Dr. Izabella Wentz, PharmD

Thyroid Pharmacist

Tailoring Your Thyroid Diet to Your Needs

Tailoring Your Thyroid Diet to Your Needs

Medically reviewed and written by Izabella Wentz, PharmD, FASCP

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A variety of diets have been reported to be helpful in healing autoimmune conditions like Hashimoto’s. These diets include a gluten-free diet, the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, the GAPS diet, the Paleo diet, the Autoimmune Paleo diet, the Weston A. Price diet and the Body Ecology Diet.

Many people will ask me, “Which diet do you think is best?”

My answer, as always, is the diet that works for you. You are unique. Your genes, your ethnicity, your blood type, your gender, your digestive capability, your intestinal environment, your food sensitivities all make you unique.

The diets are meant to be a starting point for you and should be tailored to your response. Your needs may also change as time goes on, or as you get rid of infections or balance your intestinal flora. Just because one diet worked for someone, does not mean it will work as well for you.

I have tried a variety of diets on my Hashimoto’s healing journey. I started by going gluten and dairy free after having food sensitivity tests that showed I reacted to both. My stomach was extremely grateful. I no longer had a chronic cough, diarrhea, acid reflux or bloating. Having learned about the connection between food and autoimmune disease, I excitedly I retested my TPO antibodies… unfortunately, they increased.  I also became more tired, and my anxiety worsened.

I was surprised at first but came to learn that I made the same rookie mistake that people who go gluten free usually do. I replaced my previous junk food with “GFJF” (gluten-free junk food), like soy and rice-based gluten-free bread, pretzels, “milk” and cookies.

Soy has been linked with thyroid autoimmune disorders and gluten free junk foods, bread, cereals and “milks” have an incredibly high glycemic index. The blood sugar imbalances from gluten free junk foods promote adrenal dysfunction which can affect thyroid function.

Eventually, I made a point to remove soy and balanced my blood sugar better. I felt better, my antibodies decreased, but then healing plateaued, and unfortunately, I started becoming bloated again.

So I went back to the drawing board. I researched alternate diets.

One of the diets that I had heard wonderful things about was the GAPS diet. I purchased the book and very much enjoyed the theory behind it. I then started the GAPS diet…with nutrient dense foods that consisted of soups, meats, vegetables, fruit, eggs, and nuts. I felt better at first. Increased muscle tone, energy and felt more “clear.” But after a few months, I continued to have digestive issues.

Again, my results were not so great. I was tired, bloated, and lost too much weight. I was down to a BMI of <17! I started breaking out more and then retested my TPO antibodies in three months. They doubled from the 300’s to the 600’s….I was devastated. I had been trying so hard. I almost gave up. But I didn’t.

Instead, I decided to follow the approach of the Body Ecology Diet. This diet is gluten free, dairy free and limits fruit. Additionally, it considers each person’s individuality and can be tailored to each person based on their unique needs and makeup. Donna Gates, the creator of the diet has done a tremendous amount of research into optimal nutrition, and she has been ahead of her time. I started to immediately have positive results.

I felt happier. My skin cleared up, my hair became bouncy and shiny again, I was glowing! Three months after following the Body Ecology Diet,  I retested my TPO antibodies, and they dropped to the 200 range.

So what wasn’t working for me?

I had an imbalance of fungal and bacterial organisms that fed on fructose and poorly digested proteins, so all of the fruits, meats, nuts and seeds that were allowed on the GAPS, SCD, and Paleo diet were making me feel worse instead of better. Additionally, the fruit was causing blood sugar imbalances.

So I made some changes…

I did additional testing and figured out that I was not digesting protein correctly (especially eggs). I cut out eggs and began to supplement digestive enzymes with all of my protein meals. I recommend Digestive Enzymes Ultra from Pure Encapsulations.

I also added green smoothies to the mix and started eating a whole bunch of raw (but pureed) veggies that I feel really helped my skin.

Note: Although the Body Ecology Diet contains gluten-free grains, I did not include them.

And some more changes…

I further refined my diet by diet by doing an elimination diet and had a different type of food sensitivity test; this one measured a few different pathways of inflammation, not just the pathway that affects the gut.

