Discover the link between Hashimoto’s and gluten. Explore if a gluten-free diet can benefit your health and manage symptoms effectively.
Exploring the Benefits and Considerations of a Gluten-Free Diet for Hashimoto’s Patients
Managing Hashimoto’s thyroiditis often involves navigating a unique journey, as there is no universal approach to treatment. One dietary change that some individuals consider is going gluten-free. While it may not be necessary for everyone with Hashimoto’s, there are potential benefits to exploring a gluten-free diet. This dietary shift has been associated with improvements in energy levels, mood, and overall well-being, making it a topic worth investigating for those affected by this autoimmune condition.
To assist with the transition to a gluten-free lifestyle, practical tips can be helpful. Understanding the science behind the relationship between gluten and thyroid health may empower individuals to make informed choices. For those looking to delve deeper into the underlying causes of their condition, resources such as the “Hashimoto’s Decoded” series provide valuable insights and questions to discuss with healthcare professionals. By exploring holistic solutions, individuals can take proactive steps towards managing their Hashimoto’s and enhancing their health.
Unlocking Wellness: The Gluten-Free Path for Hashimoto’s Warriors
Every single person has their unique journey when they have Hashimoto’s. They’re not there is not like a one-sizefits all anything because you’re individual. I do my very best on this podcast on health with Hashimoto’s to not should on you. I try not to tell you what you should or shouldn’t do. I try to educate you and give you resources so.
That you can make the decisions that will best suit your health. And that’s why on the path to health with Hashimoto’s that I’ve created for you, every step is it’s suited for you. Like you’ll go through step one and that’s questions to ask your doctor. Everybody can ask the right questions so that you get answers. And then step two is.
Figuring out your own root causes. And then step three, of course, is addressing those root causes. And you can see in those three steps, while the steps themselves, the titles have the same the same step, I guess, what you’re doing in that step is unique to you. And today we’re going to talk about something that is probably the most.
Shoulded of anything when you have Hashimoto’s, and that is gluten. Now, I just recently did a fulllength episode on gluten and Hashimoto’s and answering all those questions. So, today’s going to be more of a review. If you have about 20 minutes to listen right now, head back to episode 96. And that one is where I go in detail about gluten and.
Should you try to go without gluten, should you adopt a gluten-free diet to help your Hashimoto’s. And by the way, every once in a while my podcast host like defaults how many episodes are available to you and all of a sudden it like cuts it down to 20 even though this is episode 108. I really really appreciate the emails and texts I get.
From people saying, “Hey, I can only find 20 episodes.” If that happens and you notice it, will you let me know because I do not always notice it right away. Uh so I would really appreciate that. I love to hear from you no matter what, especially to answer your questions and to help you make progress with your Hashimoto’s. All right, so.
Let’s talk about gluten. The big question, of course, is, do I have to give up gluten if I have Hashimoto’s? And the short answer is yes. The short answer is for a short time, and short, I’m talking a couple months, try it and see what happens. And here is why. About 80% of people who have Hashimoto’s are reactive to gluten. Gluten makes their.
Hashimoto symptoms worse. And part of this is because gluten is what we call a molecular mimic. Your body identifies gluten as thyroid hormone or they’re similar. So when you’re eating gluten, your body can create more of an antibbody response or an autoimmune response attacking your thyroid. Now science, as far as I can understand from.
The research, science does not fully understand this mechanism. I have the words for you, molecular mimic, and I can tell you that it makes it worse. And I can tell you that by giving up gluten, about 80% of people with Hashimoto’s feel better. They have more energy. They lose weight. They’re losing that brain fog. Their mood lifts. Whether it was.
Depression that’s going away or anxiety that’s going away. Their mood is better. They feel more like themsel. That’s about 80% of people. And how do you know if you are in that 80% or not? You have to try it. So, the short answer is yes. You should I’m going to should on you. You should try going gluten-free for a short time to see what happens to you.
And again, I said short is about 3 months because it takes a long time for It’s kind of funny. I said short and long, both in regards to the same time frame. Um, it takes a while for your body to get rid of the gluten and for the rest of you to adapt and figure out what is life like not consuming gluten. Uh the thing is it’s hard because we’re.
