How Should Hashimoto's Patients Eat

Whenever I need to give dietary recommendations to people with Hashimoto's, I always find myself facing a dilemma. Because the disease has many different stages.

Food Quality Is Very Important in the Hashimoto's Diet

Autoimmune diseases are chronic and long-lasting, with many different causes. The goal is remission, meaning the complete resolution of symptoms.

Studies have also shown that Hashimoto's disease has many causes. In addition to poor nutrition, it has been shown that heavy metals (mercury, arsenic) and chemical toxins also trigger the development of autoimmune diseases such as Hashimoto's.

I am in favor of eating foods that are as free as possible of harmful substances, that are natural, and consumed in moderation. There are thousands of different Hashimoto's patients and metabolism types. What is beneficial for one person may be harmful for another. You should eat foods that you can digest, in a way that makes you feel good.

Recent studies have shown that gluten triggers autoimmune diseases such as Hashimoto's, and that a gluten-free diet lowers antibody levels. Imbalance in another important nutrient, selenium and iodine, also triggers thyroid disorders.

Nutrition in Hashimoto's

The foundation of the Hashimoto's diet is this: the diet should be very rich in nutrients and very poor in destructive substances and toxins. In addition, foods that require special attention in Hashimoto's should also be avoided.

The Stone Age diet (Paleo diet) is the most suitable one.

The Hashimoto's metabolism works differently. The body has different needs, and there are certain things you need to pay attention to.

Based on the Paleo diet, scientific studies and experience have shown that the following foods can make an important contribution to Hashimoto's:

Foods You Should Consume in Hashimoto's:

• Organic, natural, and unprocessed foods
• Vegetables and fruits (especially the more colorful or greener ones)
• Sunflower seeds
• Fruit and vegetable juices, sweet potato, squash, mushrooms, carrots, asparagus, avocado
• Gluten-free grains: Amaranth, quinoa, buckwheat, chia
• Eggs
• Fish twice a week
• Organic animal products (meat and grass-fed fat)
• Kombucha (fermented tea)
• Lemon juice
• Mushrooms and medicinal mushrooms
• Lactic acid-fermented vegetables such as sauerkraut, kimchi, and pickles
• Cold-pressed flaxseed oil and olive oil
• Organic cold-pressed coconut oil
• Allium plants (onion, leek, garlic)
• Purple fruits

These foods look colorful and play a central role in Hashimoto's. However, it is not enough merely to increase the amount of beneficial foods; harmful foods must also be avoided.

Foods You Should Avoid in Hashimoto's:

• Fast food, fried foods, trans fats, saturated animal fats
• Processed foods
• Refined carbohydrates (bread & pastries, white rice, sugar, starch, noodles/pasta)
• Gluten-containing grains (wheat, rye, barley, oats)
• Meat (except organic), dairy products
• Raw or undercooked: rice, corn, peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, legumes, cashews
• Large amounts of onion, broccoli, kale
• Seafood (due to iodine sensitivity)
• Alcohol
• Lemonades and sugary drinks
• Pistachios and pine nuts
• Industrial cooking oils (sunflower oil, rapeseed oil, hazelnut oil, soybean oil, safflower oil)
• Certain algae, especially spirulina
• Foods that cause allergic reactions
• Fish contaminated with heavy metals: tuna, swordfish, mackerel
• Genetically modified soy in recent years (because goitrogens, isoflavones, and harmful nutrients are found in very high amounts)

Avoiding these products should be part of a healthy diet. However, this is especially important in Hashimoto's. Autoimmune disease is an additional burden on the body. Unhealthy foods should be avoided in order to support the body's renewal.

For more information on this and related topics, you may benefit from my book "The Anti-Inflammatory Nutrition Guide."

Hüseyin Nazlıkul

Odatv.com