The test showed that I was reactive to some “healthy” foods I occasionally ate: chard, apples, garlic, and strawberries. I decided to “test” the validity of the test and ate a whole bunch of these foods all at once. I noticed more joint pain. This joint pain would wax and wane without any seeming food causing it.

I hope that this article helps you understand that diets are meant to be a starting point to your healing journey and that each diet should be tailored to your body.

The moral of the story? Listen to your body, and not a dietary theory. Don’t force foods that don’t agree with you on yourself because someone else thinks they are healthy. Dietary theories are meant to be a starting point; your body will give you further directions.

Do you want to see if the Autoimmune Paleo diet will work for you? Sign-up for my FREE 2-Week AIP Recipe Plan below!

PS. You can also download a free Thyroid Diet Guide, 10 Thyroid friendly recipes, and the Nutrient Depletions and Digestion chapter for free by going to www.thyroidpharmacist.com/gift. You will also receive occasional updates about new research, resources, giveaways and helpful information.

For future updates, make sure to follow us on Facebook!

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Dr. Izabella Wentz

Dr. Izabella Wentz, PharmD, FASCP, is a clinical pharmacist, New York Times Bestselling Author, and a pioneering expert in lifestyle interventions for treating Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis.

She received a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the Midwestern University Chicago College of Pharmacy at the age of 23, and has worked as a community pharmacist, a clinical consulting pharmacist, as well as a medication safety pharmacist. She is a Fellow of the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists and holds certifications in Medication Therapy Management and Advanced Diabetes Care.

Dr. Wentz has dedicated her career to addressing the root causes of autoimmune thyroid disease, after being diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis in 2009. As a patient advocate, researcher, clinician and educator, she is committed to raising awareness on how to overcome autoimmune thyroid disease.

Disclaimer: The information contained herein is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Please consult your physician for any health problems and before making any medical or lifestyle changes.

Lifestyle changes can result in improved thyroid function and/or an increased absorption of thyroid hormone medications, leading to a lower required dose and possible symptoms of hyperthyroidism at a dose that was previously stable. Please discuss lifestyle changes with your physician and ensure that your thyroid function is monitored every 6-8 weeks while making lifestyle changes. Symptoms of overmedication include, but are not limited to: rapid or irregular heartbeat, nervousness, irritability or mood swings, muscle weakness or tremors, diarrhea, menstrual irregularities, hair loss, weight loss, insomnia, chest pain, and excessive sweating. Do not start, change, increase, decrease or discontinue your medications without consulting with your physician.

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Comments

  1. pat says

    Hi,
    I apologize if you posted this somewhere . . . Could you tell us what enzyme you use? Thank you for sharing your results, and best of health to you. p
    Reply

  5. Susan says

    Thanks for this and al the other info and time you give!! Can you give a little more information on what the test results are like? I would like to find out which foods I need to avoid.
    Reply

    • Dr. Izabella Wentz says

      Susan- The gold standard, or the most accurate test for uncovering reactive foods and individual food sensitivities is actually the Elimination Diet.

      It works better than trying a recommended dietary approach (i.e. gluten-free, Paleo, etc.) and even better than food sensitivity testing (which may be helpful in many cases, but may not be affordable for many people). The elimination diet can work as a stand-alone or in symphony with food sensitivity testing.

      In contrast to other diets that simply exclude common problematic foods, an elimination diet is done to determine what particular food intolerances the individual may have. This allows us to tailor the diet to the person, not to the dietary philosophy! Going though an elimination diet will help you figure out your own individual food triggers and your specific response to each trigger food.

