Ditch the gluten and dairy

Ditching gluten and dairy will definitely help your autoimmune disease with putting it into remission. The thyroid is a butterfly shaped gland in the lower front of your neck that produces hormones which regulate many body functions, including your heart, digestion, metabolism, brain and mood regulation. It is vital to overall wellness, however there was a growing increase of people who deal with thyroid condition, particularly Hashimoto’s or graves. Graves is hyperthyroidism and it is autoimmune. Hypothyroidism is a autoimmune condition in which the thyroid has been destroyed by the immune system . In this condition overtime the thyroid gets destroyed and overtime will result in a smaller than normal size gland which will then produce decrease thyroid output which results in worsening of symptoms. One of the mechanisms that can arise is cellular mimicry. This is where the immune system flags of pathogen and an innocent tissue in the body as one in the same and tries to destroy both. With thyroid disease some risk factors include genetics, exposure to certain environmental toxins, having a leaky gut, previous bacterial and viral infections, gender and ethnicity.

So if you were dealing with this type of disease again it is wise to keep gluten and dairy out of your diet. That’s gonna be really hard for many people, since the basis of our diet revolves around these two food groups. Gluten is a protein in a grain including wheat, barley and rye. Gluten contains a protein called gliaden in the molecular structure and is very similar to transglutaminase. If you have autoimmune thyroid disease your body is producing antibodies that attack this trans glutaminase in the thyroid. When you eat gluten your intestines are exposed to the gliadin, the gliadin leads to zonulin up regulation which will then loosen the junctions of the intestines and increase intestinal permeability. This intestinal permeability occcurs in everyone regardless if a person has a gluten sensitivity or not. Research has shown that eliminating gluten in patients with all thyroid disease can significantly reduce thyroid antibody. Research has also shown that there is a correlation between autoimmune thyroid disease and celiac disease which is another autoimmune condition that causes intestinal damage with the consumption of gluten. When gliadin is able to pass through the intestinal wall, the body has the potential to flag it as an invader and then create antibodies. Gluten sensitivity systems can include constipation, abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, fatigue, anemia, brain fog, eczema, headaches, depression or anxiety. It is very important to be completely gluten-free as the effects of gluten consumption can last up to six months. Another food that is restricted is dairy. Many people significantly improve their TSH levels after restricting dairy. Casein protein found in dairy is structured similarly to Gliadin. When your body reacts to gluten there’s a good chance it will actually react to dairy, to which it will then raise the same immune response for casein as it does for gliadin. Dairy is also on the inflammatory side for many people mostly due to the sugar and the proteins found in it.

If you’re still experiencing some symptoms even after removing gluten and dairy, there are other foods called cross-reactive foods that can be a culprit these foods are yeast, oats, corn, millet, coffee and rice. You can try eliminating these foods as well to see if your symptoms change. Again if you are needing help navigating this, contact me today!