Hi guys,
My wife was diagnosed with Graves' disease in December. Her symptoms were brought under control and now she is on Neo-Mercazole and Levothyrox. The doctor didn't discuss diet with her and other than recommending that she stop using iodized salt there don't seem to any recommendation. The scientific evidence for diet to control hyperthyroid looks thin. In fact I was able to find only one study about it:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6385781/
What the researchers found was that the disease was curable with diet alone ... in cats. There doesn't seem to be any interest in curing the disease. Researchers probably don't think this is an interesting avenue of research because we have a cure in the form of a thyroïdectomie (or radiation). My wife doesn't want to have her thyroid removed. We are willing to do a restrictive diet if it means my wife can lead a more or less normal life. What are her options? I look at different diets recommended for Graves' but they all contradict each other. This for instance was written by an MD, PhD endocrinologist. It is the first link I see when I search for "Graves' disease diet":
https://www.endocrineweb.com/conditions/graves-disease/how-eat-well-when-you-have-graves-disease
His recommendations:
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Berries ( due to their antioxidant properties)
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Dairy 2-3 servings per day ( to reduce bone loss )
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Cruciferous Vegetables ( reduces thyroid hormone production )
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Foods Containing Vitamin D such as Salmon and Eggs.
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Protein such as meat ( keeps muscle mass up)
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Fats -- Fish oil, olive oil and walnuts
Dr. Robert M. Sargis seems to subscribe to the idea that because diet has no effect on Graves' one should adopt a diet similar to what a weight lifter would follow. The point being to bulk up muscle and maintain overall health. Another school of thought seems to be that one should reduce iodine and other chemicals that might aggravate the disease. These are recommendations from the American Thyroid Association:
https://www.medicinenet.com/what_can_you_not_eat_with_graves_disease/article.htm
They specifically advise you to eat no sea food, no dairy, no eggs, and no soy products. Elsewhere I have seen recommendations to eat no meat as it contains iron that can aggravate autoimmune diseases.
I have tried to track down some of the reasons for the recommendation. Some of them make sense, others not so much.
The "no soy" recommendation is interesting. The idea is that soy blocks the uptake of iodine in the thyroid. This is a problem for doctors because they want to shoot radioactive iodine into your thyroid and if you eat soy you prevent that.
The low iron part seems to be related to generic reduction of inflammation which can exacerbate autoimmune disease. I don't see any recommendations to give blood which would reduce your blood serum ferritin concentrations by much more than any amount of antioxidants. Free floating iron is the most powerful oxidant in your body.
What about white meat like chicken? The reasoning with meat is that a common disinfectant in farming is iodine based cleaners. They don't say how the iodine gets into the meat but I can assume that the animals eat it.
The reason we are supposed to avoid eggs is that they give the chickens iodine supplements to make the eggs sturdier( and presumable due to the high iron concentrations of egg yolks).
We are told to avoid baked goods due to the fact that some bakers use iodine as a dough conditioner.
So, I have a bunch of questions. What do you eat? Did you get better? What research about this have you found? Can I find dairy that is produced without iodine? Meat? Bread? Eggs?
I found this paper listing iodine concentrations of foods:
https://www.ign.org/cm_data/2005_Haldimann_Iodine_content_in_food_groups_JFCA.pdf
on Page 467 you can see a chart of iodine concentrations. What caught my eye was the huge difference between the min and the max amounts of each food type. It looks to me like some farmers are not using iodine at all.
Does anyone have experience with dietary changes such as Wahls Protocol or AIP diet to help with Graves' disease?
A little over a month ago, I was diagnosed with endometriosis and Graves' disease at basically the same time. My numbers have already decreased by half after starting methimazole. I've also noticed that when I consistently avoid coffee, highly proceed foods, gluten, lactose, and added sugar, my symptoms of both conditions improve. The thing is, this is a pretty restrictive way to live, and I want to hear if anyone has long-term success with any dietary changes.
At at a point where I can eat what I want in moderation obviously.
So cut down on sugar salt and like white breads and pastries and stuff that’s it.
But id really like to try an anti inflammatory diet. Has anyone done this with graves ? If so what changes did u make to ur diet. What did u learn and how did it help u ?
Hey guys,
Any dietary recommendations that help with graves disease (hyperthyroidism) I asked my endo doctor and she stated I did not need to follow any dietary restrictions but I figured I would ask here so any recommendations will help. Any foods help with graves? Anything make it worse etc?
Thank you so much!!
Hello, my name is Riri and im 15 years old. I was just diagnosed with Graves’ disease. I’m currently on Methamazole and Vitamin D3. I was wondering what you would think to be the best diet to help treat Graves’ disease. Thank you so much to anyone who answers!
There is no diet scientifically proven to help with Graves Disease.
The best that can be said is not to eat excessive amounts of iodine. High iodine foods are seaweed, sea moss, kelp, algae, and sea food.
We need some amount of iodine in our diet for thyroid function, but consuming iodine supplements or heavy seaweed/seafoods could make autoimmune thyroid disease more aggressive.
