Natural nutrition for the thyroid. Thyroid Registered Dietitian Nutritionist: Nicole Morgan, RDN, LD, CLT. Learn how to improve nutrition for hypothyroidism, Hashimoto's and more. Thyroid nutrition explained.
I am excited to publish this 3 part series of blog posts about pregnancy, infertility and Hashimoto’s. This will also relate to those just suffering from hyper or hypothyroidism. I will give more details on the pre-conception period, prenatal nutrition, and postnatal nutrition!
Six months ago, I gave birth to a super cute, healthy little girl. I was very surprised how I glided through the pregnancy and postnatal time period without any major thyroid problems. VERY surprised. I am grateful for that and feel like I lucked out. I had read about thyroid complications postnatally, and many possible dangers during pregnancy. I researched and read as much as I could as soon as I found out I was pregnant, and there is not a lot of clear information out there. But, I did learn a lot, and I am excited to share with you my knowledge! *This blog post is not intended for medical advice.*
Why Many Women Experience Infertility with Thyroid Dysfunction
It’s all about the hormones. If thyroid hormones are low, your body can not produce enough sex hormones to maintain regular menstrual cycles. Or, if you do get regular cycles, you may still not have enough hormone to sustain a pregnancy or conceive.
For me, I noticed my progesterone was always on the low side and I had very irregular (mostly nonexistent) cycles. I figured the chances of getting pregnant were very slim. I was wrong! I had been working to improve my health for about 2.5-3 years and that is what helped my body acheive healthy hormone levels. I also take Nature-Throid.
With my brother here telling my family about the pregnancy.
Many women have low T3 even with no doctor diagnosed thyroid disease. Little (big) things like stress can even cause low hormones. T3 is critical since it is the most “active” thyroid hormone and this is the hormone that “talks” to other parts of the body allowing fertility to run along smoothly.
Know Your MTHFR Status
MTH-what?? Methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase = MTHFR. Certain MTHFR gene mutations can cause fertility problems and very few people know to test this. Yet, an estimated 40-60% of the total population has some type of gene mutation myself included. This topic by itself is a blog post for another day. The reason I bring it up is that I find many with thyroid dysfunction or Hashimoto’s have one of the MTHFR gene mutations.
To oversimplify, if you have one of the gene variants that alters your body’s ability to use B vitamins it will reduce fertility. Your body is less able to create methione which is needed for critical body functions and fertility. The good news is that this is something that is easily treated with various forms and types of B vitamin supplementation. There are other supplements that are often recommended as well (again, more on this subject later). If your B vitamin levels are not healthy, this can set you up for a risk for miscarriage, spina bifida in baby, postpartum depression, low levels of glutathione (master antioxidant) and much more.
Optimize Your Nutrient Status
…and reduce total body inflammation. Take a good quality multivitamin. No brick pills! Capsules and reputable, tested brands only. I took Designs for Health Prenatal Pro throughout my entire pregnancy. Do not simply rely on your vitamins though. Make sure to eat nutrient rich foods. One of the easiest ways is smoothie form. You can add loads of nutrients AND make it taste delish.
I ditched gluten about 2-2.5 years before I got pregnant. I also began following my LEAP MRT plan to reduce inflammation in my body. Lastly, I tested my micronutrients in my body to see how I was doing with my vitamins and mineral stores. Over those two years or so, I got healthier. This made my body run more efficiently, improved my metabolism, and without even realizing, it made my body fertile.
Reduce Stress
Easier said than done.
However, reducing stress helps your body reach higher levels of that free T3 I was talking about. Optimal T3 = more optimal fertility.
I found pole dancing as a sport and fitness activity during this time period when I was trying to improve my health and thyroid levels. Pole dancing was an activity that allowed me to be free and stress free. I loved it, and it was a sport that made me more alive. I used to run and do general workouts, but running was still likely causing some stress on my body. My advice: find a stress reducing activity that you trulylove and it will improve your life regardless. Just get out there and do it.
Fertility Basic Checklist:
Screen for low progesterone
Get a full thyoid panel including free T3
Test your MTHFR gene (and/or homocysteine)
Optimize your nutrient stores
Reduce stress
Ther are other areas to address, but this is just a general checklist that will be suitable for most thyroid sufferers. Each person is a unique individual, so I never like to recommend a one size fits all approach.
If you would like more information on any of these topics, let me know down in the comments below. This helps me to create future blog posts for you all!
Before I knew that I had Hashimoto’s and became a Hashimoto’s dietitian, I was going about my daily life completely disregarding my symptoms. Why? I was active, lean, fit, slept well, had clear skin, pretty good digestion, didn’t get sick a lot… So, I thought I was super healthy. Just because you are at a healthy weight does not mean there is NOTHING wrong. It is important to make a list of any symptoms and get regular basic blood work screenings. Autoimmune conditions are often silent for many years before causing symptoms. I probably had Hashi’s for 10 years before I knew!
However, I had irregular menstrual cycles (mostly non-existent), energy ups and downs, mood ups and downs/stress, blood sugar imbalances,constant sore throats, and constant runny nose/post nasal drip. I had a hard time keeping energy up through longer activities, and did not have a lot of energy to be social and be out with friends and family.
