Can KETO Help My Hashimoto’s?

[@DrBradBodle]

Have you tried going keto to help with your Hashimoto's symptoms? What has worked well for you? What areas did you need to adjust? Thanks for your thoughts and feedback! -Dr. B

[@SusanBame]

I've been on keto for 7 years and recently was diagnosed with Hashimoto's. What I'm now wondering is whether keto *caused* Hashimoto's -- and if so, how to fix it. I've been doing VERY low carbs and intermittent and extended fasting for 7 years. Been VERY strict. NO cheat days to speak of. Now I'm thinking I need to reintroduce some healthy carbs so that my body doesn't think I'm starving.

[@LearningGrace]

Wow, everything you said just validates what I’ve been thinking for a while now just based on my own experience last year. I did keto on and off for a few years. I’d drop some weight but the cravings would get me. After about a year, I began to develop irritable bowl symptoms. Last year, I decided to stay on keto but change it up a bit. While on keto, I dropped all processed foods. The weight started going down. I dropped 40+ lbs. HOWEVER, the IBS became worse than ever. I’ll spare you the details, but I could not leave the house. If we had an outing, I’d skip eating or drinking anything till it was over. Sometimes that meant fasting all day. It was the only way to avoid IBS. I was worried and I didn’t want to tell my conventional primary care because I knew she’d just throw meds at it. By October of last year, I had enough. I switched to a Paleo diet. Since I was already eating zero processed foods, the Paleo diet felt nearly the same as keto, minus the dairy. I also dropped soy and caffeine. The most amazing thing happened. I never gained the weight back! The IBS went away and my rheumatologist thinks we either got the diagnoses of LUPUS wrong or I’m in remission. My Hashimoto’s antibodies went down by half. I gained SO MUCH ENERGY. My resting heart rate went down, cholesterol numbers all went from pre-diabetes to very good and almost normal. My triglycerides were 280 something and are now 60. I just can’t believe my conventional primary once told me “we don’t know what causes high cholesterol, diet doesn’t matter”. Thank God for docs like you Dr. Bodle!

[@DrBradBodle]

Hi Audrey, I'm glad to hear the video resonated with you so much! I'm sorry you had to go through that, but good work listening to your body and making a change when you needed to. Do you think that your fat intake for keto was too high for you? Really awesome work though overall! Sometimes we have to use bits and pieces of different strategies to help us achieve our goals. The fact that you're seeing improvements in both your labs and symptoms is great. And I love anyone who says that "diet doesn't matter" :D Keep up the good work! Thank you for the support!

[@LearningGrace]

@@DrBradBodle Thank you Dr. Bodle! Yes, I think I ate too much at at times. The thing that really set the IBS off was cream in coffee (no sugar). That was not a good idea. Now, I don’t drink either one. I have Dandy Blend Tea with Collagen and I don’t miss coffee at all. Thanks again Dr. Bodle!

[@ninanina8023]

This is great topic, I am gluten free, plantbased, I don't eat soy, oats, CORN is big no except if I can find some old sorts of Bosnian white corn that is non gmo, pepper (raw or chilli big no!), roasted pepper is ok, no whole peanuts, I can tolerate traces or small pieces though, no cashews, lentils, no tomatoes, except ketchup, it's peeled and cooked tomato. I prefer to eat avocado every day one or even two in big veggie salad with some homemade falafels, olive oil, coconut fats, blueberries or other forest fruit handful or two in some smoothie is a must, pineapple few times a week for bromelain (not always cheap in Europe though 😅), oranges, bananas, cheakpeas (well cooked and peeled), ginger, celery sticks, sunflower, almonds, cucumbers, zucchini, organic pea milk. It's extremely challenging but possible 😊 especially when you don't eat gluten, oats, diary. I avoid processed sugar but some good quality raw honey from village is fine for me, occasionally. 90% dark chocolate too and pure raw cocoa. Sometimes 60 or 70 more sweet chocolate or raw cake as dessert. 😅 This works for me. I like as you say we are all different and we should listen our individual needs. 😊

[@purr181]

I kind of do Mediterranean-keto? I'm a big fan of fatty fishies (salmon, sardines) but high saturated fats (like Spam, bacon, butter) make my body feel like upchucking.

