Autoimmune cases are so varied that diets should be unique to each individual. This post outlines how I approach my hypothyroidism diet and Hashimoto’s health plan. Please note that I am not a doctor, I am not even a specialist. I am just one person with Hashimoto’s disease who is trying to figure out the right formula for my own body.
In 2019 I found a nodule on my thyroid. I’ve had Hashimoto’s disease and hypothyroidism since I was 15 but I never had this. There were a number of other symptoms in recent years to indicate that my body was in a heightened state but they were seemingly minor.
The nodule was my wake up call.
While I worked with medical doctors to address the thyroid nodule, I turned to alternative care to get to the root of what was going on. It was all of a sudden very obvious that my body was experiencing some kind of flare-up and I wanted to calm things down.
This post outlines the things I did (and still do) from a natural and holistic perspective to take control of my health, with the ultimate goal of shrinking the nodule into nonexistence.
Thyroid Medication
First, a note about thyroid medication: I have always and will continue to take Synthroid. Had I known about ways to calm the immune system when I was 15, I might have been able to halt enough damage to my thyroid to avoid a lifetime of medication. But I’m not holding my breath in hopes that I can reverse the damage. My biggest goal is to calm down my system so that I can stop additional damage.
Alternative Medicine
A disclaimer: A lot of the things on my Hashimoto’s health plan are not recognized by modern medicine as effective thyroid treatments, but some are absolutely recognized for their health benefits. In fact, studies suggest that diet and lifestyle changes can improve quality of life and reduce symptoms for people who suffer from Hashimoto’s disease.
I don’t believe any single tactic below would make a big difference on its own. My hope is that collectively they all lead to a healthier lifestyle and a calm and happy immune system.
My Hashimoto’s Health Plan
It all started with a functional medicine practitioner. In fact, I would make this step one: find a coach or practitioner who can help you troubleshoot and identify your own unique triggers.
In truth, I’m not sure if I learned more from her or from the book she recommended (Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis: Lifestyle Interventions for Finding and Treating the Root Cause by Isabella Wentz). But she did help me create a hypothyroidism diet and health plan, and make adjustments to my plan over the course of the year based on tests and blood panels. All of this helped me stay the course, which was important in terms of creating true lifestyle changes.
I also ran her recommendations by my endocrinologist just to make sure I wasn’t missing any red flags. No issues arose but it made me feel like I had a system of checks and balances.
The primary goals of my plan were to…
- Reduce inflammation
- Heal the gut
- Support the liver
- Support the thyroid
Here are the big things I focused on over the last year to help calm and support my system:
Vitamins
I was never one for vitamins and supplements but after getting some basic blood work done I found I was deficient in several areas. Now I take vitamin D, a vitamin B complex, vitamin C, and adrenal support on days I felt lethargic. I also take Calm, a magnesium powder I put in water on days I need a boost.
My Diet
Most doctors will tell you that altering your diet will not improve thyroid function. What they don’t tell you, however, is that it can improve quality of life and reduce symptoms.
There are a number of recommended diets for people with Hashimoto’s and hypothyroidism, and there are conflicting suggestions across each one. The general consensus among most of them, however, is to cut out gluten, dairy, and soy. From there it becomes a very individualized approach. I like to read up each hypothyroidism diet as I hear about them to see what resonates with me. Then I play with increasing or decreasing certain foods in my diet and pay close attention to how my body responds.
I keep a chart that I continually update to help me track things and act as a guide. In this chart, I put foods into different categories including things I should eat more of and things I should limit or avoid. There is a screenshot of my current chart at the bottom of this page.
One of the significant things that happened because of the changes to my diet, is that I was able to identify corn as the primary source of my body aches (there’s more about this in the blog post about My Hashimoto’s Health History). Since cutting out corn, my leg, hip and joint pain has all but disappeared. When corn does creep back into my body, even by way of corn syrup or canola oil, the aches return. I have no idea if this is related to Hashimoto’s or if it is some kind of allergy I inherited from my mom, who does NOT have thyroid issues but who is allergic to corn.
Meditation
I started a meditation practice about six months prior to finding the nodule and found it to be an excellent way to reduce anxiety and stress. It became even more essential during the long period of time I was in a state of unknowns. I can not emphasize enough how big a role this has played for me in my healing journey. If I were to pick two things on this list to focus on first it would be nutrition and meditation.
Mild Exercise
I grew up an athlete, starting with competitive gymnastics and track, then turning to endurance sports like triathlon and 24-hour adventure racing. I always thought that if you weren’t pushing yourself, it didn’t count as exercise. For years my body has been asking me to slow down and I am finally listening. Slow walks and gentle yoga resonate so much more now.
The one exception is mountain biking which is more of a flow state activity for me. I don’t get out very often but when I do it’s more spiritual for me than anything else.
