life and to now have to get out of bed in the morning because I need a poo is just frankly, fantastic!! As others have said, I don't eat much processed GF stuff at all as they're generally full of additives, but there are lots of recipes out there for GF alternatives. Good luck!
I started doing it because I was trialling my toddler son on it and we ate the same food. One day I realised that my brain fog had suddenly just lifted, as if it had never been there. Whenever I go to people’s houses and eat what they give me or just give in to the lure of wheat bread and go back on gluten I get red marks on my lower cheeks and start feeling tired again and have gastric symptoms.
It’s more expensive to do - in my experience - and can be a hassle when eating out but it’s worth it for me, because I get to feel like my old self.
It only helps if you have a gluten intolerence or Cealiacs Disease. To do it properly is very difficult as you have to eliminate all gluten from your diet.
Some people with thyroid issues feel better because they are finally resolving a gluten intolerence they didnt know they had, and all those symptoms go and they feel better. But it wont help if you dont have those symptoms in the first place,
The only link between Thyroid and gluten is that people with one immune disorder are very likely to have another. So if you have Hashimotos you are more likely to have PCOS or Cealiacs or many other immune conditions.
If you only have fatigue Im not convinced thats enough of an indicator that you need to chaneg your diet in such an extreme way.
All great advice here. I would add that gluten is everywhere so read the labels very carefully eg many premium oven chips, some medicines, a lot of chocolates, ready meals etc Personally I avoid any gluten free engineered food as it has very little nutritional value and try and allocate some time to cook from scratch. GL.
Very few medicines contain gluten.
helvella - Gluten in UK Medicines
A short discussion about how to identify the few UK medicines which might contain gluten or wheat. Also some information about USA and EU.
Last updated 10/02/2025
Link to blog:
Good morning CAB123x, there is an article on the web by Marina Farouk on molecular mimicry that you may find of interest. It discusses the role of both gluten and casein in thyroid issues. Seems it’s a case of mistaken identity, unfortunately for our thyroids. For a good starting point for recipes you could look at Starch-Free Feasting on the web. Lots of wonderful recipes, quite eye-opening really, excluding both gluten and dairy if required, and plenty of ideas. No need to feel deprived at all. It was life-transforming for me, all totally positive, and I do hope it helps you if you decide to give it a try.
My best wishes to you.
I have gone wheat free and lactose free since the end of December, I have Hashimotos. The reason for doing this was swift passage of food through my system causing much pain and discomfort. I had gone from a once a day person to up to 6 times a day ( and night😱)With hindsight this has been gradually getting worse for about 6 years. Cutting both things out has largely resolved the problem at the moment. Now I need to rechallenge to see whether it's one or both. If you are unhappy with some aspect of your health yet feel your treatment is optimal, then try it. If you love homemade wholewheat bread as I did it isn't easy, but thanks to the help of this group I am beginning to produce something edible😁. Good luck.
Firstly please consider testing (if haven’t already) before embarking on omitting anything in your diet … you can read more on coeliac U.K. website for advice.
Here’s my experience I’m coeliac with Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism of pros and cons …if don’t want to read all below as I copied mostly from my reply last week you may of read before basically did nothing for my thyroid antibodies the only positive for me is hopefully ward of several vulnerabilities us coeliacs get along with being monitored.
If you are getting symptoms from eating gluten your GP should run a test and you do not have to pay for this, GP should be sure this is ruled out before anything else … you have to be eating enough gluten for this test… most who go gluten free before testing that I know, have all had negative results afterwards and I fear it’s probably because there’s not enough gluten being eaten to trigger an immune response and how reactive you are to gluten is no indication at all of severity for coeliac disease but there is an amount of gluten apparently that should be consumed to trigger a response, if the individual can tolerate this test.
Being diagnosed will give you thorough checks throughout your life and appropriate medical care required - I won’t go into those but various conditions we are more susceptible to… you’ll not be checked or considered for those if not diagnosed and these can be missed by just going gf if you suspect this… however at the moment going gf is the only help for coeliac disease but things to consider if not getting guidance from a a dietitian… which you will be referred to along with relevant scans for bone health and annual review of nutritional status and more.
Secondly there’s the risk of deficiencies within a gf diet predominantly low B vitamins, fibre calcium etc as gf items by law do not have to be fortified like gluten flours cereals are… going gluten free if reliant on manufactured products you will be eating lots of rice and corn based and umpteen emulsifiers gums and other nasties you wouldn’t otherwise have and these have caused me gut problems ironically.
