What you eat massively influences your health, especially if you have any thyroid issues. 

Your diet can actually trigger a sluggish thyroid! One of the ways it does this is when food intolerances or sensitivities increase inflammation in the gut.

There’s a super strong connection between our gut and our thyroid health. If the gut is inflamed, it can cause a ton of issues, including:

• A reduced conversion of T4 to T3

• Leaky gut, which can lead to an autoimmune response

• A build-up of other hormones normally excreted through the digestive system, such as estrogen

And what causes inflammation in the gut? There are a few ways this can happen, but the most common one is because you’re eating a food that you’re sensitive or intolerant to.

Here’s an example: Lactose intolerance is when your body doesn’t have enough of the lactase enzyme, so it’s unable to properly break down and digest lactose - the sugar found in dairy products. When a lactose intolerant person consumes dairy, the sugar sits in their gut and basically ferments, leading to symptoms like gas, bloating and diarrhea. If you’re lactose intolerant, every time you eat dairy, your gut becomes inflamed, and this can lead to the other issues I mentioned above.

So, when a person has negative symptoms like this after eating a certain type of food, it’s probably a good idea to avoid it!

This is why it’s really important to figure out what foods you’re intolerant or sensitive to, so that you can remove them from your diet and not cause extra harm to the gut.

While every person is different and there may be some foods you can tolerate in moderation, here are a few common inflammatory foods that I recommend people with hypothyroidism avoid. 

Soy

For some people, soybeans can cause inflammation and mess with thyroid health by disrupting iodine uptake and blocking zinc from functioning. These are two super important minerals for thyroid health, so avoiding soy can be an easy way to fix this. 

Dairy

Dairy contains a very high concentration of antigens which can promote inflammation. Animal milk also shares proteins that are very similar to human proteins, including some found in the thyroid, which can cause an autoimmune reaction. Even if you’re not having the lactose intolerance symptoms I described earlier, it could be worth doing a short elimination diet to see if dairy may be causing other hypothyroidism symptoms. 

Gluten

Specifically, foods such as wheat and barley. You should really eat a gluten-free diet if you have any thyroid issues. Gluten can cause damage to the gut, which  leads to inflammation that can trigger a chronic autoimmune reaction.

Sugar

Refined sugar is highly inflammatory for everyone. If you still want a little sweetness in your morning coffee or baking, I recommend Stevia. Also check out this video on artificial sweeteners.

Now, here’s the thing. Elimination diets are an excellent way to figure out what you’re sensitive or intolerant to. But they should be done under the guidance of a healthcare professional to ensure they’re done properly, and to ensure that any change in symptoms can be properly attributed to the foods you've eliminated.

I’d love to help you with this. If you want to start on an elimination diet or do any type of exploring of your hypothyroidism symptoms, reach out and set up your free discovery call today.