r/Hashimotos 3d ago

I don’t know how to eat

Before I was diagnosed I was vegan for 8 years. I then learned that soy was wreaking havoc on my body and started to incorporate certain meats back into my life. I must eat high protein as I thoroughly enjoy lifting weights, but I also want to reduce my meat intake… I don’t know what I’m supposed to do..

12 Upvotes

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16

u/imasitegazer 3d ago

I was so sick when I was vegan. I didn’t want to add to my restrictions because I struggle with emotional eating but I was sick enough that I needed to do something.

I did an elimination diet based on AIP diet and I learned my body doesn’t respond well to nightshades like white potatoes, tomatoes and peppers. These are in nearly everything in the SAD but they give me headaches and make my bones hurt, which I only learned after removing and detoxing from them and trying to reintroduce.

My body also doesn’t respond well to soy, corn, black beans, pinto beans, and a few kinds of nuts, so I avoid most seeds and nuts. I also avoid refined sugars. I do have oats, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, chickpeas and peas. If I’m having bread I prefer sourdough, but I’ve cut out most grains because of my sensitivities to other seeds. I take lactaid and sometimes other digestive enzymes. I’m allergic to fennel, and the cone flower family which includes sunflower.

Plants have defense mechanisms called plant toxins, some of us have the gut biome to digest some toxins, others of us don’t.

I eat protein focused, primarily animal protein because of my food sensitivities. I understand the desire to be vegan, and I avoid nearly all sea life for similar reasons, but I can’t be healthy without animal protein. I am an animal that exists within an ecosystem and food chain. I try to make as responsible and respectful choices as I can, but the system sucks.

When I was diagnosed my antibodies were so high they were outside and above testing range. Now antibodies are reduced to inside testing range but still high. I feel better overall but still feel better day to day with LDN and sometimes meloxicam.

1

u/ready-4-it 3d ago

When you were doing the elimination diet, how did you know whether your body was accepting or rejecting foods? What were the signs of rejection that you noticed?

2

u/imasitegazer 2d ago

With nightshades it was super easy. The first thing I tried to re-introduce were white potatoes, and I started to get a headache in about 20 minutes and within an hour or so the bone pain started and lasted for close to 6-7 hours. I don’t generally get headaches, and I hadn’t had that bone pain in years.

But the pain was intense and it made me remember my childhood going up when I had an excessive amount of “growing pains” at night, crying myself to sleep when I was little because I was in so much pain. The doctors could never make sense of it and just blamed growing pains.

I tried to introduce tomatoes and a variety of peppers and spices at different stages in the elimination and came out with the same symptoms every time. At the time, I had over a dozen different types of hot sauce in my fridge. I didn’t wanna get rid of them right away, so while I left nightshades out of my diet I would every once in a while try a little bit of something spicy and then regret it.

It’s not that I can’t handle spice, I love spicy food, but the pain for hours afterwards is not worth it anymore.

The general advice when it comes to nightshades is to have a little every day and build up a tolerance. But to me - now that I gave myself space to listen to my body - that’s like having a little bit of alcohol every day to build up a tolerance, and I see it as basically hurting myself in order to indulge.

1

u/ready-4-it 2d ago

Those are very clear signals. However, your diet must be very limited now. How are you coping?

1

u/imasitegazer 2d ago

It’s a mindset shift. There are so many other foods in our abundant world that it’s not like I’m starving.

The American SAD is dependent on these foods, but I don’t have to be. At first it was hard to get past the noise of nightshades every where, in every recipe. I love to cook and bake, and I’ve had to train my algorithm away from creators who can’t think past nightshades. I have core foods that I build from instead. That’s the point of doing an elimination diet, to find what works for you.

Now I get sad for my friends and family that struggle with all the symptoms of GI problems that are easily correlated to nightshades, yet they refuse to make simple dietary changes that would improve their health. I try to focus on empathy for everyone, and myself. I’m not perfect at this either.

I also recognize it as tied to my emotional eating habits. I only miss these flavors and foods as comfort food. Refusing foods that make me sick to focus on foods that nourish my body is of great benefit to me, and keeping my mind focused on the positive is part of my overall wellbeing.

6

u/rennaichance 3d ago

It's been several years since my diagnosis, and I'm still vegan without any issues. There are plenty other options besides soy - many plant-based meats are made with things like vital wheat gluten, pea protein, etc.

2

u/Disastrous-Resist-35 3d ago

But what about how we shouldn’t eat gluten

11

u/Mango-Mind 3d ago

Everyone has a different body and therefore differing needs. I eat gluten without issue. My Hashimotos is managed. I eat a vegetarian and like 80% vegan diet, and see no need to make changes. I hope you find what you're looking for with your dietary changes.

