How simple dietary changes helped a Hashimoto thyroiditis client

Someone came to me presenting with depression, anxiety, low energy, negative thoughts and all the other classic symptoms of depression. She was also diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroiditis after her last delivery 5 years ago, and was on thyroxine supplementation and was told her thyroid function is "fine".

She was already on an antidepressant, and a fairly high dose of it, for many years. She was desperate to feel better but didn't know what she could do, other than being told she needs to either 1) increase her antidepressant dose further, 2) change to another antidepressant, 3) add another medication to her antidepressant.

Sounds like a pretty awful situation to be in. Is this something you've personally experienced, or have friends that are in similar dilemmas?

Conventional training taught me to select one of the above 3 options, but my functional / holistic medicine brain said NO! Let's start her off with one thing she feels motivated to change, and that is the lowest hanging fruit in here. And that is her diet.

We decided to try a version of the autoimmune paleo diet (AIP) which was compatible with her cultural and ethnic requirements, which was primarily Indian cooking. We worked with a nutritionist who herself has done an AIP to vastly improve her own Hashimoto.

After 6 weeks, I saw her again. And boy, she looked different! She had lost 6kg effortlessly while still eating delicious, satiating and nourishing food. Her skin glowed; she had a sparkle in her eye, and she had the nicest smile during our conversation. And most importantly, she as in much better spirits, and had lots more energy to take care of her kids, go to yoga and Zumba classes, and started organising social gatherings with her friends - to the point where her husband said he needed a break from back-to-back dinner parties! The food was so tasty and she didn't miss her chapatti and roti at all, and even her husband was trying to "steal" her food because it just tasted so great!

She said "I am amazed how much difference food can make, and I could never have imagined that the changes I've felt in the last few weeks were possible". It really made my day.

If you feel like you could do with some extra help with optimising your health, check out our wellness consultation or our health coaching programme to find out more!

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