Used to eating the way that we eat. So I’m going to give you some tips on what to eat and how to go about this in just a minute. But there’s a couple other reasons why giving up gluten for, you know, about 3 months can be a good idea. Number one is because gluten itself is inflammatory and inflammation makes autoimmune problems worse. Inflammation.
Stresses out your immune system and causes it to go more haywire. We want to lower inflammation. It is so important. And gluten is inflammatory. And then you compound that inflammatory action based on what you eat. You know, a lot of times when we’re eating gluten foods, you know, that’s a lot of baked goods. And baked goods are.
High glycemic. They’re going to spike your blood sugar. even if you’re not diabetic, they’re going to spike your blood sugar, which is inflam inflammatory, and then they’re going to drop it. And that drop in your blood sugar is very stressful on the body and can be a trigger for Hashimoto’s. So, not only is the gluten itself.
Inflammatory, the high sugar or baked goods that usually have gluten in them are also inflammatory or they will spike your blood sugar and then drop it, which is a trigger for Hashimoto’s. So, you know, there is something you can do for that. When you’re having something that has gluten in it or, you know, anytime you’re having carbs, just do your best.
To pair those carbs with healthy fats and protein. That way, it stabilizes your blood sugar more. That way, you’re not going to have that drop in your blood sugar. Because when your blood sugar goes up really high, it releases a lot of insulin in your body. And insulin, its job is to take that sugar and store it in your fat cells. And then.
When the insulin, a lot of it is released. It does its job really well. And then all of a sudden there’s a lot of insulin left looking for a job and not a lot of sugar in your bloodstream. And so then the insulin is like, “Hey, I want a job to do.” And then you get hungry. That is that drop in blood sugar because your blood sugar all just got.
Shuttled into the fat cells. So then of course there’s not a lot left in your blood. And that’s why we say it’s a drop in blood sugar. It’s still there in your body. It’s just not available to be used. And that drop in blood sugar is what causes you to feel hungry. That’s why you want to eat, you know, an hour after you just ate, now you’re hungry.
Again. That’s why, at least a lot of times, that’s why I go into a lot of detail about this and how to prevent these this roller coaster back in episode 10. It is all about balancing your blood sugar even when you’re not diabetic because blood sugar imbalances and the highs, especially the lows, can be a trigger for Hashimoto’s. So, head.
Back to episode 10 and listen to that one. All right. So, we talked about how gluten can be inflammatory just on its own and then by nature of, you know, that it’s in baked goods. It’s often in inflammatory foods or foods that are going to spike your blood sugar and then your blood sugar is going to drop. I talked about a molecular mimicry and.
Then I talked about Dr. Isabella WZ’s survey that uh she found 80% of people with Hashimoto’s did feel better when they gave up gluten. Now, let’s talk really quickly about how to give up gluten. There’s a lot of resources now online, which I really appreciate because back when I had to give it up because of my son’s eczema, back when I.
Was breastfeeding, I had to give up gluten just cold turkey. I didn’t have any time to prepare and there were not a lot of resources online yet. I was so lost, so confused, so overwhelmed, and yet I was stuck because I had to do it for my son. you know, it’s a lot harder to prioritize oursel, but when our kid is on the line, when their health.
Depends on our actions, we’re going to do that, right? So, I had to figure it out. But now, there’s so many resources to help you figure it out. In the holistic Hashimoto’s course, I have an ebook that walks you through it step by step that helps you tackle it, how to prepare, how to meal plan for it, what to eat. It’s all there, but there’s a.
Lot of resources online that you can look for. My biggest tip is plan your meals around the protein and around the vegetables and then add a carb later. That’s going to really help you as you try to give up gluten. It is possible and it might really help you. So, I encourage you to give it a try, but make sure that you give yourself time to.
Prepare and to figure out the meals and the snacks that you’re going to eat because jumping into a gluten-free lifestyle is difficult, and I never want to make anything difficult for you. The goal of this podcast is simple and sustainable tips so that you can improve your health. This podcast is forformational and educational purposes.
Only. Please discuss any concerns and plans with your trusted health care professional. If you found this episode helpful, will you please share it with a friend? I’ll see you next week on the Health with Hashimoto’s podcast.