Reading
Doing my own research by way of books, articles, and the NIH database helps me to feel empowered. I was able to gain a better understanding of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis over the last year and that makes me feel like I am sitting in the driver’s seat of my own health and healing path. It also helps me to feel confident making the final call on things doctors and naturopaths recommend to me.
Sourcepoint Therapy
I signed up to work with someone my brother (also a bodyworker) recommended. At first I thought it would be hard to justify the cost but it became clear after the first visit that her work was essential to my healing. She was able to release so much tension that has built up over my 44 years.
And when I think in terms of giving my body some love and support after carrying two kids, birthing two kids, breastfeeding two kids, and carrying two kids around for the last five years, the investment starts to seem ridiculously reasonable.
The first few years following the birth of my second child were filled with a lot of pain and she was able to start releasing a lot of it. (My sessions were put on hold due to Covid but I am anxious to go back.)
Reiki
This is a form of healing that draws on the universal energy around us. I was attuned to the first level of Reiki nearly 20 years ago by a friend who gently reminded me I could turn to it again. I started working it back into some of my meditation sessions. I particularly like some of the guided Reiki sessions you can find on the Insight Timer app. They even have some that focus specifically on the thyroid.
Reducing Environmental Toxins
Environmental triggers, including toxic chemicals, account for 70% of autoimmune cases. Plus, the number of autoimmune cases in the U.S. is on the rise.
To help reduce exposure to triggers in my own home, I started using products made from plant-based oils. Now I can’t get enough. I started with the Household Cleaner. While I love a clean house, I can’t stand the smell of standard cleaning supplies. I used to procrastinate cleaning because of it. Now I can’t stop cleaning.
I also make my own household and beauty products with essential oils. The Young Living community has so many clean recipes for all kinds of things from moisturizer to dish soap. I am slowly working to switch my cleaning and beauty products to cleaner versions.
I also diffuse oils to increase moisture in the air and create a calm and cozy atmosphere in my home.
Vulnerability
After reading Brene Brown’s book Daring Greatly, I made it a point to practice vulnerability. For me this meant opening up to family and friends about what I was going through. I set aside money for talk therapy but found that open and honest conversations with loved one did the trick. This helped me to purge thoughts and ideas that weren’t serving me and collect information from unlikely sources.
Finding a Health Partner
When I found my current endocrinologist, I finally had someone in my corner to help me process all the information. I value the fact that she is a traditional MD who doesn’t dismiss alternative thinking. This more holistic approach is so important to me. She helps me understand Hashimoto’s, and my particular experience with it, from all angles.
A Note About Hormones
One other significant change worth mentioning is that I stopped breastfeeding in the second half of the year. I know pregnancy, and I’m assuming breastfeeding, has a big impact on hormones. I’ve heard of people developing nodules while pregnant that go away on their own once the baby is born. It makes me wonder what role breastfeeding played in the development of the nodule, and whether or not stopping might have an effect too.
I did not dive too far into the hormone side of things but I am open to going down that path if things don’t improve.
My Hypothyroidism Diet Food Chart
And here is the chart you’ve been waiting for! The foods are grouped into four categories:
- What to eat in abundance
- Foods to eat normally
- What to eat in moderation
- Foods I try to limit or avoid
This chart is NOT reflective of a single diet or eating plan; it’s a mixture of things that I have found work best for my body. The reasons vary for why a food makes it onto my do-not-eat list. Some of them are inflammatory foods, some of them are considered goitrogens (substances that disrupt the production of thyroid hormones), some of them I simply don’t digest that well, and so on. This chart is not by any means comprehensive or universal. I am constantly editing and updating it over time.
I also want to call out that the reasons for my choices are not all backed by science. I strongly urge you to make your own choices about individual foods and just use this as an example for how to track it.
What’s Next?
My antibody levels went down significantly over the last year, but they are not in the normal range yet. As a next step, I recently eliminated eggs and pork from my diet. The Medical Medium says they are two of the main foods that feed EBV and help it thrive in the body. After 90 days of this, I’ll take my next blood test and get the nodule checked.
TL;DR
The short of it is that everything I am doing basically boils down to one mind-blowing revelation:
A healthy balanced diet (Mediterranean), with some kind of mental, physical and spiritual practice built in, are the things that help me feel my best. HAHA!
This is, of course, easier said than done. I always considered myself a healthy eater but I found that there was a LOT of room for improvement.
A LOT.
Getting a handle on my overall health was truly the most important thing I did this past year. Most of what I did comes down to simple healthy habits including a well-rounded diet and stress reduction.
The trick for me was having a coach to keep me motivated and help me stay on track.
To learn more about how I use essential oils to reduce toxic cleaning solutions and beauty products in my home, visit MichelleValenti.com.