If you can eat your way into a thyroid problem, can you eat your way out?
Well, I won’t say it’s always possible, but there are definitely situations where it can happen.
My wife is a perfect example of this.
She was able to adjust her diet to the point that she was able to come off of her thyroid medication for good.
And today I’m going to share exactly what she eats (on an average day) to give you an idea of how she did it.
Let’s jump in:
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A Brief Thyroid History
Since not everyone is familiar with her situation, let me briefly give you some backstory.
The type of thyroid condition that she suffered from was not typical.
Her thyroid dysfunction stemmed from a history of an eating disorder that she went through during her teenage years.
As a result, she suffered from metabolic damage, low T3, thyroid resistance, persistent depression, and difficulty losing weight.
Her standard labs look fairly normal with the exception of a slightly elevated TSH and a low T3 but other than that, she was told her hormones were “normal”.
It wasn’t until I really started to specialize in treating the thyroid that I realized what was going on and put her on pure T3 in the form of liothyronine to correct these issues.
And it worked out great.
This treatment dramatically improved her mood, allowed her to lose weight, and slowly healed her metabolism.
Her dose ranged from 25 to 50 mcg each day which she would control and adjust as needed.
She was on this therapy for about 4 years but never really liked the idea of being reliant upon thyroid medication forever (like many of you) so she took it upon herself to try and wean off her meds and enlisted my help in the process.
I knew it would be difficult because thyroid medication, T3 especially, provides a huge boost to metabolism.
And when you start weaning off, there’s a fairly high chance that you might experience weight gain in the process.
This was a big deal for my wife (as it is for many women), so I knew that she would have to be very strict with her diet in the process.
Fast forward several months and she was completely off her thyroid medication with a stable weight, no additional weight gain, and control over her other symptoms like depression.
The only minor residual symptom that she still deals with is some slight swelling in the legs but she would much rather deal with that than continue taking thyroid medication.
Through a lot of trial and error, she figured out exactly the type of diet that her body needed to get there which is what I want to share with you right now.
But first… a few disclaimers:
A Couple of Disclaimers
- The type of diet that she used to get off her medication is not the standard diet that I recommend for most thyroid patients. But even though that’s the case, it’s great for other people to see that all types of diets and foods can help, it’s more about finding what works for your body and sticking with it.
- This diet is what worked for her and it may not work well for you. I am not suggesting that this is the “best” diet for everyone to get off their medication, I’m just sharing what worked for one person.
- This represents her ideal diet and there’s definitely some variation from this day to day and month to month depending on her cycle, mood, and other factors. She wanted me to make sure everyone knows she’s not 100% perfect in eating this way but this is the standard that she always goes back to.
In addition to these disclaimers, here are some guidelines that she follows when looking for new meals and figuring out what to eat:
- She focuses on eating a primarily plant-based vegan diet 80% of the time with meats filled in for protein as needed. She will base her need for protein intake on her body and her cycle. Her favorite protein source includes chicken, beef, eggs, ground turkey, and protein powder.
- One of her primary metrics to determine what she should eat is her digestion and whether or not she feels bloated. She will avoid any foods that interfere with her digestion or those that cause bloating (which is why dairy is removed).
- She knows if she starts to become too loose with her diet because she will feel her depression creep back. This is a sign she needs to get back on track.
- Aside from homemade Kamut-based bread, she is gluten-free.
- She minimizes her intake of fat preferring to cook without oil and her primary fat sources are avocados (whole-food), extra virgin olive oil, chia seeds, hemp hearts, and occasional nuts/nut butter.
- She doesn’t track calories or macros.
- She avoids artificial sweeteners and she’s not afraid to use honey, maple syrup, or dates for sweetening. For natural sweeteners, her preference is stevia and erythritol.
With this out of the way, here’s a standard day for her:
Breakfast
Pretty much no matter what, she starts every day with a green smoothie.
She does this because when her first meal of the day is super healthy, it’s easy to continue to eat healthy for the rest of the day.
There are a bunch of different variations to the smoothies that she makes, but here is one of her favorites:
Super Green Smoothie
- 6 stalks of celery
- 5 leaves of kale
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 1 cup of water
- 2 or 3 frozen bananas
The goal with this meal is to get as many greens in as possible but she’s not afraid to sweeten the meal with frozen fruit.
She’s found that her body responds VERY well to celery and kale, which is why pretty much every variation of smoothie will include these two greens.
