Hashimoto’s Disease and How Nutrition Can Help
What is Hashimoto’s Disease? Putting it simply, it is an autoimmune condition where immune system cells attack the thyroid gland causing inflammation and can lead to the possible eventual destruction of the gland. This then reduces the thyroid’s ability to make hormones, which can lead to hypothyroidism - an underactive thyroid.
The thyroid is a small, butterfly shaped gland found at the base of your neck and makes up part of our endocrine system with the important role of manufacturing hormones that then regulate the body’s metabolism. When the thyroid goes wrong there are several different disorders and Hashimoto’s disease, otherwise known as HD, is one of them.
HD can cause sudden weight gain, difficulty in losing weight, fatigue, fluid retention, constipation, a swollen face, dry skin and hair, stiff joints, high cholesterol and it may have you feeling the cold. But these symptoms may be barely noticeable at first, meaning there may be a thyroid issue causing problems well before you know about it.
So how can nutrition help HD?
Follow a low FODMAP diet, after discussing this with your health professional of course and receiving advice on how to do this successfully without losing nutrition! But research on HD has found following a low fructose and gluten diet can help improve thyroid function and the symptoms of HD, while other research has also found that most HD patients suffer some level of lactose intolerance and that restricting lactose can be beneficial to decreasing TSH levels (the thyroid secreting hormone which typically elevates with HD as the pituitary gland overproduces this to compensate for the thyroid not producing enough). Something else interesting in research is the link between HD and coeliac disease and fructose malabsorption, with both conditions sometimes being missed with a diagnosis of HD.
Check your levels and intake of selenium. The trace element that the body finds essential to function well and being deficient in selenium has been found to make HD symptoms much worse. Not surprisingly research shows that having sufficient selenium levels improves symptoms and thyroid function. There are easy sources of selenium to add to your day such as tuna, turkey, chicken, cottage cheese, brown rice, eggs and Brazil nuts with 6-8 nuts and you have all the selenium you need for the day!
Make sure you are including plenty of zinc in your day. Zinc is an essential mineral that has also been found to improve thyroid function and those pesky HD symptoms. Oysters are full of zinc so if you are an oyster fan you can get all your daily zinc requirements in one serving. Luckily, there are still other good sources of zinc such as beef, chicken, fortified breakfast cereals (lots are), baked beans, yoghurt, cashews, chickpeas, cheese and oats. If you are struggling to get enough zinc into your day, it may be worth discussing supplementation with your health professional. Interestingly daily zinc intake is needed as the body has no specialist zinc storage facility, so adult men should be aiming for 11mg per day, and females 8mg per day, as usual more if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Cholesterol is also something that needs to be watched as HD can cause LDL cholesterol (the bad one!) to go higher than it should. Aside from avoiding high cholesterol foods (which, if you are trying to lose weight or be healthier you are most likely doing anyway!) there are also natural cholesterol lowering foods that are worth a try. These are those good fats like salmon, tuna, nuts, seeds and olive oil. Fibre can also assist with lowering cholesterol (and with weight loss), more specifically soluble fibre, which can be digested by the body. Make sure you are adding in plenty of fruits and vegetables, oats and chickpeas to help increase fibre intake.
If you need assistance with getting a balanced diet with plenty of these nutrients or you are now thinking about introducing a low FODMAP diet, then it is best to speak to a health professional.
As usual, happy reading and happy eating!