We have received many emails from people asking what they can do immediately to manage their autoimmune condition. The science can be confusing and complex, especially to the person with Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism who also suffers from brain fog, fatigue, and some loss of cognitive function.

What people frequently fail to realize is that underlying all of the more complicated scientific approaches in the book is the most important foundation of all—your diet.

Autoimmune disease and leaky gut create a vicious cycle

A person suffering from autoimmune disease invariably has gut issues. The more severe the autoimmune disease the more severe the gut issues. In a self-perpetuating vicious cycle leaky gut flares up autoimmune conditions, which in turn further damages the gut lining.

Stricter diet often necessary

Isn’t the elimination/provocation diet in the book severe enough? Now an even stricter diet? It became clear, based on the research and the experience of many people, that a more stringent approach is sometimes necessary. The diet must be very basic and simple so as not to trigger inflammation in the intestines and further worsen leaky gut and autoimmune flare-ups.

This diet can be followed from 10 to 60 days or longer. Some like to follow it for a short time after accidentally eating gluten, or splurging on too many sweets at a wedding or holiday party. Some follow it longer for extensive repair. Others are happy to make it a way of life because it allows them to feel and function their best.

The literature identifies nutritional and herbal compounds that can facilitate your gut-repair progress, which I will introduce in the second edition of the thyroid book, or which your practitioner can help you with. However this diet is powerful therapy on its own.

The autoimmune gut repair diet

Eat regularly and do not allow yourself to become overly hungry—stabilizing blood sugar remains a primary aim to avoid the stress of low blood sugar.

Foods to avoid

• ALL sugars and sweeteners, even honey or agave
• High-glycemic fruits: Watermelon, mango, pineapple, raisins, grapes, canned fruits, dried fruits, etc.
• Tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, and other nightshades
• Mushrooms
• Grains: Wheat, oats, rice, barley, buckwheat, corn, quinoa, etc.
• Dairy: Milk, cream, cheese, butter, whey. Ghee is OK.
• Eggs or foods that contain eggs (such as mayonnaise)
• Soy: Soy milk, soy sauce, tofu, tempeh, soy protein, etc.
• Alcohol
• Lectins: Lectins are a major promoter of leaky gut. Avoid nuts, beans, soy, potatoes, tomato, eggplant, peppers, peanut oil, peanut butter, soy oil, etc.
• Coffee: I realize this is difficult but it’s necessary. Many people with a gluten sensitivity react to coffee as if it is gluten. It’s important to eliminate it to be sure it’s not an immune trigger.
• Processed foods
• Canned foods

Foods to eat

When confronted with this diet the fist thing people ask is what can they eat. In fact you’ll be eating the way people ate for most of human history—there’s plenty of food that doesn’t come from a factory or an industrialized farm.

• Most vegetables (except nightshades and mushrooms): Asparagus, spinach, lettuce, broccoli, beets, cauliflower, carrots, celery, artichokes, garlic, onions, zucchini, squash, rhubarb, cucumbers, turnips, watercress, etc.
• Fermented foods: Sauerkraut, kimchi, pickled ginger, fermented cucumbers, coconut yogurt, kombucha, etc. You must make your own or buy one of the few brands that are genuinely fermented (not made with vinegar) and free of sugars or additives.
• Meats: Fish, chicken, beef, lamb, organ meats, etc. Best choice are grass-fed and pastured meats from a local farm. Second best is organic. Avoid factory-farmed meats that contain antibiotics and hormones. For a source of good meat near you, contact your local Weston A. Price chapter leader, or order using the link on the Resources page.
• Low glycemic fruits sparingly: Apricots, plums, apple, peach, pear, cherries, berries, etc.
• Coconut: Coconut oil, coconut butter, coconut milk, coconut cream.
• Herbal teas
• Olives and olive oil

Autoimmune hypothyroidism diet recipes

This diet can seem daunting at first, and planning is essential to success. You must have the right foods on hand at all times. It is difficult to find recipes that accommodate all the restrictions, however I have found an online menu planning service that provides five weeks of menus and shopping lists. They are created by Sarah Schatz of Allergy-Free Menu Planners.

If you have other sources of recipes and menus that meet all of the above criteria, please comment or email so that we can put together a list of sources.

Why no grains or legumes?

Some people with Hashimoto’s give up gluten and feel only marginally better. Many practitioners have found in these cases a diet free of grains, starchy vegetables, legumes, and most sweeteners may be necessary. This type of diet, called a monosaccharide (single sugar) diet, is more commonly known today as the Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS) diet, or the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD). It is based on consuming a diet free of foods that contain disaccharides or polysaccharides, more complex sugars and carbohydrates, such as those in all grains, most beans, and most sweeteners. These complex sugars feed harmful bacteria in the small intestine that prevent its repair or proper function.

Some foods can cross-react with gluten

Grains and legumes present problems for other reasons. Research has shown that many gluten-intolerant people cross-react with other foods. In other words, their body erroneously recognizes other foods as gluten and reacts accordingly. Not surprisingly, most grains fall into the category of top 24 foods most often to cause cross-reactivity, including less common ones as amaranth and quinoa.

Other common cross-reactive foods include dairy, chocolate, sesame, and coffee. Yes, coffee, and after reluctantly going coffee-free many patients have reported coffee was preventing their recovery. Fortunately it is now possible to test which foods might be provoking a cross-reaction to gluten, which you can read about here.

Corn

I tell all my gluten-free patients to avoid corn, even though this contradicts the advice on many gluten-free websites. The gluten protein in corn is similar enough to that in wheat and wheat-like grains that it can provoke an immune response. Also, corn has been bred over the years to resist pests. Unfortunately this bred into corn a compound called fucosamine, which is carcinogenic.

Lectins in grains and legumes

Grains and legumes are also high in lectins. Lectins have been shown to degrade the intestinal barrier. Once in the bloodstream they may bind to insulin receptors and leptin receptors (leptin acts in concert with insulin to control appetite). Some believe lectins may also have the ability to desensitize these receptors, thus contributing to insulin resistance and leptin resistance.

Get support

Fortunately ample support exists on the internet today for a diet such as this. There are online “tribes” for many variations of this diet. They include paleo, primal, GAPS, SCD, and probably some other variations I haven’t heard of yet. Many people have adapted some version of this diet and are happy to help and support others. The reader-run Facebook group Hashimoto’s 411 also has people who follow this diet.

And don’t forget, pay attention to blood sugar symptoms, keep blood sugar stable, and be aware of which foods trigger your symptoms. These are always good basic guidelines with which to start.

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