      ELIMINATION DIET FOR HASHIMOTO’S
      https://thyroidpharmacist.com/articles/elimination-diet-for-hashimotos

      Reply

  6. Meredith says

    Hi Dr. Wentz,
    I recently had an allergy panel done, and had a low allergy to gluten, soy, egg whites, and wheat. I went gluten free but did not cut out soy or egg whites. Could these “low” levels o allergies keep antibodies active?
    Reply

  7. Izabella Wentz, PharmD says

    Meredith- they can. I would recommend cutting them out x 3 months. If gluten is your main culprit these ones will be secondary and you’ll be able to introduce them back in. If after three months you are still not able to reintroduce them and do not see a dramatic change in antibodies, look into gut testing like the GI Effects Profile from Genova.
    Reply

  8. Bee says

    Can u give an example of what ur daily diet looked like for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks on the type of body ecology diet u implemented? The way u did it sounds great bc i have very similar food intolerances
    Reply

  10. Paula says

    YES, I agree wholeheartedly about tailoring the diet philosophies to the individual. I’ve fallen into that trap of trying to adapt myself to the diet instead of adapting the diet to myself. I’ve made progress (lost 28# in 3 months since Hashi dx in Nov 2013), but not complete recovery (still have thyroid/gut/brain symptoms) with strict AutoImmune Paleo Protocol (without fruits, except lemon/lime and was inadvertently eating a very low carb diet, less than 50mg). Recently, I discovered I had a candida infection via Candia5 home test. I’m awaiting results from the GI Effects Stool test, which you have recommended in your book, which should confirm the candida, at the very least. Before the candida, I started eating winter squashes/rutabagas for carbohydrates and I seemed to have more energy. A few days ago and before candida test, I started introducing sweet potatoes, but become constipated/fatigued within 2 days and had gut symptoms. So, I will pursue the body ecology diet (without the grains) in addition to AutoImmune Paleo, Fruit-Free. I’m willing to eat no carbs for a time, but I’m concerned about low blood sugar/ketosis affects on my thyroid? I could just monitor these with a glucosometer, like Chris Kresser recommends and also get ketosis test kits this way too? What do you think about the too low carbs issue for Hashi patients?
    Reply

  11. Izabella Wentz, PharmD says

    Paula- great job on your progress! The GI Effects is a really great test. The sweet potatoes can exacerbate candida for sure 🙁 I personally felt amazing when I was in ketosis but rumor has it candida can live off of ketones, and my test following a bout with a ketogenic diet confirmed that- I had a 3+ overgrowth. You can get Ketostix at most pharmacies along with the blood sugar monitor.
    Reply

  12. Paula says

    Thanks Izabella for the encouragement! There’s so many different claims about the candida cure and the candida diet: “candida diet”, Body Ecology Diet (BED), GAPS, SCD, etc. I’ve done some more research and I think I’ll be tailoring my approach (the subject of this post) to address the candida in the setting of Hashimoto’s, as follows: I like the apple cider vinegar/coconut milk kefir suggestions from BED, but there seems to be a good argument for GAPS as well. Given that I’m already following the BED foods to avoid list (NO sugar, alcohol, grains, citric acid, legumes, mushrooms, nuts, vegetable oils, and yeast) due to being on the AIP (AutoImmuneProtocol) I’m going to eliminate starchy carbs, and go with the simpler sugars approach as far as carbs go, as recommended by GAPS (? I still have to get the book, and read up about this, seems complicated) I appreciate that you shared your experience with a ketogneic diet, which since I wouldn’t be eating fruit/grains/red potatoes on the BED, it would have been ketogenic for me. So, I’m going to go straight to GAPS, and can monitor blood sugar/ketones as needed, which may still be an issue, initially on GAPS. So, in effect, my diet will be based on AutoImmune Protocol with coconut milk kefir, bone broths (paleomom includes these too) and some fruits in GAPS, eventually. Right now my diet is: spring water, grass-fed beef/bison/lamb, infrequently turkey/chicken due to high Omega 6, wild-caught and low-mercury fish, sardines, kippers, coconut/olive oil, lemon/lime, non-starchy veggies, pink salt & AIP friendly herbs (eliminated the starchy carbs starting at dinner). I appreciate this blog greatly, it has encouraged me to individualize my diet for my healing journey, and not get stuck in the dogma of each diet approach. Thank You!
    Reply