Lemon juice is included for its benefit on digestion (1), bananas provide sweetness, and water is used instead of juice to limit unneeded calories.
Occasionally, she will use coconut water as the base for these smoothies as well.
*Note: I try to get her to add protein powder to her morning smoothies but she prefers the taste without.
If you are thinking about adding smoothies to your morning routine (which I would highly recommend), definitely consider adding protein powder!
I find that many thyroid patients are NOT getting enough protein in each day and this is a problem that can be easily fixed.
More protein means more muscle mass which means better thyroid function and better weight control (2)!
Lunch
Much like breakfast, her lunch is another vegan whole-food-based meal.
Her morning smoothie is more about getting in as many greens as possible and her lunch is about getting as many fruits in as possible to satisfy her sweet tooth.
This meal varies from day to day but her go-to meals are overnight oats or chia bowls.
Both chia bowls and overnight oats are vegan, loaded with whole foods, designed to have tons of fiber for digestion and taste great pretty much no matter what you throw in them.
Her is one of her favorite overnight oat recipes:
- ½ cup oats
- 2 tbsp fresh ground flax (grind morning of with Vitamix)
- 1 cup water
- 1 apple grated
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1 cup grapes or other berry
- 4 dates chopped
- 2 Tbsp raisins
Here is one of her favorite chia bowl recipes:
- Papaya
- Raspberries
- Chia seeds
- Cashews
- Bananas
- Dates
Chia seeds and flax seeds provide plant-based protein as well as healthy fats (3), fruits provide loads of fiber and polyphenols (4), oats give long-lasting energy as a slowly digested carbohydrate, and papayas are great for gut health and skin health.
Dinner
While both breakfast and dinner are primarily whole-food vegan-based meals, dinner is the meal that she uses to load up with protein.
This meal almost always includes some form of animal protein and has a starch base (usually sweet potato).
She likes to have her biggest and most filling meal at the end of the day because she always ends up with food cravings in the evening.
Again, there are a lot of variations here, but here is one of her favorites that she will have several times per week:
Ground Turkey Sweet Potato Hash
- Sweet potato
- Corn
- Black beans
- Avocado
- Ground turkey
She created her own recipe for this meal but it was inspired based on this.
Snacks
She loves snacks and has several that are her go-to’s when she’s feeling like she wants to snack or eat something sweet.
Here are her favorites:
- A handful of dates either plain or with nut butter (usually no more than 4-5)
- Fresh fruit (any kind)
- Hard-boiled eggs (1-3 depending on her appetite)
- Water with or without electrolytes (she loves to flavor her water with Ultima)
- Thyro fuel with water
- Kamut toast with eggs
- Seed bread
- Raw vegan treats
- Popcorn with olive oil or coconut oil (no seed oils!)
Many of the vegan recipes she uses for snacks, smoothies, and meals were adapted from the recipes found in these ebooks.
Some Additional Things to Consider
There are a few things that I want to leave you with as you think about your diet and your thyroid.
Depending on where you are at on your journey, you may look at this information and get overwhelmed.
Don’t.
Figuring out what type of foods work best for your body is probably not as difficult as you might think.
Will it take a lot of work and time? Yes, but as long as you pay attention to how you are feeling, you will get there.
You also have to remember that despite what the world would have you think, there’s no such thing as a perfect diet for everyone with a thyroid problem.
As far as my wife’s diet goes, I actually think she could make a few tweaks to make it even better, but here’s the thing:
It works for her!
So I can’t really complain too much about it.
My biggest gripe is that she doesn’t get enough protein in, but she is able to stay lean and she is happy with her body composition and physique.
The other thing you may notice is that she eats a lot of carbohydrates and sugars.
I do believe that many people, especially thyroid patients, are undereating on this important macromolecule.
With the popularity of keto and carnivore, carbohydrates, including fruits, have been demonized.
But there’s no question that healthy carbohydrates from fruits, vegetables, and other whole foods, are definitely needed for hormone balance and optimal thyroid hormone function (5).
I would also go as far as to say that they are beneficial for women who are trying to repair a damaged metabolism from yo-yo dieting or eating disorders (such as my wife).
Recap & Final Thoughts
No matter what type of diet you adopt, make sure to remember this:
Having a thyroid problem will impact your ability to both gain weight and lose weight.
It will be more difficult for you to lose weight and easier for you to gain weight, even if your thyroid function is optimized well.
This doesn’t have to be a problem, though, because you can compensate with your diet.