All the diets advertised are marketing gimmicks to get us to buy into alternative medicine products, supplements, counseling, programs, and spread it to others - it’s a business model where practitioners make money off us on the often false idea that they are helping heal people. Buyer beware.
I second the low iodine diet. I’ve had graves since I was 12 so when I first got it my parents switched to non iodized salt (like Himalayan salt or kosher salt).
I would also make sure you include some foods that have calcium in them to your diet if you can (milk, yogurt, cheese) along with that vitamin d supplement, because since your body metabolizes things a lot quicker, we tend to have low levels, which can lead to brittle bones/teeth.
Which reminds me, try to not eat anything too high in sugar for a while (hard/chewy candies) because those destroyed my teeth as a kid. The sugar combined with decreased bone density was really rough on them, I now have cavities in all but two of my adult teeth :/ so make sure to maintain your teeth brushing and flossing every day. Good luck with everything :)
I ask this because when I got diagnosed and went through follow-ups, my doctor never mentioned any type of diet. Although he did say that I should avoid caffeine that may elevate heart rate.
So have any of you tried eating foods that contain iodine (it's not avoidable, I know. I just wanna emphasize on this part) and noticed any changes that worsened your symptoms and levels? Or has it never really made any significant impact regardless of what you ate? Thanks!
So I was diagnosed with graves disease last December and when I first got to meet my specialist I asked about food and she just said that I don't have to do anything about changing the food I should eat. Now I have been reading that food can have an effect on graves. I feel a bit crazy cause my specialist says one thing and others say something else. Though I am feeling a bit frustrated by my specialist and contemplating requesting a different specialist.
What have your specialists said to you about food? What have you tried with your diet?
Recently diagnosed here (after 6 years of thinking I only have "hyperthyroidism", lol, so all this time I've had graves for 6 years and didn't know it).
I looked up Graves Disease diet and I feel daunted by the amount of things we should restrict/eat less of. A lot of the things I normally eat seem like things I need to stay away from now :( Back when they first caught of my hyperthyroidism symptoms in 2017 I didn't really take my food intake that seriously. I had my symptoms in remission at one point too, but they furiously came back in 2021 and up until now I have to take carbimazole again on the daily.
How do you guys manage your diet? How do I decide what and what not to eat first? What's the best way to start small and build your way up? It feels like a lot of daily foods have all the contents we shouldn't be eating.
so i’ve been trying to do research on what an appropriate diet would be for having graves’ disease/ hyperthyroidism. a lot of websites usually say “no coffee no fish no seaweed” and that i should eat “vegetables, nuts, and like peanut butter or jam”. but then a lot of other websites said that i SHOULD eat fish because it is rich in iodine. i know for sure that i can’t drink coffee though.
What can i definitely eat? and what should i definitely avoid? can i eat fish?
I have heard that we need to avoid foods that are high in iodine content for people who have Graves’ disease. Is that true? If so, what foods should I be avoiding? Are there other things I should avoid? Honestly don’t know where to turn to find things about graves, no one around me nor my family has it and I’ve been pretty lost since finding out my diagnosis.. :(
I've recently been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism last month and I'm currently on 10mg of methimazole per day.
I'm wondering if I should change anything in my diet? I'm completely avoiding seafood, but one of my main concern is if it would be okay for me to eat fastfood meals?
I'm quite sure that probably 99% of all fastfood meals use iodized salt.
It kind of bugs me because I just can't enjoy my meals without having to worry about my symptoms worsening thereafter.
Can fastfood meals or processed foods like hotdogs or sausages really worsen hyperthyroidism due to their iodine content?
I just can't bear the idea of having to eat only fruits, flavorless vegetables, egg whites and wheat bread until my TSH levels have become normal.
Recently diagnosed by PCP with Graves Disease after having symptoms for at least a year. Being referred to an Endocrinologist, but would like to initiate lifestyle changes now to see if helpful. Finding a lot of conflicting information on dietary recommendations, and hoping someone can provide direction.
You’re finding conflicting information because there is no definitive solution. I tried ideas posted here when I was first diagnosed (gluten free, etc) and it made me even sicker. I’m not a doctor, but my endo acknowledges this as well and only suggested I eat a little more fish (I typically eat plant based) and take selenium supplements. I’m sorry if this answer is frustrating. I hope you find something that works for you.
Tackle low hanging fruits like reducing junk food and having a well balanced diet. Don't make the mistake of believing there's a diet that can treat GD in lieu of medication (as the Internet may lead you to believe). The scientific literature isn't there.
Can anyone suggest diet 😀
Hi All,
My wife was diagnosed with Graves disease in early 2017and she was put on Methamizol (spelling) medication after that. Her numbers slowly improved and the doctor finally suggested this October to drop the medication all together after over two years of decreasing the dose.
My wife did her blood test for the first time after halting the medication and her numbers came back again.
Are there other methods (other than medication) to control these numbers? like low iodine diet, excercise and good 8 hours of sleep?
My wife is not much into exercise or even brisk walking and I know that we have been sleeping less than 6 hours for quiet some time. Can these smaller steps help the numbers in proper direction?