The fatigue has been the worst part. Figuring out how to overcome that has been something I have been trying to figure out. It is not an all-day fatigue. It comes and goes now. But, when it hits you, it hits you hard. I remember at my worst, I was driving and felt like I could fall asleep.
My best advice for overcoming fatigue is to find a good doctor that you work well with so that you can make sure your levels and T3, most importantly, are optimized. Of course, we want to focus on all of the lifestyle factors first to make sure those are not the cause: digestion, food sensitivities, vitamin and mineral levels, stress, exercise, and overall, reducing inflammation.
Make Sure Iron is Not the Cause
Get a full iron panel to make sure that is not the cause of fatigue (for me, my iron is still not high enough, so this is still the cause of some fatigue). This means at the very least having your ferritin levels checked. I would be happy to work with you to optimize your iron levels.
Feeling Good!
Now, to the fun part! What do I feel like when I feel good? When I have been cautious of my diet, and avoiding my sensitive foods such as food colorings, potassium sorbate, most grains, and some fruits, I feel pretty good. I also have my thyroid medicine fine tuned and right now it is helping me optimize how I feel.
More regular menstrual cycles. This is often my number one indicator that I have my T3 levels correct.
Energy that lasts all day (a slight dip in energy later in the day, but nothing problematic)
No sore throats, no puffiness
No post-nasal drip
No bloating
More engaged in social activities–energy to get out more
Reduced keratosis pilaris (skin “bumps”)
Greatly reduced feelings of hypoglycemia and blood sugar disregulation; Reduced sugar and carbohydrate cravings
Improved vision (weird, but I used to get a lot of “floaters” and blurry vision and sometimes seeing halos around lights during the day)
Much less nervousness and anxiety; feeling more calm and at ease
Many more–I will post as I think of them!
How do you feel? Have you been able to reduce symptoms? If so, how?
What do I mean by cross reactivity? I am talking about how some foods other than gluten get confused in the body for gluten!
Why does this happen? These food molecules “look” similar to the gluten molecule, and easily get confused in the body. So, if you are trying to avoid gluten to help reduce inflammation and reduce your immune response, you may need to also avoid gluten cross-reactors!
So far, I have not gone down the path of avoiding ALL of these possible cross reactive foods. I know that when I do eat wheat, I have long-lasting digestive changes. It may take me a month (or usually more) to get my digestion back to perfect.
I have still been avoiding millet, quinoa, potato, banana, buckwheat, hemp, oats, cassava/yucca, and trying to limit tapioca. I also limit the amount of corn and other grains that I intake. The tapioca one is hard because they put it in EVERYTHING! It is in a lot of gluten free alternative products. I still eat eggs, and some dairy. Here is why:
My MRT (Mediator Release Testing) results gave me a short-cut to figuring out what was causing the most inflammation in my body.
My MRT results
You can see how my grain section seems to be the most problematic. A few yellows, and a lot of “high green” which means to be careful! Overall, I have experienced the best symptom reduction when I was “grain-free”. However, yes, it is difficult to maintain. So, I do consume some rice and corn here and there. No excessive or regular at all. But, this is an example of how I have customized my possible cross reactive foods. You can also see how testing gives me the facts, and I don’t have to be as restrictive as others on a general autoimmune diet where you restrict eggs, dairy, all grains, and more.
Here is a list of the more common gluten cross-reactive foods for reference:
I was looking to make a completely sinless cookie that is also a grain free cookie recipe. Tough idea, but I haven’t eaten cookies in forever since I have been avoiding wheat and cutting back on sugar as much as possible.
This “cookie” recipe does not make true cookies–they are definitely more of a health food cookie. Just letting you know so you don’t make these and expect a different final product!
I cooked them on a griddle pan so that the outside got crispy. You want to almost have a pancake cooking technique with these.
Grain Free Cookie Recipe: Coconut Cookies
Makes about about 9 small cookies
Ingredients:
1 scoop whey protein powder or similar
2/3 cup coconut flour
1 egg
1/4 cup milk (just enough to moisten to cookie dough consistency)
Preheat a skillet and add 2 tsp. butter to allow to melt.
Combine all ingredients (except the last 2 ingredients for cooking), and mix well. Form small 1/2-1 inch cookie shaped dough balls.
Press the cookie dough balls into the hot skillet. Sprinkle with the stevia/sugar mixture. Flip after 2-3 minutes. Then, sprinkle with the stevia/sugar mixture again. Cook 5-7 more minutes until thoroughly heated throughout.
With this grain free cookie recipe, I like to experiment with consistencies and ingredients. You can add in different ingredients. For example, try cocoa powder for a little chocolate flavor! Or, how about some dried fruit?
Low energy? Fatigue? Belly fat? Sleep issues? Hard to cope with stress? These are common complaints of those who suffer from cortisol imbalances.
As a Registered Dietitian, adrenal testing is not fully a nutritional service or treatment. However, it is my goal to empower my patients with the most knowledge to be able to reach their health goals more independently. I want to help you understand your body clock and stress response. This is one reason why I am now offering adrenal cortisol testing.