You may not be able to indulge as often as those without a thyroid problem, but you can still have the occasional indulgence.
My final tip is to spend time (a lot of time), learning how to cook.
Feel free to spend time and money on food and cookware but stay away from food services that try to take cooking out of the equation.
Learning how to cook will mean that you can make healthy dishes that not only taste amazing but will keep you coming back to them for a long time.
Now I want to hear from you:
Did you know that your diet plays a big role in your thyroid health?
Were you aware that it was possible to get off of thyroid medication? Or is this the first time you’ve heard about it?
Are you planning on making any changes to your diet or lifestyle after reading this?
If so, what changes?
Leave your questions or comments below!
Scientific References
#1. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35013789/
#2. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4037849/
#3. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6627181/
#4. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2835915/
#5. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3900181/
Love this! Great post, thank you for sharing!! I have a similar history to your wife and was recently diagnosed with hashimotos and suboptimal fT3. I’m working hard to get it all in order through diet, but taking some t3 only medication in the meantime (just 10mcg so far). I was hesitant to start the med because I didn’t want to be hooked for life – so I am thrilled to hear that it served its purpose for her and she’s been able to get off of it successfully now. I would love more posts about your wife, she sounds so awesome!
Also which supplements of yours does she use and love?
Hi Melissa,
Glad to hear you found it helpful! In terms of supplements, here’s what she uses for her thyroid each day:
1 capsule of Thyroid Adrenal Reset Complex
1 capsule of Thyroid Glandular+
1 capsule of T3 Conversion Booster
She uses more than just these but these are her go-to’s for thyroid and energy support.
Does your wife also take a lot of your supplements to allow her to stay off medication?
Hi Sarah,
Yes, she does many additional treatments and therapies that are not listed here because this one was primarily about food but if there is interest I can expand on her lifestyle as well.
In regards to your other question, yes, she uses many of my supplements. For energy and thyroid support here’s what she uses consistently:
1 capsule of Thyroid Adrenal Reset Complex
1 capsule of Thyroid Glandular+
1 capsule of T3 Conversion Booster
On days when she feels she needs more energy she takes 2 capsules of Thyroid Glandular+ and 2 capsules of Thyroid Adrenal Reset Complex.
My husband and I both take Tirosint. Does it come in a tablet form at fifty micrograms? I’m pre-diabetic n couldn’t consume all that fruit. My husband is type 2 diabetic and would never be able to consume that much fruit.We Both would love to get off of thyroid medicine. I’ll have to do more research. Blessings debby
Hi Debra,
Fruit consumption is associated with a lower risk of diabetes for those who don’t have diabetes and it’s also associated with a lower risk of death in those who have diabetes: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5388466/
If you are having issues with your blood sugar, you will want to look at reducing your intake of processed foods, refined carbohydrates, and added sugars. These are not equal in terms of their effect on insulin and blood sugar as fruit, even though fruit does contain natural forms of sugar.
Hi – I have been reading alot about Intermittent Fasting. Do you know anything about this and would you recommend it for someone with Hashimotos.
Hi Mitzi,
Yes, intermittent fasting can be great, as long as its used correctly. I’ve written about it here and will be doing another more in-depth write up of how to fast for thyroid patients in the near future: https://www.restartmed.com/fasting-for-weight-loss/
Hi,
I have recently moved to a new town and today i had an appointment with a new gp and off course she started to discuss my suppressed tsh which made me nervous because she might stop or be unwilling to prescribe cytomel. That has been the medicin that has had the most positive results for me. But i am so sick of this fight.
So i also would really like to be free of thyroid medication.
Thank you for sharing this diet. Did your wife stop medication gradually or at once? And at what pace?
Also, do you ship your supplement to the Netherlands?
Be careful with suppressing your TSH for a prolonged period of time. Unfortunately I did not know about the dangers of doing so and apparently neither did my doctor I was seeing at the time, but I began to have stamina issues, pain in my teeth when exercising (I was a fitness instructor working out intensely about 12 hours per week) and began later to have tightness in my chest. She wanted me to see a cardiologist which I finally did much later, after switching doctors (who also did not connect my symptoms to my thyroid), and my stress tests came back ok. Only when I did my own research (Dr. Childs has an article on his website) that I finally figured it out and got myself off of Armour and back on T4 only (Tirosint 75mcg). It’s been about 6 months and I’m still having symptoms which is really distressing. From what I have read, the situation should reverse, but I am really afraid my TSH was suppressed for too long and the damage is permanent (apparently it has something to do with stiffening of the arteries – maybe Dr. Childs can elaborate).