What side effects has she experienced with methimazole that she disliked? I personally can not determine any noticeable effect taking methimazole. Only blood tests show it’s working. A healthy diet and exercise are recommended for anyone, especially those of us with autoimmune disorders, but they alone will not fix a thyroid that is over producing.
What gets me is I eat healthy (almost vegan) and exercise everyday (gotta walk the dogs a few miles three times every day) before I got Grave Disease. I was never sick before. But bam I hit the genetic shit pot and got Grave's Disease anyway.
I don't believe anybody that says that diet and exercise cures Grave's Disease (it does help you feel less like shit but you still have Grave's Disease) because I was doing all that before hand.
The only thing that helps me is methimazole.
My body suddenly wanted to attack itself and I have to live with it now
Hi,
I have been diagnosed with graves disease 3 weeks ago and decided from then to cut diary, gluten and foods high in iodine. I do eat whole wheat sometimes and rarely diary.
My endo announced to me today that my thyroid hormones are now in normal range and reduced my medication (tapazole) from 30 mcg to 20 mg.
I did not consult my endo 3 weeks ago about this diet and she told me today that I should eat like I normally did. No restrictions. I am scared this might change my thyroid hormones range and not get better by not doing any dietary change except from limiting processed foods.
Did any of you saw improvements or went into remission by not following a diet?
Hello everyone, this is my first time visiting this sub. I hope to contribute here in the future and share my experiences dealing with hormones and nutrition.
My 54yo mother is a 1years Graves patient, and they had most of her thyroid removed in February 2023.
Since developing cancer cells were seen in the nodules, they removed a large part of her thyroid.
She is currently taking external medication supplements because of this.
And yesterday, we had a flight at 5:00 a.m. last night. I don't know if it was because she ate Nutella before the trip or because of the low temperature; something triggered it, and she experienced nausea, vomiting, and tremors. Idk if Nutella actually triggers it. which contains Caffein and Butter maybe
Meanwhile We were at the airport's hall. I was able to lay her in the baby room.
After she went to the toilet several times,. The condition improved, but it was bad for a while.
**It is strange why the doctors in the country where I live do not refer such patients to a dietician to raise general awareness about foods, blood, hormones, nutrients, and such after surgery.
Fortunately, I know a bit about nutrition and health.
How can I be better to build diet plan for my mother? while I continue my research.
I just wanted to ask here about this idea and am waiting for your valuable comments.
there won't be clinician advice from anyone in here
but someone needs to be aware;
It is a difficult situation that affects life. I feel sorry for my mother and anyone who has this sensitive disease. is there any chance her's thyroid will grow back?
*** some of her recent blood test results, dated April 18, 2024. maybe it'll give some idea.
TSH: 0.32 mIU/L *the reference value between 0.41 - 6.80
the Plateletcrit PCT (I guess) 0.31 as percent *the reference value between 0.13 - 0.3
PDW: 11.5 as percent *the reference value between 15.7 - 17.8
(TSH 0.02 mIU/L *In the previous test dated March 4, 2024)
(PDW 12.4 *In the previous test dated March 4, 2024)
I know those of us with the disease are quick to blame everything on it because it impacts just about everything.
Has she eaten Nutella before this? If this is the first time she has had an issue since surgery, it could just be bad timing for a 24-48 hour bug or food poisoning. May not be thyroid related at all.
Do you know if they removed her entire thyroid or just part of it? Either way, she could need her medication adjusted.
I’ve not had my thyroid removed, but am going to push for it at my next visit. My understanding is that there aren’t really any dietary restrictions after other than soft foods right after surgery. After a week or 2 based on what those on here have said eat what you want. I do know the only thing I’ve been told to limit is iodine. There aren’t any diets known to help with Graves’.
Looks like her dose thyroid hormone replacement medication is still a little bit too high for her.
Hello,
I was recently diagnosed with Graves, got my test results and doctor ordered a Thyroid uptake; but because of my results he said there was no need and that I have Graves. I’m a little confused because it seemed like the scan would for sure confirm. Should I get a second opinion?
Results:
Thyroid Stimulating Immunoglobulins : 2.12 - CRP : <0.5 - TSH, Reflex : <0.01 - Free T4 : 1.4 - T3, Free : 5.1 - TSH Receptor Antibody : 1.25
I’m a generally pretty healthy 32M, workout in the morning, walk my dog a lot and eat a pretty clean diet. I’m also gluten free due to allergy. I’ve had a lot of symptoms that align with GD, such as terrible sleep, deep heart beat, body temp irregularity and higher blood pressure. I’m keeping a cool head, but my family is worried and I want to reassure them. I’ve done some research and it appease that thyroid medication is the less invasive method. Does anyone have any natural remedies, diet changes or supplements they do / don’t take that have helped change their life on top of medical treatment?
I’m ready for this battle and to be apart of the community. Appreciate any time taken to offer advice, stories, wins or losses.
I was just diagnosed with graves this month (30F). I am now on 10mg of methimazole. I was wondering if anyone has seen any benefit for following a specific diet? I have read that going gluten/dairy free can help symptoms and just overall health. I’m considering trying it, but wanted to see if anyone had any anecdotal experience or other diets that have helped them.