Low carb diet for thyroid problems

Do you also have problems with your thyroid? And if so, have you already wondered whether a low-carb diet is rather good or rather bad when you have thyroid problems? Does nutrition actually have any influence on the thyroid at all?

Since at Foodpunk we stand for a way of eating that is reduced in carbohydrates and rich in good fats, whether paleo, ketogenic or classic low carb, we would like to answer the most important questions on the subject of the thyroid and low carb in the following article. So look forward to it.

We will look at the following points step by step:

Low carb describes a way of eating in which, generally speaking, fewer than 100 grams of carbohydrates are eaten per day. The focus here is not necessarily on the quality of the foods consumed, but on increased fat burning through the deliberate avoidance of large amounts of carbohydrates. This way of eating is practised in many different forms, and the most widespread of them can be divided into low carb low fat (LCLF) and low carb high fat (LCHF). Paleo and keto ways of eating differ from a purely low-carb diet above all in their goals, but they can also be associated with this term.

At Foodpunk we place a great deal of value on high-quality foods. We believe that only real, natural foods can contribute to a healthy life. We therefore only approve of low-carb forms that do not disregard the quality of the products. And these always have to be lived in combination with an increased fat intake. We deliberately distance ourselves from LCLF.

Our thyroid is a butterfly-shaped hormone gland located in the neck region. It is mainly responsible for producing thyroid hormones (T3 and T4) and a substance that is involved in calcium metabolism (calcitonin). The thyroid hormones are enormously important for us, because they influence many processes and functions of our metabolism. For example, they are largely responsible for growth, cardiovascular regulation, energy metabolism, digestion and also for our mental wellbeing. If it does not work properly, that can lead to many kinds of limitations and problems.

The thyroid can be underactive (hypothyroidism) or overactive (hyperthyroidism). As a result, too few (underactive) or too many (overactive) thyroid hormones are produced.

In most cases these are so-called autoimmune diseases: the immune system forms antibodies against its own thyroid. You could also say that the body classifies its own thyroid as „foreign“ and therefore fights it. The inflammation that arises from this severely limits the function of the affected organ. In the case of the thyroid, these diseases are called Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and Graves’ disease.

An interplay of several factors is usually responsible for the thyroid going haywire:

If the thyroid hormones are not present in the amounts our body would need, that can lead to a large number of symptoms. Among other things, the following complaints can occur:

• Cardiac arrhythmia
• Nervousness
• Tiredness
• Digestive complaints
• Cycle disorders
• Weight gain or weight loss
• Difficulty concentrating
• Hair loss

But now it is finally time to clarify whether our diet can also have an influence on our thyroid. Look forward to it.

Our thyroid can only work properly and produce the important hormones if it has certain substances available. Put quite simply, it needs building blocks from food that it uses to make the hormones. Our diet therefore has a direct influence on the function of the thyroid, or rather on its hormone production.

Let us first clarify what the most important building blocks are.

Since a correctly implemented low-carb diet brings many advantages with it (weight reduction through increased fat burning, satiety, no cravings and more), we would like to clarify whether it also has an influence on our thyroid hormones.

As mentioned at the beginning, the definition of low carb is very broad. We at Foodpunk cannot support a low carb low fat (LCLF) variant, because it often goes hand in hand with large calorie deficits and excessive amounts of protein. Above all, too few calories represents a risk factor for an adequate production of thyroid hormones. If the body is supplied with too little energy, we end up in a state in which many functions are shut down. Energy-saving mode. The hormone balance is consequently thrown into considerable disarray. Among other things, thyroid and sex hormone production is throttled as well. (In our article on menstruation we look at the connection between calorie deficits and hormones in more detail.)

Low-carb forms whose focus lies only on eating few carbohydrates while completely disregarding the quality of the foods also make little sense from our point of view. Nothing but additive bombs and unhealthy foods on the plate? A one-sided selection of foods that cannot deliver the necessary nutrients such as iodine, iron, selenium or vitamin A? But the main thing is low carb? All of that seems to us anything but sensible, and not only when it comes to thyroid hormones.

However, you can also live a low-carb diet in a healthy way. The carbohydrate-reduced forms that contain more healthy fats can deliver all essential nutrients, sufficient calories and above all a lot of healthy foods. If the greater part of the carbohydrates consists of plenty of fresh vegetables that share the plate with meat, fish, a little fruit, nuts, high-quality fats and eggs, the need for nutrients is covered optimally. The thyroid should therefore also be supplied with sufficient amounts of iodine, selenium, iron and vitamin A. Sweets, fizzy drinks, starchy products, fast food and ready-made foods whose ingredient list is a mile long and consists mainly of unpronounceable ingredients are, incidentally, out of the question in a healthy form of LCHF.