[@danielakaufhold8692]

I tried it out. But I couldn't handle the almond flour. But califlour pizza crust was amazing.

[@DrBradBodle]

Hi Daniela, thanks for sharing! You bring up a great point where sometimes those replacements don't work very well with our body either and we do need to use some caution depending on what we tolerate. Thanks again!!

[@devonnejoy0515]

Super information Dr. Brad! I always said keto never works for me, but basically it was because of the higher fat ratios and added dairy I was including. I've been following various spectrums of keto for quite awhile now, and found eliminating the dairy, relying on most of my fats from my animal proteins and Avocado, and even at this point increasing my carbs closer to the 30 grams range gave been very helpful for my success. I feel better overall, and see some of my inflammation symptoms improving. I love everything you brought in this video, thank you! 😊

[@ashlyS100]

Almond flour caused rashes in me

[@DrBradBodle]

Hi Ashly, yes, nuts can sometimes be more challenging for us to digest and process. Now, that doesn't mean that all nuts will be a problem for you, but you'll want to be mindful when you are consuming them, just to make sure no other symptoms are popping up. Thanks for sharing!

[@melchaos5288]

Will ketovore or Carnivore be safe for hypothyroidism? I'm hearing and seeing conflicting info; I would like to hear from a doctor knowledgeable/specialized about thyroid. If not, what type of diet helps hypothyroidism patients with weight gain and helps to lose weight? Also, I had a thyroidectomy, so I need info for people with no thyroid; I see a lot of resources speaking to people with thyroid and not much for people with no thyroid gland.

[@DrBradBodle]

Hi Mel, thanks for the question! The reason why you're seeing conflicting info is because most of the time when people talk about it, they're basing things off of the health condition, rather than the individual. People with Hashimoto's have a lot of different contributing factors to their health and two people who are both diagnosed with Hashimoto's could have very different needs. Using a low carb approach like keto or carnivore can be helpful, but we have to use it appropriately. So someone who might have higher triglycerides and blood glucose levels, feels better when fasting, and feels tired after meals, might be a better fit for these low carb strategies. They can also be used for people who become symptomatic with fasting and are prone to more anxiousness, feeling jittery, and having headaches, but we sometimes need to have a gradual transition, rather than making the change all at once. In terms of no thyroid, it depends on the cause of the thyroid removal. If it was removed due to cancer, then that's different from it being removed to Hashimoto's thyroiditis or Grave's. Let me know and we can discuss things further! Hope this helps!

[@jenniferroberts7581]

Nope - trying to NOT lose weight. And restrictive diets are really unhealthy for me emotionally. Plus, no gallbladder makes KETO problematic.

[@DrBradBodle]

Hi Jennifer, thanks for the comment! Certainly, there's a large portion of people with Hashimoto's who need help gaining weight and it's very important to adjust strategies accordingly, this video just happens to not focus on those situations. In regards to the gallbladder and how that can be a problem with keto, I feel badly because apparently I didn't do a good job explaining my point. Keto is any approach that causes us to generate ketones and doesn't require large amounts of dietary fats. That's a misnomer that I think has become perpetuated by social media. However, as I always like to point out, there's no need to follow a nutrition plan that doesn't work for you, but it's good to assess different options. We just want to find the approach that helps us to feel our best in all aspects of our health. Hope this makes sense!

[@jenniferroberts7581]

@@DrBradBodle Thanks, I always appreciate your focus on "what works for you is what matters!" I'm a bit too reactive as there are SO many "experts" out there that are the opposite.

[@DrBradBodle]

Of course! You're welcome! Too many people think that their way is always right, but health is more complicated than that. At the end of the day, your body will always be the expert on what it needs :)