Disease, illness, sickness these are the most common terms which every one of us come across for some reason or the other regularly.
There are many reasons why such instances occur, but if the reason for your illness is any of your important body system itself, then it is something we need to pay special attention.
One thing is for sure if medical science can save a patient from a deadly disease like cancer, then there is hardly any ailment from which you can’t recover.
Today in this writing, we are going to discuss one such problem which is known as Hashimoto thyroiditis.
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What is Hashimoto Thyroiditis?
What is Hashimoto Thyroiditis
It is a kind of thyroiditis explained by a Japanese Specialist Hakaru Hashimoto in the year 1912. This particular problem is an autoimmune disease where varieties of cells including antibody-mediated immune process attacks the thyroid gland.
This resulting inflammation is known as Hashimoto’s disease or chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis. It often leads to a condition of the underactive thyroid gland or in simple words hypothyroidism.
Although it is an autoimmune disease, there is no point of worry if you or any of your dear ones are having such trouble. Its remedies and solution are discussed below, but let’s know first about its cause, signs, and symptoms.
Importance of Diet for Hashimoto’s Patients:
It’s true if you are a patient of Hashimoto thyroiditis, you need to take special care of your diet to live a healthy life.
The first and the most important thing in this regard is you need to have a gluten-free diet. Gluten is a kind of protein which is found in wheat and related grains.
There are so many studies done all across the globe which says about the strong relationship between gluten and Hashimoto’s. The immune system of your body launches an attack on gluten and simultaneously on the thyroid gland.
So, it’s better to consume food items not having gluten.
Here, a question arises that are lentils, peanut butter, chocolate gluten free. So get to know these with our related articles.
Hashimoto’s Diet:
Ideal Hashimoto’s diet doesn’t mean gluten-free diet only. Many practitioners from all around the world have agreed that in such cases the perfect diet is the one which is free of grains, legumes, starchy vegetables, sweeteners.
In simple terms, this sort of diet is a monosaccharide (single sugar) diet, which is commonly said as Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS) diet or Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD).
This type if the diet is free from disaccharides or polysaccharides which are complex forms of sugars and carbohydrates.
Hence GAPS or SCD will be considered as Hashimoto diet in this writing.
Hashimoto Diet Plan:
Ideal Hashimoto diet plan is segregated in two parts:
A. Introduction diet
B. The full diet.
It is advised not to skip introduction diet as it will help your body in optimizing the healing process.
The full detail of this plan are as follows:
A. Introduction diet:
It compromises of 6 stages. Start with stage 1, continue for a week, then go for the next stage and so on.
If you feel the problems like diarrhea or any digestive issues while going to next stage, then go back to the previous stage, continue it for one more week and then again try next stage.
Details of these stages are mentioned below:
Start every morning by drinking a cup of mineral or filtered water. Make sure that the water is at room temperature and not too cold.
Stage 1:
In the first stage, start with items like homemade soup, homemade meat or fish stock. You can have probiotic foods which are vegetable based or dairy based on these items.
The dose of these probiotic foods can start with 1-2 tsp for 2-5 days, then 3-4 tsp for next 2-5 days and so on. You can also take ginger tea with little honey in between meals.
Stage 2:
Continue all items of stage 1 and add items like organic egg yolks, casseroles, and stews made with vegetables and meat.
Increase the number of probiotic foods (e.g.yoghurt and juices from sauerkraut, vegetable medley or fermented vegetables).
You can introduce things like fermented fish, homemade ghee starting from one unit a day and gradually increase.
Stage 3:
Continue with all the previous items and introduce ripe avocado crushed into soup with 1-3 tsp and then gradually increasing its dosage.
You can add pancakes, fermented vegetables, and sauerkraut in raw form at this stage.
Stage 4:
Continue with all the previous items and gradually add items like meat cooked by grilling and roasting (not fried or barbecued). You can also start use of cold pressed olive oil in the cooking of the meal.
Begin addition of few drops of it and then gradually make it to 1-2 tsp. You can also have ground almonds or any other nuts & seeds which are grounded into the floor.
Stage 5:
In this stage, with all the above items you can include fruits and vegetables. It includes Apple in the form of apple puree, tomato, carrot, onion and more.
Start all these from a small amount and then gradually increase it. Avoid Citrus fruit at this stage.
Stage 6:
Switch to this state only when all the items of the previous stage are going smooth, and you are facing no health issues.
Again, this stage includes all items of the previous stage, and now you could have a raw apple in peeled form. Gradually start having baking cakes and other permissible sweet items. While baking use dry fruits as a sweetener.
B. Full Diet:
Following is the typical diet to follow. Start your day with a with a glass of filtered or mineral water. You can also have freshly prepared vegetable/fruit juice diluted with water.
For Breakfast:
At breakfast, you could have eggs cooked as personal liking OR meat, fish with avocado, vegetables cooked or in raw form along with a cup of warm meat stock (as a drink) OR pancakes having ground nuts.
For Lunch:
Homemade vegetable soup, any meat/fish dish with some vegetables.
For Dinner:
Anyone of the items from breakfast or lunch
Note: The items and plan mentioned here are just indicative and not conclusive. If you are interested in following such plan, then do consult an expert or a dietician for full details.