  13. Paula says

    RE: “Candida living off of ketones” and Effect of Ketogenic diet on thyroid
    Found this from Chris Kresser’s radio broadcast, scroll down to “When to call it quits on the GAPS Diet”
    http://chriskresser.com/answers-to-your-burning-questions-about-digestion
    “Now, more specifically about GAPS, there are a few issues with it and that can make it not helpful or appropriate for certain people. Number one is that, as we talked about earlier and talked about in more length with Paul when he came on the show, is that yeast can thrive on ketones, and GAPS, especially the Intro GAPS diet, is by definition a very low-carbohydrate diet and will probably be ketogenic. So, for some people who have a systemic yeast infection, doing a ketogenic diet can actually make things worse, and I’ve seen this in my practice. What’s a little confusing to me is that it doesn’t seem to always be the case. Some people tend to improve, so I don’t know how to explain that. Maybe some species of yeast are more able to utilize ketones than others, I’m not sure. But I sometimes even use that as a diagnostic protocol. If you put somebody on a ketogenic diet for a short period of time and they get a lot worse, then that could be an indicator of a yeast infection. So, that’s one issue. Another issue is that because it’s a low-carb diet and someone’s on GAPS for a long time, that could affect thyroid function, which we’ve talked about before. Glucose is required for the conversion of T4 to T3. There are studies showing that fasting and very low carb diets over a prolonged period can cause a decline in thyroid hormone and conversion of T4 to T3, and T3 is five times more metabolically active than T4, so that’s significant.”
    Individualizing one’s diet is challenging, I’m glad there’s this post!”
    Reply

  14. Paula says

    An UPDATE. Tried 3 days of GAPS approach (AI approach with fermented foods/bone broth per paleomom but ADDED FRUIT) gained weight over 3 days, maybe dt digestive problems, remained constipated. Tried two days of fruit ALONE (per BED) in the am, post prandial blood sugar was elevated (2 hours after meal). No diabetic diagnosis, but suspect pre-diabetic/ metabolic syndromy. For whatever reason, fruit isn’t working for me right now. Ditched the fruit, except for lemon/lime as condiments. Have been doing better, no blood sugar spikes on starchy veggies with my meals (just acorn/spaghetti squash for now bc of low FODMAP and low fructose). BED recommends not combining starchy veggie with protein, but I tried vegetarian dinner of just squash, non-starchy veggies, & coconut oil, and was hungry with increased (still WNL) but on higher side of FBS at 92 the next morning. Fruit does still seem to be a problem. Despite adding starchy veggies, I’m still in ketosis, “small” amount in the am urine check. Plus, need starchy veggies bc my GI Effect results showed LOW Short Chain Fatty Acids, which means not enough prebiotics and starchy fiber. It also showed “fat maldigestion” and “fat malabsorption”, so got Digestive GB from Pure Encapsulations and Assist SI from BED (even though my GI Effect test showed adequate pancreatic enzyme output). Hopefully, the Digestive GB will help will bile production or make up for poor bile flow. No current GB symptoms (right upper abdominal pain, fatty stools), but have had attacks in the past. Otherwise, maybe I’m just eating too much coconut oil/red meat for my system right now? The stool test did not show problems digesting proteins (Putrefactive SCFA’s were okay). Lactobacillus was low, despite some excellent Probiotics: Prescript-Assist and VSL#3 at the time of the test. I wasn’t taking fermented veggies at the time bc I was initially avoiding goitregens, but maybe adding the fermented veggies (more diverse strains) will help balance out the gut bacteria. Would love to hear from others dealing with CANDIDA and/or “FAT MALABSORPTION” issues.
    Reply

  15. Laura says

    Hi Izabella,
    I had a Standard Food Panel IgG completed a while back. I had several items that came back with a moderate to severe classification. There were also many with a mild classification. My question is, do you think it best to eliminate all items from mild to severe for a period of time and then try reintroducing at least the mild ones back in? Your thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated.
    Thank you!
    Reply

  16. Paula says

    Izabella,
    RE: Body Ecology Diet Principles
    How important is the food combining principle, in your opinion, for Hashi patients? For example, is it worthwhile to avoid combining starchy vegetables and protein at the same meal? Or, is it better to always have protein at every meal for the sake of blood sugar balance?
    Reply

    • Dr. Izabella Wentz says

      Paula- We are all different, and although we may have the same condition, different interventions may be required for each of us to heal. 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

