What are the worst foods for you if you have Hashimoto’s?
There are several things to consider because not everyone is the same.
For starters, consider your past reactions to foods. Are these foods that always cause digestive problems? Are there those you have dangerous allergies to? Do you have celiac disease?
The wrong food can cause a wide range of symptoms for a given person. Not everyone will answer these last questions in the same way but you need to respect what your body tells you.
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Let’s consider the effects of highly processed foods. Regardless of personal responses, humans are healthier when their diet is less processed. We have strong evidence that a minimally processed diet corresponds to lower body weight and lower risks of most chronic diseases.
How processed is a particular food? Just look for the ingredient list. The least processed foods don’t have ingredient lists.
Start with a diet that is largely made up of vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, intact whole grains, legumes, fresh meat and seafood. Keep any other foods to a minimum.
250 mcg per serving
Processed meats have plenty of strikes against them. They elevate the risk for heart disease and stomach cancer, and they are usually too high in iodine. Like with bread and other processed foods, there are no ingredients on the label that always relate to iodine. When highly processed foods are made, there are many chemicals used that do not have to be listed. The ingredient lists are usually scary enough – but they are not the full picture.
OK, now we’re down to healthy food options that work with your body. Among them, which are bad for your thyroid?
It is worth taking a moment to think about what criteria should be used to answer that question. You’ll find out if you haven’t already that experts have different opinions.
Some say everyone with thyroid disease must avoid all gluten. Others take that further and say all grains are harmful. Some say goitrogens are bad – even from foods like broccoli or kale.
Others say soy is the biggest problem. Others say it is oxalates and nightshades. Some even say you should only eat meat while others say protein from mammals contain antibodies that cross react with the thyroid.
No joke, if you follow all of the advice, you will have nothing to eat.
Once we’re down to a list of health foods, further restrictions should be made with caution. If you cut out entire food categories, you become far too likely to miss out on essential nutrients and phytonutrients. Plus restrictive diets can be psychologically unhealthy. They create social isolation and an unjustified fear of food.
Most of the ideas about foods that could hurt the thyroid are just that – ideas. They are results that people think might happen based on assumptions about how the body works. In medicine, ideas are like opinions. Until they are tested in the real world, we are wise to take them lightly.
The diets that have had real-world testing on humans and thyroid function include gluten-free, autoimmune paleo, and low iodine. Here is what we have learned.
Gluten free diets are essential for those with celiac. But they do not change thyroid function, even in people with celiac disease. If you don’t have celiac, but you feel better without gluten, you may as well avoid it.
The autoimmune paleo diet is popular. It does cut out processed foods, yet it is highly restrictive. There was a single study done to see if it could improve thyroid function. It did not.
At last count, we had over 33,000 studies on the connection between iodine and thyroid disease and over 1600 studies on the role of dietary iodine.
Extra iodine in the diet can cause Hashimoto’s disease and make it worse for those who have it. Avoiding extra iodine has been shown to reverse Hashimoto’s disease in 78% of participants and improve it for 97% of participants.
The goal is to keep one’s total daily iodine intake between 50 – 200 mcg for general thyroid health and under 100 mcg to improve thyroid function. It is worth noting that iodine can also come from more than just one’s diet. Medications, supplements, and cosmetics all count toward the total.
Everything else. Nearly all vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes, and fresh meats are fine. Many types of seafood are good as are plant-based dairy products and egg whites. Look at the recipes in the Thyroid Reset Diet for lots of great options like Sesame Ginger Lettuce Wraps, Wild Rice Hot Dish, Chermoula Baked Trout, and more.
Try the Thyroid Quiz today (Click Here: Take the quiz) to learn more about your thyroid and the impact it may be having on your overall health.
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Dr. Alan Glen Christianson (Dr. C) is a Naturopathic Endocrinologist and the author of The NY Times bestselling Adrenal Reset Diet, The Metabolism Reset Diet and The Thyroid Reset Diet.
Dr. C’s gift for figuring out what really works has helped hundreds of thousands of people reverse thyroid disease, lose weight, diabetes, and regain energy. Learn more about the surprising story that started his quest.
Dr. Alan Christianson
Alan Christianson is a Naturopathic Medical Doctor (NMD) who is a board-certified Naturopathic Endocrinologist with a focus on thyroid disorders. He is the author of The Metabolism Reset Diet and the New York Times bestselling book The Adrenal Reset Diet.
He founded Integrative Health, a physician group dedicated to helping people with thyroid disease and weight-loss resistance regain their health.
He has been named a Top Doctor in Phoenix magazine and has appeared on national TV shows and in numerous print media.
Dr. Christianson resides in the woods by a lake in Northern Minnesota with his wife Kirin.