Why test your cortisol levels?
This can help us understand your body’s natural rhythms. Once the body clock is off track, this can lead to disruptions in metabolism and make it difficult to reach your goals.
Better balance sugar metabolism
Maintain better emotional and physical energy
Strengthen the immune system against colds, coughs, flu and possibly more serious illness
Help reduce fat storage, and control appetite
Slow down the aging process, decrease PMS and menstrual difficulties
Aid dietary protein synthesis – helping mood
May prevent osteoporosis
Maintain healthy blood pressure levels
Lower LDL ‘bad’ cholesterol levels
Can nutrition help support healthy adrenal glands and cortisol levels?
Absolutely! We want to make sure you are getting the right balance on nutrients, primarily the B vitamins, to make sure you are supporting the body’s stress response. Sometimes there are various herbs that can be used to support as well.
“Dr. Low Dog notes, however, that saliva tests for cortisol, the adrenal hormone that mediates stress responses, are now considered highly reliable and that a growing body of evidence suggests that saliva tests can also accurately determine levels of the testosterone and DHEA (a precursor to male and female sex hormones, including androgens and estrogens).” -Dr. Weil
“The more pronounced cortisol response in saliva than in serum and its closer correlation with adreno-corticotrophic hormone offer advantages over serum cortisol, suggesting salivary cortisol measurement may be used as an alternative parameter in dynamic endocrine test.” -Clin Chem Lab Med. 1998 Apr;36(4):215-22.
Related to the thyroid: “Saliva testing will measure your cellular levels at four key times in a 24 hour period–revealing whether you have high cortisol (which can have similar to symptoms to low cortisol), or a mix of highs and lows…, or a majority of lows, which is extremely problematic when raising thyroid meds, causing hyper-like symptoms and excess RT3.” –STTM
I DO NOT DIAGNOSE OR MEDICALLY TREAT DISEASE (EXCEPT FOR THE USE OF MEDICAL NUTRITION THERAPY). PLEASE SEEK YOUR DOCTOR FOR ALL MEDICAL QUESTIONS AND TREATMENT.
Now available: Mobile Nutrition Counseling via your phone!
Users will have a Registered Dietitian (Nicole) assigned to their personal, private account for daily tracking, feedback and recommendations on your daily diet, 7 days per week.
Users will record their diet with the mobile application throughout the day and automatically build a daily profile of their diet. At midnight, the profile is passed to your assigned Registered Dietitian for evaluation and feedback on that specific 24 hour timeline. The relationship is private, secure and convenient for users.
Who Can Benefit?
Those looking for the most accountable, trusted weight loss plan or program
Those looking to change their micronutrient intakes (vitamins, minerals)
Great for those with specific health concerns
Those who want to have their macronutrients assessed (fat, carbohydrate, protein ratios)
Great for sports or fitness training
Have a question if this is right for you? Just ask!
How to Record Meals
Step 1 – Choose “Meal Input” tab on app homepage
Step 2 – Touch picture icon on upper left and take a picture of meal from 12 inches away. Add details of meal ingredients and portion of meal consumed if you choose to provide details for your Registered Dietitian. Also identify hydration throughout the day. The process takes less than a minute!
Record Daily Activities
Step 1 – Choose the “Physical Activity” tab on the app homepage.
Step 2 – Users have the option to record their daily physical activity, sleep hours, stress levels, stress level reduction and weight for their Registered Dietitian to acknowledge when reviewing the daily diet. This can be very important if regular activity, stress levels or sleep levels leads to increased/decreased meal consumption.
Quick Feedback
At midnight, your previous 24 hour diet timeline will be passed to your Registered Dietitian (Nicole) for evaluation. Nicole will review your diet and provide a daily summary, rate specific categories such as unhealthy fats, sodium, sugar, fruits/vegetables, quality and quantity and then leave a personal message via text, voicemail or video clip. The user will receive an email from their Dietitian when the daily response is ready.
Getting Results
Users will receive an email when their daily response is ready for viewing. Users are encouraged to login to the website to view responses so they can view their personal graphs that detail their personal ratings and progress. Responses can also be viewed within the mobile app but the website provides a more enriched experience with additional details.
How does a Registered Dietitian differ from a “nutritionist”?
Registered dietitians are highly educated and skilled nutritionists. However, the term ‘nutritionist’ is not as well regulated. A nutritionist may have a degree in nutrition, and (often) may not. While there are some nutritionists who teach evidence-based (and scientifically-validated) information, many do not. It is difficult to validate the credentials of a nutritionist, but quite simple to validate the education, experience and skills of Registered Dietitians. In many states anyone can call themselves a ‘Nutritionist’, even if they have never taken a class in nutrition from an accredited university. The mobile app is guided by Nicole, Registered Dietitian – the premier source for evidence-based diet and nutrition information.
I am excited to publish this 3 part series of blog posts about pregnancy, infertility and Hashimoto’s. This will also relate to those just suffering from hyper or hypothyroidism. I will give more details on the pre-conception period, prenatal nutrition, and postnatal nutrition!