      Reply

  17. Hélène says

    I tried the betaine HCl with pepsin and titrated up to 6 caps of 600mg each at a meal. No burning still. I went back down to 4 as I cant afford to take more than that each meal and figured it would help some. Also I was afraid to eat a hole in my stomach!
    I have no GI problems. Then again I have no gluten or dairy symptoms but I went off them too. No change. I don’t eat any grains now at all, but I have mozzarella on almond and garbanzo crust pizza now when i make it.
    Just wondering if you’ve heard of this extreme tolerance of HCl esp with NO GI distress? My bowels are very good too. I eat tons of veggies and take flaxseed ground. I take iron for possible ferritin depletion and still go just fine lol. I do take magnesium in my calming amino acids so maybe thats why lol
    I am just perplexed at my body as nothing is making a difference :0
    Reply

  19. Lorraine says

    Thank you for this article! Not only is it informative, but it is also encouraging. There are some definite Paleo/AIP fundamentalists out there. This article really supports a more independent approach to finding what works and what doesn’t for MY body. Still in the early phases of research and very nearly addicted to my bottle of digestive enzymes!
    Reply

  21. Paul says

    Well, i have had hashimotos for 3 years now and didnt change my diet at all. My antibodiez dropped from 900 all the way down to 200.Then last month they went back up to 700. So that tells me that even though we have hashi our thyroid is still working in some capacity and secreting stuff and our immune systems reacts to what its doing..
    Reply

  23. CDuncan says

    I have had a low active thyroid for 20 years and has been in control with synthyroid. 7 years Rheumatoid Arthritis was added to the mix but have stayed low to moderate up until 18 mos ago where the vector test went from 30 to 58 with sever joint pain and swelling. Have tired a variety of NASID without relief. So which diet?
    Reply

    • Dr. Izabella Wentz says

      CDuncan- 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

      Reply

  24. Tammy says

    I’ve had hashimotos for many years now. About 2 years ago I changed my diet to mostly vegetarian. I’ve fluctuated over the years, but pretty much maintain this diet. Since December I put on 10 pounds – seemed like over night. My stomach is so bloated! 2 weeks ago I eliminated raw spinach, thinking that was triggering my thyroid. Eating now mostly stir fry, salads roasted veggies with fruit shakes using protein powder (all natural – SP complete dairy free). But I’m still feeling yecky! Any advice? Oh, my one downfall, is coffee in the morning with a spash of cream.
    Reply

    • Dr. Izabella Wentz says

      Tammy- The gold standard, or the most accurate test for uncovering reactive foods and individual food sensitivities is actually the Elimination Diet.

      It works better than trying a recommended dietary approach (i.e. gluten-free, Paleo, etc.) and even better than food sensitivity testing (which may be helpful in many cases, but may not be affordable for many people). The elimination diet can work as a stand-alone or in symphony with food sensitivity testing.

      In contrast to other diets that simply exclude common problematic foods, an elimination diet is done to determine what particular food intolerances the individual may have. This allows us to tailor the diet to the person, not to the dietary philosophy! Going though an elimination diet will help you figure out your own individual food triggers and your specific response to each trigger food.

      ELIMINATION DIET FOR HASHIMOTO’S
      https://thyroidpharmacist.com/articles/elimination-diet-for-hashimotos

      Reply

  25. Shauna says

    What has made a difference for me is the Paleo Autoimmune Diet, albeit restricting. The increase in MCT’s (good fats from Coconut Oil/Milk, Avocado, Oily Fish, Olive Oil, Olives etc) give me more energy, reduces craving, I don’t get as hungry, my skin, hair and nails are better. All good. Also removing as much Gluten, Dairy, Soy as I can. The Corn (only have Organic anyway) and Eggs (always Organic Free Range), I did not seem to notice a difference. Adding in Zinc, Selenium, NAC, Theanine were the supplements I notice the most difference from. The NAC reduced my Asthma and Allergies, the Theanine saved me as I had terrible insomnia. Eating lots of Fermented Veggies (make my own sauerkraut) has really helped my gut symptoms along with good Probitotics. Still need to work with my Dr. to get onto T3 which I am convinced with my High TSH, Low Free T3, and High TPO’s should help some of the other symptoms. Dr. Wentz, thanks SO MUCH for your great book! So informative and I follow your Facebook posts which are excellent.
    Reply

