Your diet and your health are an intertwined entity, especially if you have Hashimoto’s disease. Hashimoto’s disease is an autoimmune disorder that affects the thyroid gland, a butterfly gland that lies across your neck. The disease causes hypothyroidism, or a low production of the thyroid hormone. This causes a cascade of effects on the body including low energy, weight gain, sensitivity to temperature changes, and so much more.
Many people with Hashimoto’s have found some relief with diet changes. Avoiding foods that can cause inflammation can help reduce symptoms and improve how you feel. There are multiple foods that can help your Hashimoto’s disease and multiple that can negatively affect it. Here we will talk about the best and worst foods for Hashimoto’s disease and how they affect your health.
Best: Gluten-Free
Gluten-free is a popular buzzword. It’s hard to go to a grocery store and not notice all the new food products that carry this claim. While some people avoid gluten to manage their weight, there are others who do so to improve their health conditions. Hashimoto’s disease is one of those health conditions that can be improved by avoiding gluten. “In a survey of over 2,000 people with Hashimoto’s conducted by Izabella Wentz, Pharm.D., FASCP, 88 percent felt better after following a gluten-free diet,” reported Eating Well.
To follow a gluten-free diet you’ll need to remove most bread, pasta, beer, and pastries. Gluten is thought to cause inflammation in the body, so removing it can help reduce inflammation and help you feel better. Removing all gluten can be an overwhelming task. Try to focus on eating whole foods and not replacing gluten based foods with other processed food. It’ll take time to adjust to your new diet, but we bet you’ll feel better once you do.