In July of 2013 I had thyroid surgery after a nodule was felt and then seen on ultrasound. This picture is from about 2 weeks after. You can still see my bandage! Although my thyroid labs always came back with the numbers within the normal range, the surgeon observed that I absolutely had Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, an autoimmune disease in which my body attacks my thyroid. I had never heard of this nor did I know what it meant for me! I was put onto thyroid medication shortly after surgery and my health began to improve dramatically, but not fully.
Over the years as I have researched symptoms of Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis I began to see many of my health problems were most likely related to this disease. It was a mom of 3 young kids and so I chalked up my exhaustion to that. Moms are always tired, right? Finally, in 2018, I read about the connection between food an thyroid function, especially for those suffering with an autoimmune disease. Since my stomach has nearly always given me trouble off and on over the years, my husband encouraged me to make some diet changes to test and see if it would help. WOW! I first stopped eating gluten. Then I began to limit dairy and found out just how healthy I could feel!
This cookbook is an excellent resource for understanding how to help your body heal from and stay healthy in spite of Hashimotos Thyroiditis. The Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) diet is encouraged for several autoimmune diseases, but this cookbooks focuses specifically on Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis and the foods known to trigger problems. This book is based off the paleo diet as well. I’m personally not a promoter of this type of diet just for the sake of eating this way. It is excellent, however, if you are faced with an autoimmune disease and need to figure out what foods are causing more harm than good.
There are some wonderfully delicious recipes throughout this cookbook. If you are already used to cooking for yourself, they are quite simple and easy to manage! The ingredients focus on remaining free of gluten and grains, dairy, eggs, legumes, nightshade veggies, nuts, seeds, sugar, alcohol, and processed oils/artificial sweeteners. At the same time these foods are eliminated, foods such as blueberries, turmeric, sweet potatoes, and zucchini, known for anti-inflammatory properties, are added in.
If that sounds a little overwhelming don’t worry! The idea is to eliminate these from your diet for a time, then introduce them one at a time to see if any of these trigger your symptoms. This means you are not looking at long term deprivation of these foods. I have found that gluten and lactose are triggers. I can, however, have dairy as long as it is lactose free or I use lactose pills. I consider myself quite fortunate in that my diet is not so restrictive.
I have found that stress due to busyness, illness, or travel tends to cause my Hashimoto’s to flare up. Earlier this month I experienced this after having a week at summer camp, a week’s worth of illness, and then a week traveling to Florida. For me the symptoms come on all of a sudden and it often takes me by surprise because I will feel fine one day, then the next day I won’t. When a flare up happens I am very strict with what I eat focusing on veggies and meats to help me heal faster.
Some the recipes I’m excited to try from this cookbook are:
Baked Herb Zucchini Boats
Sauteed Zoodles in Alfredo Sauce
Balsamic Roasted Mushrooms
Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken
Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken
There are soooo many recipes in this book that sound amazing! What’s even better is even though you are eliminating certain foods, the ingredients are still easy to find and use. I also think it would be fine to use ingredients that do not bother you (like lactose-free milk for me) as a substitute for the coconut milk once you have added those foods back in.
If you are like me and had not yet found a way to fully heal from your Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis consider giving this cookbook a try. It might just be the answer you are looking for!
Disclaimer: I was given this title through Net Galley in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.
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