Living in a world where processed food is often the option, choosing to eat clean can feel overwhelming. The recommendations in my November Book Club will empower you to eat healthy and live well both physically and emotionally. Learn more below!
The Autoimmune Wellness Handbook – Mickey Trescott and Angie Alt
Living well with thyroid disease requires you to become a new kind of patient, one who uses a whole-body and whole-life approach. Until now, there hasn’t been a resource available that addresses autoimmune diseases — including thyroid disease — in this holistic way, combining conventional, natural, and DIY approaches. The Autoimmune Wellness Handbook by Mickey Trescott and Angie Alt is that guide! Self-assessments, checklists, and infographics help you define where you are and decide where to apply your energy. Everyone’s journey is different! They’ve even included recipes that follow AIP, which I recommend for those with Hashimoto’s. They know that making small, incremental changes in your life will make this doable!
Eat Fat, Get Thin Cookbook – Dr. Mark Hyman
If you subscribe to my newsletter, you know how important diet is when it comes to managing symptoms of thyroid imbalance. Eating healthy fats + protein is essential for balancing blood sugar and sustaining energy throughout the day, but sometimes this way of eating can feel a bit daunting if you don’t have enough of the right kinds of recipes.
I recently got a sneak peek of my friend Dr. Mark Hyman’s new book, Eat Fat, Get Thin Cookbook, and I am so inspired to get into the kitchen and cook beautiful wholesome meals. The recipes in this book are simple yet mouthwatering, and they include healthy fats and protein at every meal. This book will become a new staple in your kitchen- you will love it!
Nourishing Meals – Alissa Segersten and Tom Malterre
I had the pleasure of visiting with Alissa Segersten and her partner Tom Malterre this summer, and Ali made us the most delicious tacos made with plantain tortillas! Being gluten and grain free can feel limiting when you don’t have the right recipes and Ali is out to change that with her tasty and easy recipes. The recipes in the book are free of the most common allergens: gluten, soy, and dairy, as well as refined sugar. And these dishes are designed to appeal to everyone, including vegan, vegetarian, seafood, and meat-eaters. In addition to wonderful food, Ali and Tom offer easy, doable steps to help you change your family’s health, tips for making the transition easier, and ways to get the kids excited about wholesome foods!
The Well Life – Briana Borten and Dr. Peter Borten
The Well Life focuses on a path to health that is often forgotten- mental and emotional health. The book is a roadmap that will help you find balance, harmony, and happiness in your life.
Some helpful aspects of the book are understanding the agreements that you make not only with others around you but also with yourself. You learn that by valuing and taking care of what is most important and enjoyable to you, you’ll be able to create new energy for those around you. I love how the authors help us understand that being who you want to be in the world is not about exerting more, it’s about using your energy wisely from a heart-centered place.
I hope these books help you on your journey to a healthy and happy life!
I am amazed to learn some interesting things about autoimmune diseases and I really needed to learn more about the conditions that are causing health issues for not only myself but so many people. Thanks for the best learning experience of a lifetime.
Latricia – thank you so much for following this page. Here is some information you may find interesting.
Three things MUST be present in order for autoimmunity to occur…
1. Genetic predisposition
2. Environmental triggers
3. Intestinal permeability (leaky gut)
Developing autoimmunity is like a three-legged stool, all of these factors must be present for autoimmunity to occur! When you remove one of these, you can prevent or stop autoimmune disease. While we can’t change genes, if we know the trigger, we can remove it and we can heal the gut.
IS HASHIMOTO’S HYPOTHYROIDISM GENETIC
https://thyroidpharmacist.com/articles/is-hashimotos-genetic
REVERSING AUTOIMMUNITY AND THE PERFECT STORM
https://thyroidpharmacist.com/articles/reversing-autoimmunity-and-the-perfect-storm
Hope you have had a great thanksgiving day with the family.
Thank you for your recipe. I have started reading your book. Very inspiring.
I am newly diagnosed hashimoto’s with digestive bowel and candida issue. I stopped sugar and dairy the last 2 months. I am having bok choy, kale, bean shoot, zucchini, cucumber, celery and carrot cook in coconut oil with bone broth twice to three times a day. I have sun warrior fermented sprouted brown rice protein shakes in the morning. My TPO has not changed for the last 3 months (still 44). Hoping to learn more about reducing the TPO and Thyroglobulin ab from your book.
Ruth – thank you for following this page. Rice can be a very inflammatory food. Did you know that reactive foods trigger an inflammatory response in the GI tract, leading to malabsorption of nutrients (gluten sensitivity in particular has been implicated in causing a Selenium deficiency, a well known risk factor for Hashimoto’s), and can also produce intestinal permeability whenever they are eaten?
Most people will see a dramatic reduction in gut symptoms, brain symptoms, skin breakouts and pain by eliminating the foods they are sensitive to. Some will also see a significant reduction in thyroid antibodies! An additional subset of people, will actually be able to get their Hashimoto’s into complete remission just by getting off the foods they react to, normalizing their thyroid antibodies, and some even normalizing their thyroid function! Here are a couple of articles you may find helpful.
FOOD SENSITIVITIES AND HASHIMOTO’S
https://thyroidpharmacist.com/articles/food-sensitivities-and-hashimotos
AUTOIMMUNE PALEO DIET
https://thyroidpharmacist.com/articles/autoimmune-paleo-diet
Dr. Wentz,
I’m very excited to change my diet to help my Hashimotos, but many recipes seem to rely on meat/chicken for protein and I am a vegetarian. I have historically gotten a great deal of my protein from dairy. Is there a cookbook available for vegetarians?
Thanks!
Carol – thank you for following this page.
Recovering from adrenal fatigue and hypothyroidism when following a vegetarian diet is very challenging, as vegetarian diets are often carbohydrate heavy.
Vegetarian sources of protein such as legumes (beans), dairy, grains, soy and some seeds may be incompatible with trying to heal a leaky gut, which is almost always present with Hashimoto’s. Pea protein is an alternative that may be easier to digest and is less likely to cause food sensitivities (I use NOW Foods brand).
Eggs, some seeds, and nuts would be the preferred sources of protein for vegetarians. However, some people with Hashimoto’s may be intolerant to those as well, especially in the early stages of starting a healing diet.
Being a vegan is even more challenging, and nuts and seeds would be the go-to source of protein, which are usually too difficult to digest for many in the beginning of their thyroid healing journeys.
While vegan and vegetarian diets have been reported to be extremely helpful with autoimmune and chronic conditions, I have not been able to find reports of people recovering from Hashimoto’s by following a vegan diet. Even devout vegans who are nutritionally conscious still struggle with low body temperatures, hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s.
Additionally, many former vegans have reported improved symptoms of Hashimoto’s following transitioning to a Paleo diet. Based on this, I believe that animal proteins must play an important role in building back the health of people with Hashimoto’s.
That said, while meats and fats are important for healing, eating them exclusively will produce an acidic environment in the body; hindering healing, and thus the diet should be balanced with plenty of nutrient rich vegetables (suggested ratio may be 20% meat/80% veggie).
Additionally, vegan and raw vegan diets can be extremely helpful for cleansing and detoxifying, especially for those with persistent protein digestion issues. A vegan diet can be followed for a few days to a few weeks and may help the body detoxify. B12 and iron or ferritin supplements should be utilized at this time to prevent deficiency.
AUTOIMMUNE PALEO DIET
https://thyroidpharmacist.com/articles/autoimmune-paleo-diet