5 Foods to Avoid When You Have Hypothyroidism

As many of us with Hashimoto’s and/or hypothyroidism have found, medicine alone does not eliminate the symptoms we experience. Medication tends to be a band aid on a wound that does not heal, rather than healing the wound. In order to rid ourselves of the symptoms and wound altogether, we must find the root cause. Sometimes our disease may not be cured by diet alone, but our symptoms being alleviated is definitely worth the effort

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Food can be a medicine or a poison. Let’s focus on the latter today. With hypothyroidism and/or Hashimoto’s food can greatly impact the way our body functions. Let’s look at 5 foods to avoid when you have hypothyroidism and/or Hashimoto’s.

Let’s first start with this term: leaky gut.

What is leaky gut (also known as intestinal hyperpermeability)? Sounds gross, right? Without getting too science-y it is when your gut is overgrown with harmful microbes, which inflame the lining of the intestine. Because the lining is inflamed, bacteria, food particles and toxins get caught and are able to break through the intestinal wall into the bloodstream.

Let’s compare our gut to balloons. The balloon is our intestine and the helium is our food and digestive enzymes. Imagine one of those shiny mylar balloons filled with helium. Those things float for weeks! That is what your gut should be like, holding in the helium (food, digestive enzymes, etc). This is a healthy gut. Now imagine one of those latex balloons kids get at a birthday party filled with helium. It is touching the ceiling when you go to bed, by the time you stumble to the bathroom in the middle of the night it is about eye level giving you a good scare! How did this happen? The helium has leaked out from tiny little holes in the stretchy balloon area. This is a leaky gut, it lets the stuff inside leak out into the air (or your body).
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Many mainstream doctors are not ready to get onboard with the idea that leaky gut causes or co-exists with certain conditions; however, recent studies have shown the presence of leaky gut in cases of autoimmune diseases, like Celiac, which is known to co-exist with Hashimoto’s often.

Gluten
As you know, I am gluten free because of hypothyroidism – not by choice, not because it is a popular “diet” right now, or as a way to lose weight. Gluten has recently been found to affect hypothyroidism and those having Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis.

A 2015 study linked autoimmune disease to patients having Non-Celiac Wheat Sensitivity and Celiac disease. In a nutshell, if you have one, you are likely to develop the other or already have it.

Gluten is high in saponins, which can cause inflammation in the gut. Gluten is also high in lectins, which can cause leaky gut by tricking the gut lining into allowing it to pass through the inner-gut to the  outer-gut, and then triggering an immune response. Why is leaky gut a bad thing? It allows gluten, which mimics our own tissue, into the bloodstream and our antibodies attack the gluten AND our own healthy tissues. Not good, right? Want more information on this topic, check out this paper written by Sarah Woody. It is not only informational, but easy to read.

Cruciferous Veggies
What is a cruciferous veggie? Things like broccoli, cabbage and brussel sprouts. But those are vegetables!? Aren’t vegetables good for you? Absolutely – just some more than others. Let me explain.

One of my favorite veggies is broccoli – you can say it, I’m a weirdo. I was heartbroken when I was told it was bad for me since I have hypothyroidism, same with strawberries. However, you don’t have to cut them out completely, just eat in moderation, especially people with thyroid goiters.

Cruciferous veggies and strawberries contain a property called goitrogens, which can impact healthy thyroid function. Iodine is essential to thyroid hormone production and goitrogens can block iodine from being added to thyroid hormones and thyroid hormone from even being released. Oy! And as the name suggest, this property can cause goiters!

Just make sure you are getting enough iodine and selenium in your diet to avoid any potential effects of goitrogens (don’t add supplements without consulting your doctor).

Quick Note: other veggies, fruits and nuts can contain goitrogens too, so do your research. Moderation is the spice of life. Be sure to eat a diverse diet and consult with your doctor regularly about your vitamin, mineral and thyroid levels.

Sugar
Nooooo! Not sugar! Yep, sugar, especially refined sugar. Sugar inflames the gut (see a theme?) and insulin spikes wreak havoc on the thyroid gland. An imbalance in healthy gut bacteria caused by sugar can lead to other gut infections, such as Candida.
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I am all about transparency so I won’t tell you that I am awesome at this, but I do try to limit my sugar intake. At this point I am trying to avoid sugar during the work week and only indulge during the weekend (limited at that). Once that is mastered, I will move forward. I have such a sweet tooth that I can’t force this one like I did gluten. One mountain at a time.

You can get your sugar fix from fruit, such as berries and peaches, or other natural sweeteners. Just be sure to avoid artificial sweeteners because they are chock full of chemicals that are bad for everyone.

Coffee
At some point or another we all need a little pick-me-up in the morning. Often times we turn to coffee– especially COLD office settings. I started drinking coffee just to warm up. I don’t even like the taste very much! But man, I started feeling really bad when that once-in-a-while turned into a daily occurrence.

Did you know that coffee can reduce the absorption of thyroid medication? Um, I don’t need even a little of that in my life! This is often the case when you have your morning joe too close to your meds. Coffee isn’t the only drink that can have this effect; just about anything with caffeine can impact your thyroid levels.

Caffeine can trigger some other nasty side effects that affect your body, and in return, your thyroid. Increases to blood sugar levels caused by caffeine cause cortisol spikes, which impact your adrenals, the immune system and cause inflammation (no thanks!).

We’ve talked a lot about leaky gut. Here is a tie in to coffee: coffee stimulates production of gastric hormones and enzymes, which can cause further damage to the intestinal lining (aka leaky gut).

There are SO many side effects of drinking coffee and caffeine; too numerous to get into here.  Do some research if you aren’t ready to give it up. I think you will find the long-term health benefits outweigh the temporary discomfort.

Soy
Soy, and soy sources, are found in a multitude of processed foods, so just be aware of what you are eating (callback to eating of unprocessed foods ;)). The soy consumed in the U.S. is usually genetically modified, which can cause digestive issues. Soy is difficult to digest because it inhibits the natural chemicals the body uses to breakdown food. Fermented forms of soy, such as traditional miso and tempeh can be easier to digest. Digestive issues can cause gas, bloating and other yucky symptoms.

Lectins in soy cause irritation in the gut and worsen leaky gut. Soy has been shown to interfere with iodine uptake, which is essential to thyroid function. It can mimic estrogen and interfere with hormonal and overall thyroid function. These estrogen mimicking compounds may also be carcinogenic – cause cancer. A 2010 Harvard study found a strong association between soy consumption and decreased sperm count in men.

Unprocessed, organic soy products can be safe for most people with thyroid issues, but be sure you are getting enough iodine in your diet to offset the soy. It is just good practice to include a variety of protein in your diet, especially if you are plant based.

Some foods may interfere with the absorption of your meds, depending on the prescription you take. Most of the research is performed around levothyroxine, but research can be found on others if you are interested. The message here is this: Your body is very sensitive, especially if you have an autoimmune disease. Be careful what you put into it because it can have unintended consequences. You know how you feel. If you think something is affecting you, remove it for a few weeks, then try to reintroduce it and see how you feel. If it isn’t good, don’t do it.

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."
- Matthew 5:6


What are your thoughts on removing these foods from your diet? Have you already done it? If so, have you had good results?