I ALWAYS feel better when I give up wheat but still eat oats and rice. I've never had any 'scientific' diagnosis though, so I always end up falling off the wagon - which is ridiculous because if I know I feel better why not stick at it! Anyway, I've read lots of studies that say eating much less gluten is definitely good for people with hypothyroidism. It's just so hard to stick to! :sad:

I know it's hard to be on a restricted diet plan when you're the family cook. As it was explained to me, the human body has a difficult time distinguishing between the gluten protein molecule and thyroid. For those who happen to have a mild to moderate gluten intolerance, the body ramps up and goes on the attack when all you did was have a piece of wheat toast. In turn, the thyroid gets attacked as an innocent bystander, aggravating a hypothyroid condition. (My doc said there isn't enough science to say whether gluten intolerance initiates hypo, so he wouldn't go so far as to give me an explanation as to why suddenly my thyroid just went defunct.)

I cut out gluten, all of it, all at once. I was a hardcore whole grain wheat bread, wheat pasta, wheat flour for recipes kind of person. Everything was eliminated and in less than one week, I felt 10x better. I was stunned at how much energy I had. I felt light on my feet and I was still 30 lbs overweight. No more sluggishness.

Keep in mind white enriched flour comes from wheat, so white bread, pasta and flour also has gluten. Replace flours with rice or almond. Same with pastas. Replace bread with rye or pumpernickel. Gluten is a binder, so check everything that required a recipe at the factory to create it before packaging it, including cereal. Shredded Wheat - no, no. Rice Chex - yes, yes.

Test it out for a week on yourself, then see if you can find a way to work it into your children's diet. You could help them learn to possibly avoid triggering it. Easier said than done, I know. I've got 2 girls in their teens and I can't pry the mac & cheese out of their hands with a crowbar now that they're old enough to buy it and fix it themselves when I'm not around.

I haven't been diagnosed with celiac, but I have had eczema, skin breakouts, severe alliergies, IBS-like issues, and had my thyroid removed. I moved to gluten free because I wanted to take a chance on making these things better without medication. It works for me. I don't feel any different when I am eating gluten free, but those things I mentioned above get so much better. I slip on occasion and I pay for it with a few trips to the restroom.

I am lucky enough to live in Denver, CO and there are so many gluten free options available here. Almost every pizza place has a gluten free dough available, and many of the products that I enjoy are made here in Colorado. When I lived in Georgia, I had a much harder go of it. I am a single mom with a 4 year old. We don't eat gluten free perfectly, but we are pretty close. I don't make her different meals than what I eat, but when she goes to daycare I don't send her with gluten free foods. There are so many kids with allergies that the school does a good job in avoiding most of the major allergens as it is.

I love to cook and experiment with recipes, but I don't have an abundance of time. I try to find easy gluten free options. I like Lillabee products for pancakes, brownies, and muffins. It is a plain base and I add lots of things to it. Any extras get frozen for breakfast in the week. I like Kind bars that I can keep on hand for snacks. I have tried lots of frozen pizzas and Against the Grain is my favorite. The best bread that I have found is made by Canyon Bakehouse. You can order their loaves online and they will send them to you frozen. They will keep in your freezer for a couple of months. I like Tinkyada pasta and find that it holds up well. I also use a lot of rice noodles. There is a franchise bakery called Smallcakes that makes a really good gluten free cupcake and they cater to people with small children. (The location near me has a small table set up for kids and if you buy a regular size cupcake, you get a kids cupcake for free!). I make "Rice Krispy Treats" with Rice Chex or Gluten free Rice Krispies when they are on sale and I can find them.

I try to take my daughter to places that have gluten free options to avoid the "mac and cheese meltdown" as I call it. We go to Chuck E Cheese and they have a gluten free pizza. When that doesn't work, I try to steer her into things that aren't bread or pasta. Luckily for me, my little one is not a big fan of bread. I also do a lot of mexican dishes that utilize corn instead of wheat. Good luck!

It's been a while since I got all the gluten intolerance info after I found out about being hypoT, but I recall something about gluten remaining in your system for up to 10 days, so having gluten here and there even just once a week could always keep you in an inflamed state. It really does need to be a clean break.

I'm in the same boat as you!

I don't have Hashi's, but always felt sick with bread consumption. Had bowel issues years before my thyroid. I finally tried it, went thirty days without gluten, and felt ENORMOUSLY better. That was two years ago. I've been about 90% gluten free since then, with moments of splurge, until December, when I went full board gluten free.

