My Gluten Free Life...Thyroid disease style

Going Gluten free is pretty much a Fad diet in some people's eyes lately. What these people don't know is how bad gluten is just in general for everyone! But that's another post. 

My going gluten free was due to Healing my Hashi's Disease (Thryoiditis). Article after article from dr's linking gluten to autoimmune disease was just too overwhelming to ignore. http://chriskresser.com/the-gluten-thyroid-connection . I got a lot of info from a couple sites like http://outsmartdisease.com/ , http://www.glutenfreesociety.org/ , http://www.naturalendocrinesolutions.com/ , and many more on FB.
I downloaded http://www.glutenfreehealthsolution.com/ by Dr. Peter Osborne and http://thyroiddietcoach.com/ from Magdalena Wszelaki who healed her thyroid completely.
All the info was overwhelming, but after trial and error I feel 1000% better.

So what is Gluten exactly?
Gluten is a protein found in grains. The most common grains are: wheat,barley,rye,and oats. These grains are used to make a variety of staple foods in our diet.

What are some symptoms of Gluten Sensitivity? 

• Bone pain                                                          Chronic UTI's
• Chronic muscle pain                                         Respiratory Infections
• Diagnosed with RA,lupus,arthritis,                    Asthma
• Fibromyalgia                                                     Any Yeast infections
• Joint pains                                                         Can't lose weight
• Muscle Spasms                                                 Infertility
• Diabetes                                                             PMS
• Sleep issues                                                       PCOS
• Endometriosis                                                    Thyroid disease
• Fatigue                                                                Dermatitis 
• Miscarriage                                                        Eczema
• Hypoglycemia                                                    Fever Blisters
• Psoriasis                                                            Skin rash
• Vitiligo                                                                Autoimmune Hepatitis
• Elevated Liver enzymes                                      Gall bladder problems
• Lymphoma                                                         Fatty liver
• Platelet disorders

Here's a list of some of the most commonly eaten gluten containing food items:

• Baking flours                                              Crackers
• Beer                                                             Donuts
• Bread                                                           Fried Foods (chicken,onion rings, french fries)
• Cake                                                            Kolaches
• Cereal                                                          Lasagna
• Cookies                                                       Spaghetti

Gluten can also be found in less obvious places like processed foods. Soy sauce, gravies, soups, and modified starch are some examples.
I'd have to do another huge post on all the potentials that have gluten. there is just too many to list. So let's move on to the diet.

Going Gluten free can be a challenging task. Some can go cold turkey and others need to transition eliminating it.
STEP 1 - Cut out all breads, pastas and cereals. Do not eat anything that obviously contains gluten, but don't sweat the small stuff at first. As you adapt to avoid eating these make a habit of reading labels.
STEP 2 - Start reading food labels on everything in your pantry and refrigerator. The more you practice reading labels, the easier it gets. I'd follow these rules:

1. One if you cannot pronounce the term without a biochemistry degree, it is not real food and isn't healthy. Don't eat it. 
2. If a label has more than 5 ingredients, it's probably not good for you.

STEP 3 - "Failing to plan is planning to fail." Now that you are well on your way to a gluten free diet, it is recommended you create your emergency back up plan. For example like family gatherings, party's, outings, traveling, and holidays. Create a list of easy to eat and carry foods. Like baggies of nuts, almonds, dried fruits, jerky, etc. For work or in the car get in the habit of taking a small cooler with you to hold items like, fruits, veggies, left overs, water, yogurt, etc.

Ok so with all that here are some key points I stick with along with Gluten free for Thyroid health.

1. Get enough Vitamin D - Very often people with thyroid issues have severely low vitamin D levels. It's a hormone and tightly connected to your thyroid hormones. You can't overdose on Vitamin D. 
2. Goitrous Food - Goiter is a substance that slows down your thyroid. If you have Hypothyroidism; limit them. 

Highly Goitrous (hyper: good to eat, hypo: no more than one serving per week)	Somewhat Goitrous (hyper: good to eat hypo: no more than 3-4 servings per week)
• bok choy	• bamboo shoots
• broccoli	• millet
• Brussels’ sprouts	• peaches
• cabbage	• peanuts
• cauliflower	• pears
• kale	• pine nuts
• kohlrabi	• radishes
• mustard	• spinach
• mustard greens	• strawberries
• radishes	• sweet potatoes
• rutabagas
• soy *
• soy milk *
• soybean oil *
• soy lecithin * (often used as a filler in vegetarian food)
• tofu *

* soy elevates estrogen, advised to avoid it all together for both hypo and hyper.

Here is the good news for people with hypothyroidism, though! Goitrous food loses its potency when cooked, steamed, grilled or fermented. It’s best to limit them nevertheless to 2-4 servings per week until you feel better.

3. Add Fermented Food-Fermented food greatly improves your digestion and a healthy gut is critical in your thyroids health. 

4. Get enough Iron - 60% of people with thyroid conditions are iron deficient. Be generous with foods like beef, chicken, fish, clams, eggs as well as spinach, and lentils.
5. Avoid Soy - Soy is just not good for us anymore. All thyroid people need to avoid it at all costs. And it's in everything. It elevates the estrogen levels. Avoid tofu, soy milk, soy lecithin and soy oil.

I personally don't substitute for gluten free foods. They usually have nothing but chemicals and soy lecithin. So I avoid them. I eat whole foods. Yes I'll cheat once in a while. But If I do too much I will feel like crap for days. I'm a creature of habit and eat the same all the time.

Here's an example of my days. I mix them up, but it's pretty much the basics. 

Breakfast: is usually eggs and veggies. Turkey bacon, gluten free oats, cottage cheese, fruit, or shakeology.
Snacks: carrots, fruit, natural peanut butter, hummus, boiled eggs and cheese sticks.
Lunch: tuna salad, chicken salad, quinoa, etc.
Dinner: Fish, chicken, steak, pork, ground turkey, organic brown rice, veggies, etc.

Flavor Tip: I use a lot of seasonings. Try to avoid salt and substitute for sea salt. Mrs. Dash is a great no salt added alternative.

Here are some examples of my meals.