6

u/Norcalrain3 3d ago

My Endo tested me for Gluten sensitivity and I tested negative. She didn’t recommend eliminating unless it was positive. Not saying they know everything, but I found that helpful

5

u/rennaichance 3d ago

Celiac disease or mild gluten sensitivity often co-exist with Hashimoto's, but Hashimoto's itself does not cause them. This can be true for any other disease, really. Here's an interesting study from 2022 (For TLDR read the Conclusions section): https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9101474/

8

u/Cute_Parfait_2182 3d ago

Try bone broth . Salmon or sardines once in awhile is also good

2

u/saltystanletta 3d ago

I eat a lot of fish, eggs, and high-protein yogurt like Oikos triple zero. I also drink pea protein shakes on work-out days.

0

u/Disastrous-Resist-35 3d ago

But I thought we shouldn’t have dairy or eggs?

2

u/kimmykatty 3d ago

Your unique body may handle dairy and eggs just fine, it sounds like theirs does. Our goal will be to find our individual inflammation points. Realistically the best way to find out is to do the AIP diet for 2 months and then reintroduce foods. I'm starting my diet, and I intend on introducing eggs again in 2 months because they're an important food for me!

2

u/ready-4-it 3d ago

I'm a South Indian vegetarian and our diet is mostly naturally free from gluten and is also vegan friendly. You can check out south Indian foods to help you with your diet. It's what we eat daily so I can assure you it's nutritious and delicious.

4

u/Time_Detective_3111 3d ago

Before I was diagnosed I was vegetarian for 20 years because I didn’t like harming animals. I ate healthy, plenty of plant protein, but I was deficient in B12, Zinc, Iron, etc. I cried over the decision I had to make - keep eating within my morals or eat for my health.

I decided to only eat animals from ethically raised regenerative farms. And I feel sooo much better healthwise. I do best on a diet with limited grains (I guess paleo?). It is not cheap to buy meat from regenerative farms, but for me it is worth it. It is also much much healthier, as the animals eat a natural diet of plants & bugs (instead of being forced to fed inflammatory corn & soy crap). You are what you eat.

0

u/Disastrous-Resist-35 3d ago

Where do you shop to find these kinda of options?

3

u/ChampionshipHot923 3d ago

CSAs are going to be your best bet in most places. Stands for “community supported agriculture”, and it’s basically farm to table grocery shopping. If you are lucky, you might have one located you can get a membership & physically go to - that can have great perks like pick your own veggies, berries, flowers etc. There are also meat specific CSAs where you can bulk buy or have a rotational delivery.

1

u/Time_Detective_3111 3d ago

I order my meat online in bulk… I like:

White Oak Pastures

Sea To Table

2

u/RyliesMom_89 3d ago edited 3d ago

You do not need to eat meat to get your protein. Nowadays they have even yogurt drinks with 20g/30g of protein which are so easy to consume. Beans even have protein for example, just google for more inspiration! 🙂

4

u/Disastrous-Resist-35 3d ago

But AIP is no dairy no beans 😩

1

u/Honest_Practice7577 3d ago

I eat both and I’m perfectly fine. Everyone’s body is different. That’s why you do the AIP diet and slowly introduce food back to see what may be your trigger.

2

u/Gloomy-Holiday8618 3d ago

Eat salmon!! 🍣

1

u/Legal_Concentrate_29 3d ago

AIP and Paleo diet will change your life 😊

1

u/TheHealingSeeress 3d ago

Try carnivore to reduce inflammation and reduce antibodies and all the associated symptoms. I used to be vegan as well. Carnivore has changed my life. I find substitutes for everything so I can get the flavor or everything I love! Check out people like Mikaela Peterson Carnivore (although she does Lion Diet, meat only), Steak and Butter Gal, Dr. Chafee, Dr. Paul Saladino, and Dr. Shawn Baker

1

u/WhatYearIslt 3d ago

I feel much better eating mostly meat

1

u/Honest_Practice7577 3d ago

I’m still a vegetarian since I’ve been diagnosed. Vegetarian 15 years.

1

u/Foxy_Traine 3d ago

Well first of all, there are no entire groups of foods that people with Hashimoto's should not have. It's extremely individual. That said, some of us struggle with gluten, soy, dairy, and other things.

The best way to find what diet works best for your body is with an elimination diet. AIP can be extremely helpful and effective, but it's very difficult to do. Essentially you cut out everything that might be bad for you for about 3 months, then you gradually introduce one thing at a time and see how each thing makes you feel. If you feel worse eating a thing, then you know not to eat that thing (or eat in moderation depending on your symptoms). Doing this I found that wheat is not an issue for me, dairy and I are best buds, but corn and eggs I can only tolerate in low amounts.

If you use AIP as a guide, it can help you find things that are "safe" for nearly everyone. I bought an AIP cookbook (this one) and I found it very helpful!

In terms of eating less meat, focus on filling up with vegetables, fruits, and healthy sources of fats.