    • Dr. Izabella Wentz says

      Shauna- Thank you so much for your support! You may be interested in checking out the Root Cause Recipe Portal. It is full of autoimmune paleo and paleo recipes. You’re able to organize weekly shopping lists, meal planning, etc. Hope you check it out.

      http://rootcauserecipes.com/

      Reply

  26. Anne says

    So glad to have found this site. Just bought Dr. Wentz’s book. I have had low thyroid for over 30 years. On synthroid and now armor. My doctor has been telling me that my levels are fine and yet, I have been feeling awful. All the symptoms of Hashimoto’s including weight gain and hair loss and exhaustion. How do I tell if I have Hashimoto’s even if my thyroid levels seem to be “within normal range.” My doctor didn’t test T3. Nor did she test adrenals. She said my ferritin level is high and must be retested in a month. I wonder if high ferritin and Hashimoto’s are related in any way? Does anyone know? Dr. Wentz?
    Reply

    • Dr. Izabella Wentz says

      Anne- Thank you so much for your support. I’m looking forward to hearing your progress on this page. Make sure to take the book slow, take notes, highlight, and establish a baseline when making changes. I can tell you that while reference ranges of what’s “normal” may vary depending on the lab that produces the test reports, most thyroid patients feel best with a TSH between 0.5-2, and with Free T3 and Free T4 in the top half of the reference range.

      Reply

    • Dr. Izabella Wentz says

      Terri- That’s great!! you may be interested in checking out the Root Cause Recipe Portal. It is full of autoimmune paleo and paleo recipes. You’re able to organize weekly shopping lists, meal planning, etc. Hope you check it out.

      http://rootcauserecipes.com/

      Reply

  29. Kacye says

    I keep hearing conflicting things about supplementing with iodine. I have had thyroid issues since 1997-started out hyperthyroid (lasted a year & a half). Levels went back to normal & off medication until 2005 for hypothyroid. I have had Hashimotos for about 6-8 years now. Taking Armor thyroid for the last 2 years now. I have tried most of the med’s out there with very little success. Always tired & fatigued to some degree or another.
    Reply

  30. Renae says

    I was just diagnosed with Hashimotos after taking thyroid medication for years. My functional medicine doctor recommended I read your book. She placed me on the supplements you have recommended. I have read as much as I can find from you and am listening to the autoimmune summit this week.

    My daughter and I have been gluten free for almost a month. She feels great and I was feeling very good. For the first time in years I had consistent bowel movements and was digesting almost all my food. But just this Monday I started the elimination diet (mainly veggies and meats and bone broths). I am not eating nightshades. Before this week, I was only gluten and soy free but was eating quite a bit of fruits, some nuts and nut butters, aged cheeses, corn, and beans.
    Now with mainly veggies and meat (only 2-3 servings of fruit) I have horrible indigestion, I’m exhausted and semi-constipated. I feel like I have food stuck in my esophagus all the way up to my throat. My tummy/guts hurt like they are rebelling against all of this. I have been on a diet like this before and have always struggled with these same symptoms. I don’t think my body likes meat and veggies as a staple of my diet. Even chicken is causing this and I usually don’t have problems with chicken.
    I don’t want to stop the elimination diet because I want to see what I’m intolerant to but it seems like this is counter productive as my guts aren’t healing, they are rebelling.
    Also since I started taking L-glutamine at the end of December, when I drink it I feel like I have food stuck in my esophagus.
    Any suggestions would be appreciated!

    Reply

  31. Maureen says

    Thank you for your inspiring and meaningful work, Dr. Wentz! I was wondering if you would be willing to share what your current diet is like. I appreciate seeing how your diet evolved throughout your healing journey, and I know since your Hashimoto’s has been in remission, you have been able to add back more foods. I guess the main reason for my curiosity here is because knowing that I might one day be able to occasionally enjoy some of my old favorites without symptoms is extremely motivating.