Hi Mary Beth,
Based on my own experience, T3-induced cardiac changes are reversed (over time) when the offending agent is stopped.
I weened myself off slowly from tirosint 75mcg to 0mcg from Aug 2020 through March 2021. labs all stayed in range but when I got to 0mcg, starting on day 3 I experienced horrible neuropathy. At the time I didn’t even know what neuropathy was. My whole body esp my lower legs felt like they were being set on fire. I couldn’t handle it and knew it had to be related. I slowly went back on because it was so painful and scary. 3 years later and still have the neuropathy in my legs. at my normal dose and labs optimal. it sucks. I believe I ruined my nerves from the build up of mucin pushing on them. I’m curious do her legs feel heavy, tingly, burning at times?
Hi Emily,
No, she just has a small amount of pitting edema that is only noticeable at the end of the day. It’s a very small amount so it doesn’t really bug her or cause any issues.
Vit B12 helps with neuropathy.
Did your wife have thyroid antibodies or autoimmune issues at any point in her recovery journey? Very interesting the connection between eating disorders and thyroid issues! Have you observed any connections between eating disorders and hashimotos?
Hi Emma,
She did not have any antibodies. There seems to be an association between eating disorders and thyroid conditions but I don’t think it’s always causal: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7990069/
Hi, I have Hypothyroidism and PCOS (Polycystic ovarian syndrome). Does this diet is good enough for me? I read a lot about PCOS but mixing with Thyroid is a little hard for me. Do you have any advice/suggestions or posts in this field?
Hi Mahdie,
The food listed here can be beneficial for those with PCOS but it’s more of a personal thing. You’ll need to experiment with your own diet to find what works best for you but the premise of a whole food diet is always the place to start.
And, yes, I have many posts on PCOS that you can check out.
Here are a few:
https://www.restartmed.com/pcos-natural-treatment/
https://www.restartmed.com/pcos-weight-loss/
https://www.restartmed.com/metformin-weight-loss-pcos/
Hello Dr Westin,
Thank you for the work that you do to help those with thyroid issues!
I had a blood test done and my T3 free, is 4.17, TSH is .353, T4 free is .99. I am currently taking 1 he of Armour and the doctor is increasing it to 1.5gr. My A1C is 5.9.
I don’t know what to do at this point. I have so many good sensitivities and cannot eat any grains, soy,allergic to chicken. I was vegan most of my life, but now eating fish. Help!
Great info! Where is the info on the optimal thyroid diet you mentioned? How do we know if we need to stay on medication or can wean off?
Hi Mary,
The perfect thyroid diet? That can be found here: https://www.restartmed.com/perfect-thyroid-diet/
Sorry, one more thing…when I tried adding 5mcg T3 to my NP thyroid, my TSH went down to .75. Is that bad? Is it shutting down my own production? My T3 is about 2.7 without it. Thank you!
I am on liothyronine 25 mcg and armourthroid 60 mg daily and am still having a hard time with weight gain plus my T3 is very low. Is this normal?
Hi Jane,
It’s never normal to have a hard time losing weight but I would say your situation is not uncommon for thyroid patients. Even though T3 is helpful, I think many thyroid patients rely too heavily on it to pick up the slack when changes to their lifestyle would provide more benefit.
Wow, this diet, in many ways, is similar to my diet. But I am 30 lbs overweight. (5’11 and 190, should be 160). I guess volume and indiscretions do matter. I take 75 mcg Tirosint and 10 mcg T3. I’d like get off of both.
Hi Lulubelle,
They do, but they typically matter more when someone is within 5-10 pounds of their target weight. When someone is 25 pounds or more off from that target, hormones tend to be more important. This isn’t a rule, by any means, but it tends to be true for most thyroid patients.
I tried to get off my T3 twice in the last 6 years. Both times I weaned off slowly moving from 50mcg to 37.5 mcg for months before dropping to 25mcg… however I always feel my aches & pains return and some bloating recurring and then I give up and go back to taking 50mcg T3 again! I am inspired by your wife’s story and will try again as it is getting increasingly hard for me to obtain T3.
Hi Kathryn,
It’s always worth retrying at later dates to see if your health is sufficiently robust to handle the change. Contrary to what many people think, just because something didn’t work in the past doesn’t mean it won’t work at some point in the future and it’s this sort of mentality that locks people into incorrect beliefs.
