I Am Going to Start Gluten-free Diet Because I Have Thyroid Issues

You have probably heard this several times, but does it help cater to the problem?

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Websites, forums, and Facebook pages are brimming with information about what one should do if one suffers from hypothyroidism (or low production of thyroid hormone). This can become confusing because the answers you find may not be satisfying.

Well, the thing is, your thyroid gland can be underactive due to the following reasons:

• An auto-immune disorder, most commonly Hashimoto’s Disease.
• Various nutritional deficiencies.
• Reacting to goitrogenic foods (like sweet potatoes, strawberries, peanuts, soy, etc.).
• Excessive Chemical Halide (like fluorine, bromine, and chlorine) exposure has a crippling effect on the thyroid gland.

So Is Cutting Out Gluten the Root Cause to Fix the Thyroid Gland?

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If your doctor has not identified any auto-immune disorder, it’s useless to go gluten-free because your low thyroid hormone production can be due to other underlying causes mentioned earlier.

So instead of quitting gluten cold turkey, it is better to find out what’s causing hypothyroidism.

Adequate nutrition is necessary to regulate your thyroid gland, and various vitamins and minerals help produce different thyroid hormones. So if your diet does not include enough protein, water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins, and minerals, it might be the reason you have an underactive thyroid.

The other reason you might have low thyroid hormone is that your body reacts to certain goitrogenic foods. But, hey, it does not mean you quit eating every goitrogenic food available worldwide. It is just about figuring or isolating out which foods do not make your body feel well.

Not all goitrogenic foods can cause reflexes, so instead of cutting out all the triggering foods from the list, find out which goitrogenic foods do not work for you. Here is the list of goitrogenic foods if you want to check out!

One more thing that can cause hypothyroidism is exposure to toxic halide elements in excessive quantities. These toxic chemicals disrupt thyroid functioning by blocking iodine receptors.

You will find these chemicals in swimming pools, toothpaste, processed salt products, processed cereals, citrus-flavored sodas, non-organic grape juices, etc.; if you want to know which environmental toxins can harm your thyroid gland, visit here.

What About Hashimoto Thyroiditis? Will Gluten-free Diet Help?

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Before jumping into the complexities, let’s discuss Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. It is an auto-immune disorder that causes gradual destruction of the thyroid gland, resulting in low thyroid hormone production. Due to this, problems like dry skin, weight gain, hair loss, and other notorious troubles erupt.

To cater to these problems, many people opt for the auto-immune protocol (AIP), which involves eliminating inflammatory foods like legumes, nuts, most fruits, seeds, grains, some vegetables, chocolate, coffee, popcorn, and tea, etc. However, some go for a gluten-free diet that removes all products containing protein gluten.

So are there any pieces of evidence that prove that AIP or gluten-free diet works? The reports are anecdotal and are not backed by good science. But it does mean they are unreliable.

Moreover, many people reported feeling better when they go gluten-free because it decreases their symptoms. Endocrine Web also highlighted that gluten is not the only culprit that triggers dietary inflammation. Artificial additives, highly processed foods, and sugar are equally responsible. So chances are, if you have gone gluten-free, you may have removed all these products from your diet, too; hence, ultimately making you feel better.

Moreover, Sunny Brigham (Clinical nutritionist) mentioned that it is not the medication or diet that will help people with this auto-immune condition. They also have to manage their stress, have better sleep quality, and be physically active.

The Takeaway

So you see, you do not have to restrict yourself because gluten is not a villain. Listen to your body of what it’s trying to convey and act accordingly.