Benefits of Hashimoto’s Diet:
Till now you must have understood that GAPS or SCD will have a very good impact on your body. It’s true, now let’s discuss in brief some of its benefits:
It is not an adequate diet for the issue of Hashimoto thyroiditis but also another health problems like constipation, diarrhea and more.
Another important aspect of this sort of diet is that it keeps the blood sugar of your body under control. Thus for any diabetic patient, this diet would not be an issue at all.
It keeps your undesired weight under check. So, if you are overweight and also facing sickness which is being discussed in this article, then taking this diet will be beneficiary for you.
It helps in dealing with several problems with your body, so if you have a slim body and struggle to gain health despite all efforts, then this diet can be a boon for you.
From the above point, there is no need to mention how much nutritious this diet is. If it can solve the problem of overweight and low health, then you must understand its nutrition facts. Things (Nutrients) which are excluded from this diet is already mentioned.
You can also try dummies guide to the gluten-free diet.
Recipes of Some Exclusive Items Included in Hashimoto Diet:
1. Moroccan Chicken Tajin:
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Prep Time: 4hrs
- Cooking Time: 4hrs 30 mins
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp (clarified butter) ghee
- ½ yellow onion, sliced in half moon
- 4 pcs chicken, Cornish hen or rabbit
- One sweet potato, cut it into ½ inch medallions
- Two tsp Ras El handout (a sort of Moroccan spice mix)
- Two tsp sea salt
- Two small zucchinis, cut into quarters lengthwise
- Two carrots cut lengthwise if large cut in quarters
- ½ preserved lemon
- 20 pitted black or green Olives
Method:
- Melt Ghee in the pot.
- Then place sweet potato and onion at the base of the pot.
- Now rub the chicken with sea salt and Ras El hangout and place it over the top of onions.
- Now, cover the chicken with carrot and zucchinis (in the shape of a tent) and scatter the olives and lemon all over the dish.
- Cover the dish and allow it to cook on slow for around 4hrs.
- Your tasty Moroccan chicken is ready to serve.
2. Prebiotic Packed Potato Salad:
- Total Time:20mins
- Prep Time: 45 mins
- Cooking Time: 1 hr five mins
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs red potatoes, skin, on & quartered if large
- Four strips bacon
- ¾ cup chopped sauerkraut
- 1 tbsp sea salt
- ¼ cup chopped spring onion
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- ¾ cup mayo
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- With skins on, boil the potatoes in salted water for around 45 mins or till they become soft.
- Now bake the bacon strips near about 45 mins or till it is nicely browned.
- Then take out the potatoes, cool it and cut them into ½ inch cubes.
- Now mix it will all the remaining ingredients, and your potato salad is ready to eat.
Causes of Hashimoto’s Disease:
The exact cause of this problem is yet unknown to our medical science, but there are several factors which are believed to have a key role in the formation of this issue.
They are:
1. Genes:
It is observed that people who suffer from Hashimoto’s disease often have someone in their family who is having or previously had such trouble. So this genetic impact cannot be ruled out.
2. Hormones:
It is observed that women are a victim of this disease seven times more than men. So, again it suggests that sex hormones may be having a key role in it.
3. Excessive consumption of Iodine and some drugs:
Some researchers suggest that consumption of excessive iodine and certain drugs can trigger the thyroid problem in susceptible people.
4. Pregnancy:
Some studies indicate that most of the women suffer from Hashimoto after having a baby. It may happen somewhat soon after the born of the child or years later.
Thus it would not be wrong to say that pregnancy affects the thyroid.
5. Radiation Exposure:
The reports say instances like radiation from the atomic bomb in Japan, Hodgkin’s disease radiation treatment, nuclear accident at Chernobyl have reported more cases of this problem.
Thus, radiation exposure is believed to be one of the causes of Hashimoto.
Signs and Symptoms of Hashimoto’s Disease:
There are many symptoms which indicate the problem of this particular trouble. The most common of them are:
Weight gain, fatigue, constipation, feeling cold, pale or puffy face, joint and muscle pain, irregular periods or heavy menstrual flow, dry and thinning hair, slowed heart rate, panic disorder.
Treatment of Hashimoto’s Disease:
The method of treatment of this disease is much similar to that of allergies. There is no specific or permanent cure for Hashimoto, but it can be kept under control to allow all your body systems to function normally.
For this medication is required where thyroid hormone replacement agents regulate your hormone levels, thus aiding in restoring your normal metabolism. The exact dose of it depends on factors like Your age, weight, other health issues (if any), the severity of hypothyroidism and more.
But, all this is not enough for you. If you are a victim of Hashimoto, you need to have strict control on your diet. Let’s discuss the same in detail
Conclusion:
Agreed that life may not be that much colorful if you are a food lover when you get about of Hashimoto thyroiditis.
But at the same time, your health is more important than anything else. There is no point of getting tensed if you became a patient of this particular disease.
All you need to do is take proper medication and have a proper diet. Consult your doctor and dietitian for the best advice. Stay fit, eat healthily, live healthily.