In regards to your comment on obtaining T3, that was one of the main reasons she wanted to stop taking it.
I think it’s also relevant to consider a high oxalate diet (found in nuts, spinach and lots of fruit) can also negatively impact the thyroid, something I discovered late in my journey unfortunately but knowing this can make such a difference to tweaking your diet.
How long did it take to get completely off T3? How much weight did she gain and has she been able to lose the weight?
Hi Kathy,
She didn’t really follow my recommendations and wen’t off cold turkey, but she never gained any weight and still hasn’t to this day.
Yikes. As a healthcare provider and person with hypothyroidism, this certainly isn’t the framework I’m recommending to patients. In fact, I’ve had many patients come to me on diets like this one and really struggling. I appreciate the disclaimers ahead of the article but still a little concerning in my opinion. I tend to see people do much better on a higher animal protein diet with robustly bioavailable micronutrients. I’ve seen people seamlessly come off medications with higher protein, moderate to high fat, low to moderate carbohydrate diets. Anyway, happy to hear your wife is doing well and thriving without thyroid medication.
Hi Josh,
There will always be controversy when it comes to diet, especially as some people hold to their dietary beliefs with a near religious tilt. I don’t hold to any dietary framework, for any condition, and instead adopt the notion that dietary recommendations should be individualized. Using a dietary framework, while good for standardizing treatments, I think too easily results in cookie-cutter recommendations for patients and a reinforcing bias over time for providers.
That said, there are some general guidelines that I think are worth recommending to thyroid patients, but I’ve been around long enough to see that there is no such thing as a hard and fast rule for anyone.
The information in this article is worth sharing, at least in my opinion, because there will always be thyroid patients out there who don’t respond to the dietary type pattern you mentioned in your comment. And it’s important for these patients to understand that there are other options available.
This idea is explained in more detail in the beginning of the article:
“The type of diet that she used to get off her medication is not the standard diet that I recommend for most thyroid patients. But even though that’s the case, it’s great for other people to see that all types of diets and foods can help, it’s more about finding what works for your body and sticking with it. “.
Trying to get off thyroid medication as I write this. Thank you for sharing her journey to health and meal plans. Homemade shrimp spring rolls loaded with fresh veggies, herbs and avocado is my current craving. As for adding more protein to her smoothies….would you recommend unflavored collagen?
Hi Karie,
Collagen is fine to take but it doesn’t count as a protein source in the way you’re thinking. The protein I’m referring to in the article is that high in leucine, isoleucine, and valine for promoting muscle growth. Collagen contains high amounts of glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline which provide different benefits.
If you’d like to learn more about when each is appropriate to use, please see these pages:
Protein powder for muscle mass: https://www.restartmed.com/product/thyro-fuel/
Collagen protein powder: https://www.restartmed.com/product/thyroid-collagen-complex/
One does not take the place of the other so both are needed but for different reasons.
Does your wife have COMT/MET AA gene variant? Curious because the fact that she does well with low protein/plant based and has a history of mental health issues fits this profile. I’m glad she’s doing well!
Your wife’s story is inspiring. Thank you for sharing! I’ve been on Levothyroxine for 25 years and just last year was finally tested for Hoshimotos (after watching your YouTube videos and learning it matters to know if I have the antibodies!). I had to go through 3 MDs to get someone willing to order the test to check for antibodies. They said it didn’t matter because the treatment was to take levothyroxine and monitor TSH. Since learning I have Hoshimotos, I went on the autoimmune anti inflammatory diet and no longer get multiple headaches a week, my joint pain went away, I lost 25 pounds I didn’t know needed to come off, my hair stopped falling out, my nails stopped cracking, my brain fog stopped, and as a side bonus, nighttime hot flashes settled down significantly. So, now that I’m feeling so much better than I knew possible and I’m taking thyroid support supplements you have suggested in other videos, is it possible for me after 25 years to try to ween off levothyroxine? How do I start that process safely and how often should I get my thyroid labs rechecked? I’ve wanted off this Rx since I started but didn’t know it was possible. Thank you for all you do to generously donate your time and knowledge on YouTube and emails!
Hi Cheryl,
There’s always a possibility but the odds decrease the longer you’ve had your disease as thyroid damage from Hashimoto’s is cumulative. It may still be worth a try, with physician supervision, and you can learn more about how to do that here: https://www.restartmed.com/how-to-get-off-of-thyroid-medication/