Gluten free manufactured products are not healthy foods, in fact worse than other alternatives sometimes. I avoid wherever I can or choose higher fibre pastas which is predominantly the only free from item I buy regularly, other than variety of gf flours. There’s many naturally gluten free foods and I try to stick to those best I can but do make sure you getting all nutrients you’d otherwise be omitting as further down the line other problems can arise.
I do get many get some relief from going gluten free, as it’s known to be inflammatory as newer grains are modified for yield (another entire post need on that history) but I would never suggest anyone to go gf without knowing the pros and cons and testing first, of course it’s your choice.
From experience, I’m coeliac with Hashimoto’s and it’s done zilch for my TPO antibodies for Hashimoto’s - it may of reduced them slightly at first but they weren’t tested from the start to know this but I’m still hundreds over range when last tested in 2021, I’d already been strict gf diet for a decade by then, so not helping me for my current autoimmune conditions apart from coeliac antibodies … I didn’t get any digestive symptoms regarding coeliac disease . I had many nutritional deficiencies though, neurological problems from the deficiencies and skin issues, we now consider these to be reasoning behind those problems…my levels were off the charts for coeliacs and approximately TSH of 60 (can’t remember exactly) I felt generally ok. My coeliac antibodies took 9 months to start to reduce 3years in total to be negative for coeliacs antibodies.
I am very strict about my diet it was suggested I wasn’t adhering to gf diet but my levels were way beyond they could count my gastroenterologist said my first level was in 400s if I remember correctly after 9 months but it did come down and I’ve been negative for 10 or so years now.
However since going gluten free it has raised my blood sugar, no weight loss and nothing of any significance health wise different to say anything positive - although if I was not having gf things it may be very different tale…as I was feeling much better before all the change of diet regardless of poor health status re blood tests results - pros…my nutritional status is better through gf diet and supplements due to malabsorption, and obviously there is other more serious aspects of having coeliac disease, osteoporosis and small bowel cancer etc where us coeliacs are at increased risk of which it may of helped. I say may because the cons are I have more digestive issues now past few years than did and I react to the shop bought breads with their multitude of additives gums and emulsifiers they are wrecking my gut… bloating etc
The lifestyle side is tough at times … the constant worry if being glutened if eating out, the change from being carefree and going out to now having to research every place is safe enough including trips abroad (language barriers) and it limits family too … we don’t get invited as much to regular meals we used to have, celebrations are now crisps or a shop bought gf cake or biscuits 😩… we used to cook really nice meals now this rarely happens from extended family, just mainly if we host which we do more than our far share of. It’s very time consuming and expensive to put on food others to do similar things they prefer to eat… day to day food at home is a breeze.
I don’t work so I do have the time I bake so I know what I’m eating, make 99% of my own cakes etc… Loopy whisk on social media is one I follow really like her recipes and have couple of her books … many know of Becky Excell also for gf inspiration, very helpful in sourcing new products but really I try to move away from those, but they are a great help when cooking for other than myself.
Best bread I had was at Noglu in Paris (there’s less places than used to be in Paris) and I have their book and make that bread but requires vast amount of ingredients 🫣… and various great eateries in Italy. Italy is a great holiday destination for coeliacs.
For those that don’t have wheat intolerance/allergies and can tolerate wheat codex starch (this is gf safe for “most” coeliacs) great flour apparently but it’s expensive but supposedly makes great pizzas (and apparently most things) is gluten free Caputo flour I’m yet to try it but have got some to try in our pizza oven or might try a loaf until the better weather returns.
I have found it all very restrictive especially eating out … and yes gf is everywhere now but on experience not all gf is coeliac safe wish the low gluten label would be used more … packaged products isn’t the problem, it’s your little cafe down the road the busy restaurant with cross contamination but labelled gf (not tested) which many don’t consider at all, just think there’s lots of choices now so that ok then.
I agree about the cafe issue. I've been to plenty of cafes even over recent years that have lots of cakes labelled GF. But although they are in a covered cake stand, they're in the same serving area as non-GF products. And I've seen staff use the same serving tongs to lift the cake to the plate as they just used for the non-GF cakes. Maybe this level of carelessness doesn't matter as much if you're not actually coeliac though?
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