My doc did a blood test that came back negative, but it still doesn't change the fact that after I splurged and ate homemade wheat bread and brownies, it took me four days to feel better. (Nauseated. Cramps. Constipation. Bloating. Headaches. Fatigue. Overall malaise.) I finally said, 'good enough'! And accepted it.

I really do feel as if it affects my thyroid function as well. I feel loads better without it. Even if you don't have that MD stamp and blood test that 'seals' it, you know your body. I think that's way more validating to me than anything else. At least, I finally feel that way now.

Splurging on the bread and brownies was kind of a blessing because I felt so awful afterwards that now I never want to go back. Hope this helps!

Just because I like being difficult and want people to listen to their bodies....

I had Graves and was treated with I131, so now I am hypothyroid (for what that is worth). I am well controlled on my Armour thyroid.

For a time (about 6 months) I cut gluten out of my life. I noted no changes at all in how I was feeling. When I ate products with gluten again, I did not get sick or have any issues.

Sounds like you do have some changes when you eat it so I would avoid it. Just want folks to know that just because you have a thyroid problem doesn't mean you have a gluten problem.

I've only recently been diagnosed with a thyroid condition (Hashi's), but had suspected issues for a LONG time and even saw quite a few doctors about it (including two endos). But, since I always had a regular TSH level, nothing more was looked into, until I found a specialist recently that was able to look beyond just the TSH. And, lo and behold, Hashi diagnosis along with considerable insulin resistance (which he tells me is often seen with those with long untreated autoimmune thyroid issues).

Anyway, back to your question --- I went gluten free last year sort of by coincidence when I went Paleo/Primal. I've also been fairly low carb (40-80 carbs/day). I feel better with the low carbs and TONS better without the gluten. My doc also said this was a common occurrence he's seen with those with autoimmune thyroid disorders but there simply hasn't been definitive research done to make it official. But, if you go to Paleo/Primal websites like marksdailyapple.com, you'll find plenty of people with very similar experiences.

I strongly believe that some sensitivity (and likely gluten as I don't seem to have any issues with casein, lactose or lechtins) probably set off the autoimmune that attacked my thyroid, which also contributed to or caused the insulin resistance. I feel 1000x better eating Paleo/Primal and look forward to getting my thyroid and insulin resistance back on track with medication.

Glad to hear you figured out what worked for you. I had to go through a couple of doctors and endos before I found one that essentially believed what I was telling him. I found looking for a doctor or endo that was specifically a thyroid specialist made all the difference in the world. Best of luck to you!

I have been going to my doctor since April of 2011. She did diagnose me as hypo..she concentrated more on me losing weight since I have PCOS, IR as well.

Fast forward to last year..I was still feeling crappy..the office said it was probably because of my cortisol levels (daughter ran away and mom passed away)...go tthose under control..

November 20 got more blood done..beginning of December..diagnosed with Hashi's. Told to go GF..didnt do it till january..cause of the holidays.. I am now 10 pounds down...with about 5.5 to go to reach my UGW...of 128...

I do know that when i do slip..it takes me about a week to recover from one day of gluten.. I have found some pills that help..if i am glutened..

Waiting to see a dietician who does MRT testing to get it narrowed down to see what else i am allergic/sensitive to.

I also think the nature of Hashi..its always changing..

mgm -- do the allergy tests work if you're not eating the suspect food anymore? I ask because I was never tested for gluten sensitivity specifically bc my doctor said since I hadn't been eating it for over a year, it would likely show up as a false negative. So, to test for it, I'd have to start eating it again to see the rise in antibodies or whatever it is that they test for. Obviously, I thought that was totally unnecessary and just continued to avoid it for the most part.

Hi,
I find this post very interesting. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism about five or six years ago. My weight started to rise correspondingly.
klindema, your post interests me because I too was diagnosed with stage 3 lymphoma, Hodgkins, in 2012 and I wondered if there was a possible correlation. I have also read that the gluten protein is similar to the thyroid and that the thyroid gets attacked. I also bought a bottle of Greens+ and read the label after I got home. It said not to use if you had auto immune diseases or lymphoma.
I am another one who feels a million times better if I don't have gluten! I did the South Beach Diet about 10 years ago and I felt fabulous after the two weeks. I had huge amounts of energy and I have never slept better. I'm thinking that I might just have to try it again!