    Reply

    • Dr. Izabella says

      Leya – thank you for following this page. Yeast is an opportunistic organism that acts up when your overall health is impaired or when your immune system is compromised. Most people with Hashimoto’s will have a high degree of yeast overgrowth, especially of the Candida genus. Treating this overgrowth can be very helpful in restoring health. A note about Candida: Candida can be a primary or a secondary root cause. While conventional medicine underdiagnoses issues related to yeast overgrowth, natural medicine practitioners seem to overdiagnose yeast and may say Candida is a root cause for all ailments. I recommend a Candida protocol for most people with Hashimoto’s. I talk more about this in my book Hashimoto’s Protocol I hope you check it out. Hashimoto’s Protocol
      thyroidpharmacist.com/protocol
      Here is an article you might find helpful as well:
      CANDIDA AND HASHIMOTOS CONNECTION
      https://thyroidpharmacist.com/articles/candida-and-hashimotos-connection/

      Reply

  33. Alicia says

    You appear to have quite a lot of knowledge in this area so I have some questions I’m hoping you can address.
    I have a slew of health issues I’d like to sort out but I am getting so overwhelmed with the amount of people advocating ‘their’ healing diets that I just can’t decide who to follow or which issue to tackle first. I like your 20/80 meat to veggie suggestion because I do enjoy chicken but find I suffer from intense gas after meat and well…not too pleasant either! I’m also not too keen on eating meat everyday for breakfast?!?
    I have Hashimotos w/ hypothyroidism, Fibromyalgia, Gilbert’s Syndrome, low ferritin, chronic depression and most likely leaky gut, SIBO, and/or Candida issues. They all have overlapping symptoms which can sometimes make it difficult to tell what’s causing what at the current moment. They all seem to require adding or removing this food or that but trying to accommodate for each issue just ends up affecting the other. And way too many supplements to take for all on a daily basis.
    Currently I am only taking Tramadol ER 100mg daily, 0.075mg Synthroid, and no supplements until I figure out what I’m going to address first. I have tried raw, not for me and apparently not a good idea either. I had some success on a 3w plant based food plan but had difficultly sticking with it. Too tired working FT and like many others, I’m addicted to sugar and easy foods as well.
    That, and finances, will be my biggest challenge I think!
    I don’t necessarily need an online guided program per say, as I don’t have the time or energy to put into it right now, but a book or meal plan would suffice.
    Just don’t know what area to start with.
    Anything you can suggest would be very much appreciated!! ???

    Reply

    • Alicia says

      Also, I live in Canada so unfortunately cannot order your products. Pure Encapsulations don’t appear to ship to customers but there are a lot of sites selling the brand. Do you know a reputable website who ships to Canada or can you recommend another brand to buy when the time comes? Thanks!

      Reply

    • Dr. Izabella says

      Alicia – thank you for reaching out and sharing your journey. <3 Most autoimmune conditions have common root causes, and a lot of times the things that are recommended for one autoimmune condition will help with others. Conditions that I have found to respond really well to the Hashimoto’s protocols have been rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, Celiac disease, irritable bowel syndrome, eczema, asthma, Graves’, premature ovarian failure, psoriasis, Alopecia Areata, and Sjogrens. I have also seen the protocols help with Fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, PCOS, as well as Type 2 diabetes, Crohn’s, and Ulcerative colitis. Having worked with over 1000 people with Hashimoto’s, and surveyed my community of over 250,000 Root Cause Rebels, I’ve developed a streamlined approach to help you strengthen your body and start eliminating symptoms in as little as two weeks. I lead you through self directed protocols that are beneficial to you, regardless of your root cause. I also walk you through the maze of identifying your individual triggers to autoimmune thyroid disease.

      It took working with 1000+ clients, dozens of functional medical trainings, reviewing thousands of scientific articles and consulting with over one hundred health experts over the course of 7 years to put the protocols contained in the book together for you. I hope you check it out.

      Hashimoto’s Protocol : http://amzn.to/2B5J1mq

      Reply

  34. Elle says

    Even though I never had any noticeable digestive issues, except for some nutrient deficiencies, after reading so much about how many people with Hashimoto’s have low stomach acid, I started doing Betaine and Pepsin, and sometimes ACV with water, but stopped because I started to have burning sensations and stomach pain. When I stopped, it went away again. Does this mean I have optimal stomach acid already? Is there a way to test stomach acid levels?

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