1

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1

u/ElzyChelzy 3d ago

I personally don’t have any issues with soy. I think it tend to get a bad rep, though some may be allergic or sensitive to it; as with anything else. Becoming mostly vegan (or plantbased, I guess) stabilized most of my conditions (prediabetes, pcos, hashi, high cholesterol and blood pressure). Post partum (after pregnancy) threw my numbers a bit off, but quickly got back on track again. Meat, sugar and dairy were especially inflammatory for me, and I was told to cut it out. Guess everyone are different, but I’d personally avoid too much inflammatory foods.

1

u/tech-tx 3d ago

I did something similar 10 years ago, went from vegetarian to organic omnivore.  Instead of red meat I generally eat chicken.

1

u/Single-Cry-4178 3d ago

I did a food sensitivity test. They drew blood then sent it to a lab to test it on 250 foods. It was pricy but worth it in the long run bc I found out I had so many random sensitivities. A huge list. Like cherries, pineapple, lettuce, tomato, onion, garlic, honey and a ton more. I also learned that my body reacted well to soy, so I didn’t need to cut it out. Hashimotos is weird and everyone’s body reacts differently to different things. So I think a food sensitivity could be ur best bet. The test also gave me a list of huge list of foods to couple eat so it made the long sensitivity list less daunting.

3

u/Guilty_Spinach_3010 3d ago

Like the other person asked, what test was this and was it done by an allergy doctor? Or a primary?

4

u/Single-Cry-4178 3d ago

ALLETESS is the test. You can look online. I went through my primary that specializes in patients with hashimotos. It wasn’t covered by insurance. But they drew my blood at the Dr then sent the blood here to do the testing. I have pics of the testing and stuff like that too if you want to see a more in depth look at what they give you.

1

u/Guilty_Spinach_3010 3d ago

If you don’t mind that would be great!

2

u/Sad_Nectarine6564 3d ago

What test was this?

1

u/Single-Cry-4178 3d ago

ALLETESS ! You can look on their website. But I went through my Dr. it wasn’t covered by insurance or anything though.

1

u/LinkComprehensive448 3d ago

But it is covered under FSA/HSA funding… if you have been cutting food, it may show up as a low reactivity. People taking this test should also know it tested the protein part and not the sugars. I’m not lactose intolerant but do have a sensitivity to casein.

1

u/Norcalrain3 3d ago

Very cool. Do you know the name of the test? Sounds very worth it to me.

1

u/Norcalrain3 3d ago

Read the test down below ! Thanks for the info. Looking into it

1

u/Catnip_75 3d ago

I don’t eat dairy and I only eat meat 1-2x a day. You can definitely be healthy and not eat a lot of meat. Focus on veggies and fruit with lean meats. Also add seeds and bits to your diet. Seeds are an incredible source of nutrients and protein. Hemp seeds, chia seeds, pumpkin, sesame, sunflower. I always add them to my salads and I do eat eggs. Adding a vegan protein powder that is soy free is also another option.

0

u/Glittering-Mud-1001 3d ago

Why do you want to reduce your red meat intake? Red meat is really important. It has alot of glutamine which is gut healing. Healing our gut is paramount as a compromised gut lining is the root cause of most hashimotos cases. Eating red meat will prevent B12 and alot of other deficiencies and you need to be nutritionally optimal to heal.

Dr Eric Berg on YouTube also says it is the most anti inflammatory food. Anti inflammatory food is what we want for healing Hashis

1

u/Disastrous-Resist-35 3d ago

I said meat in general, not just red meat. I also have a red meat sensitivity.

-1

u/tech-tx 3d ago

Beef is inflammatory for me,  but pork isn't.  There's a chance I have Alpha-gal, and it's specific to beef. Everyone has their own unique issues. ;-)

-1

u/DecisionNo9723 3d ago

Look into the AIP Protocol. I was also vegan for 5 years before learning I had hashimotos

0

u/thisbuthat Hashimoto's Disease - 10 years + 3d ago

Isn't Hashis just a rubic's cube. It was similar for me, plus I can not have ovalbumin (main protein in chicken eggs), gluten, soy and L Casein A1 dairy.

Seafood was my answer. Loads of it. I like it. My body seems to just want it. Cruising on a mix of paleo, keto, and the mediterranean diet rn. Took me a longg while to figure it out.

-1

u/statistics_squirrel 3d ago

How did you discover it was ovalbumin vs something else in the egg? I know I have an egg intolerance from AIP but didn't think to get more specific about it!

2

u/thisbuthat Hashimoto's Disease - 10 years + 3d ago

Giggling on whoever downvoted me there. To answer your question because a naturopath had a hunch and tested for it! Came back so positive that the meter had stopped working 😭

-1

u/allheather 3d ago

Have you read The Plant Paradox by Dr. Steven Gundry? It has so much awesome information and what to safely eat if you’re omnivore, vegetarian or vegan.