A low-carb diet can be followed strictly ketogenic (30 g of carbohydrates per day) or also moderately (50 to 100 g of carbohydrates per day). But how many „carbs“ are the right amount for my thyroid?

Since low carb is carried out in so many different forms, reports of experience and studies on this are not very consistent.

By now, however, it is known that certain proteins that are indispensable for thyroid hormone production need carbohydrate structures in order to work properly. (These proteins are „glycosylated, in other words bound to a carbohydrate).⁸ A very small amount of carbohydrates, as in a ketogenic diet (30 g per day), is therefore not always the best choice with thyroid problems. Moderate amounts of carbohydrates (between 50 and 100 g per day) that come from healthy sources should be preferred.

In connection with low carb you also very often come across a gluten-free diet. That raises the question of whether avoiding gluten is good or bad in relation to thyroid hormones.

The results of a very recent study show that avoiding gluten was able to improve the complaints of Hashimoto patients considerably. ³

Since the two autoimmune diseases coeliac disease and Hashimoto’s occur at the same time in many cases, a further study tested the effects of a gluten-free diet on the features of both diseases. Indeed, avoiding gluten showed an improvement in thyroid values here too. (At the same time, the coeliac complaints could also be greatly reduced). ⁵

According to the current state of research, a gluten-free diet can therefore certainly help to improve complaints in autoimmune thyroid diseases.

In the case of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and Graves’ disease, the inflammation of the thyroid is a central factor. Perhaps you can remember that here the body’s own immune system attacks the thyroid and thus leads to inflammation.

A nutritional concept that tackles the point of this inflammation is the so-called autoimmune protocol (AIP). We have a detailed article on the subject of AIP, but we will briefly summarise the principle here once again:

After following a paleo diet over a certain period of time, potentially inflammation-promoting foods are removed from the menu. Sugar, alcohol, grain and dairy products, fast food, pulses, artificial additives, nuts and a few more foods are banished from the plate for a period of about four weeks. (Incidentally, because of the way it is put together this concept is gluten-free). Instead, plenty of fresh, colourful vegetables, healthy fats, meat, fish and a little fruit go into the shopping bag. Once the four weeks have been got through, more and more foods are gradually put back on the menu. In this way you carefully test which foods make the complaints better and which make them worse.

For people who suffer from Hashimoto’s or Graves’ disease, the autoimmune protocol can be a good way of finding foods that they should avoid in order to improve the complaints of their autoimmune disease.

In 2017 the first study on the autoimmune protocol was published: by following an AIP, the symptoms of people with chronic inflammatory bowel diseases were greatly improved after six weeks. ² This study gives hope for all the other diseases in which the immune system is involved, and so for the thyroid as well.

We at Foodpunk take the view that a properly lived carbohydrate-reduced and higher-fat diet is the perfect way to get through everyday life in good health. Whether low carb, paleo or keto, our plans are designed so that you are always supplied with all the important nutrients and do not end up in any deficiency states. Your thyroid is therefore also supplied to the best possible extent that food can offer. If you suffer from Hashimoto’s, for example, you can tell us that in your personal questionnaire. With an underactive thyroid you will as a rule have 50 to 100 grams of carbohydrates per day calculated for you by us. We would only take you into the ketogenic range if your thyroid values are very well regulated.

There is one thing we would like to emphasise at the end: if you have a thyroid disease, its severity and its treatment have to be checked regularly by a doctor. A change of diet should also be discussed in every case. A healthy diet is enormously important for your body, but it cannot completely replace medical treatment and possible medication.

• Our thyroid produces hormones that are needed for many processes in the body.
• If it produces too little or too much of them, this is referred to as an underactive or overactive thyroid. So-called autoimmune forms of this are Hashimoto’s and Graves’ disease: here the body’s own immune system attacks the thyroid, so that it becomes inflamed and can no longer work properly.
• The causes of thyroid diseases are varied and range from our genes through stress to infections. As a consequence, those affected suffer among other things from weight problems, tiredness or cycle disorders.
• There are a number of food components that the body urgently needs in order to produce thyroid hormones. Above all these include iodine, selenium, iron and vitamin A.
• A low carb high fat diet (LCHF) can deliver all essential nutrients when it is carried out correctly. The suitable amount of carbohydrates can, however, be different for every person who suffers from a thyroid disease and has to be considered individually.
• According to the current state of research, a gluten-free diet seems to be a good choice for influencing autoimmune diseases such as Hashimoto’s positively.
• The so-called autoimmune protocol tackles the same point and, as a short-term way of eating, holds potential for improving the complaints of autoimmune diseases.
• A healthy low-carb diet as it is represented by Foodpunk is the perfect basis, but it cannot necessarily protect you from medication and medical care where thyroid diseases are concerned.