Keto. Everyone raves about it but many thyroid women, especially women over 40, get no results or even feel worse. This OB/GYN found her hypothyroid female patients most often failed on the traditional ketogenic diet and she was determined to figure out why. I invited her to write a guest post to share her 10 keto modifications for thyroid disease.
Her first guest article was hugely popular and followers flooded in with messages. One woman asked an interesting question, “What’s in your fridge?” And the answer turned into this guest post.
Written by Anna Cabeca, Triple Board Certified OB-GYN
There is a right way and a wrong way to do the Keto diet especially for thyroid women over 40.
Like you, I’m busy. I have four daughters, a business to run, a heavy lecture schedule, books and blogs to write… Need I say more? Your life may not look like mine, but I bet we’ve got hectic-ness in common!
Setting up your kitchen for success is step #1.
Your kitchen should be a standing invitation to prepare and cook delicious meals. Believe it or not, my patients have the greatest success when they stock their fridge with only these 16 key food types and center their meals around them for 16 days. You can make all sorts of recipes and many different combinations. Think “16 food types-16 days”.
Of course, modifications may be necessary if you have a known sensitivity to one or more of these food types or if you find yourself reacting poorly to certain foods. If you are vegan or vegetarian, there are plenty of dietary shifts that you can do too.
What’s in my fridge?
- Wild-caught fish: Adding wild-caught fish (my favorites are salmon and white fish) to your weekly diet is a great fat-burning strategy.
- Chicken: White and dark meat are metabolism-stoking proteins important for boosting weight-loss hormones like growth hormone, testosterone, and glucagon.
- Grass-fed beef: High in omega-3 fatty acid, grass-fed beef helps cut the risk of developing belly fat. Having lived on a diet of greens and having received not antibiotics or hormones, 100% grass-fed beef is on my list.
- Dark leafy greens: These are a much for getting your body into a healthy alkaline state. Great options include spinach, kale, chard, collard greens, bok choy, dandelion greens, lettuces (romaine, arugula, mesclun, baby spinach, etc), and one of my favorites beet greens. Greens are rich in fiber which help push food waste products through the body for elimination. Backed up fecal matter could be adding a few pounds to the scale.
- Raw sprouts: These super foods are little powerhouses that support liver detoxification and help eliminate toxic, fat-forming, environmental estrogens from the body. Both actions clear the way for steady fat loss. Get creative and add them to your cooking, smoothies, and salads.
- Cabbage: Cooked or raw, this super-healthy food is another detoxifying veggie, which is why it’s on my list.
- Other cruciferous vegetables: This includes broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kohlrabi, mustard greens, radishes, rapini, rutabaga, turnips, watercress and Chinese cabbage. Cooking, even steaming, these veggies reduces the goitrogenic effect that may disrupt the production of thyroid hormones by interfering with iodine uptake in the thyroid gland. This doesn’t mean to avoid these healthy veggies but do monitor your intake of raw forms and enjoy a variety of dishes in cooked form. Maca is a plant native to the Peruvian Andes mountain range. It is a member of the cruciferous vegetable family. It’s one of my favorite adrenal adaptogens so powerful that it boosts hormone production.
- Garlic and other alliums: That’s your onion, scallion, shallot, leek and chives. Alliums are rich sources of quercetin which is a type of phytochemical that helps activate enzymes essential for breaking down fats. They also have anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal properties that help keep pathogenic organisms for infesting the gut.
- MCT oil or coconut oil: These are two fat-burning fats that can support your metabolism in a super fast way. Healthy fats keep us feeling satisfied longer and reduce cravings. MCT stands for medium chain triglycerides. MCT oil increases the release of hormones that promote the feeling of fullness.
- Olive oil: This is one of the best fats you can eat. It has an impressive list of health perks, especially for women. For example, olive oil balances one of our major hormones, insulin. It can also help improve body shape – less body fat and more tones curves.
- Nuts: Go crazy for nuts, if you are not sensitive to them that is. The fat, fiber, and protein they contain all work together to make us feel fuller and satiated longer. They also stimulate the action of various weight-loss hormones. Great nuts include Brazil nuts, almonds, hazelnuts, and pili nuts.
- Avocado: My favorite fat of all, avocados are loaded with omega-9 fatty acids known to activate fat-burning in the body. Plus, they’re extremely alkalinizing. Add they to your smoothies to make them super creamy and even add them to your salads and dessert recipes.
- Fermented vegetables: Sauerkraut, kimchi, and pickled ginger provide probiotics that boost the number and diversity of beneficial microorganisms of the gut. A healthy gut burns fat more easily.
- Pineapple, mango, and papaya: This powerful trio contains natural enzymes that help your body digest protein and carbohydrates.
- Bone broth: This super alkalizing food helps with digestion, joint function, immunity, hormone balance, and virtually every other function in the body. Make a home-made batch of bone broth or purchase a ready-made grass-fed bone broth and sip on it throughout the day.
- Citrus: Lemons and limes are rich in polyphenols—active plant compounds that have anti-obesity, anti-inflammatory, liver-detox, and insulin-controlling benefits.
About Dr. Anna Cabeca
Dr. Anna Cabeca is an Emory University trained gynecologist and obstetrician, a menopause and sexual health expert, international speaker and educator.
In my experience, the best perspective for anyone is to choose only foods that come from nature. And we know what those are. And also know how they were raised. Beyond that would be living with all around healthier behavior. Treat others and yourself well. Even in your mind. Keep a clear conscience. Treat your body like it’s a job to wear and care for it. Life the way its meant to be is usually fairly straight forward. Of course, that isn’t the case for many people. Society is rigged against your well being. You have to take matters in your own hands and place yourself in the proper environment. If that includes avoiding those that bring you trouble, so be it. Family included. Otherwise, it’s quick fixes doomed to fail.
I follow someone on Instagram that claims to have healed her thyroid and is now a nutritionist, and claims keto as well as intermittent fasting is terrible for those with hypothyroid and causes symptoms to increase because they do not support the thyroid as is needed to heal it.
Why would they say that? You are advocating for keto here. It is so difficult to navigate health these days as everyone claims to know it all and have all the answers.
Hi Vicki, The reason I included this article about keto at Hypothyroid Mom is because I’ve heard from many readers that do not do well on the traditional keto diet and this article explains the important modifications to keto that would need to be considered for someone with a thyroid issue. Here are two more articles about the important modifications needed:
https://hypothyroidmom.com/the-keto-diet-with-10-thyroid-twists/
https://hypothyroidmom.com/traditional-ketogenic-diets-neglect-alkalinity-but-combine-the-two-and-bam/
The foods to avoid if you have thyroid issues are on this list.
Can someone just make loosing weight with thyroid issues east please?
Strawberries and peaches were off of my hypothyroid diet… and I cook all cruciferous … the rest of the keto looks fine to me…however if you find something doesn’t work for you then definitely avoid it… grains are being gradually decreased in my diet and my severe allergic reaction to nightshade foods and some other off things like walnuts, mango, cashew(Same plant family as poison ivy, yikes) and kiwi make me leery of foods not found in my latitude…(a diet -ying yang, found in Chinese herbal recommendations). When changing up your diet take a long time to do it and gradually adjust your body…probiotics definitely help me with digestion too.
Strawberries and peaches were off of my hypothyroid diet… and I cook all cruciferous … the rest of the keto looks fine to me…however if you find something doesn’t work for you then definitely avoid it… grains are being gradually decreased in my diet and my severe allergic reaction to nightshade foods and some other off things like walnuts, mango, cashew and kiwi make me leery of foods not found in my latitude…(a diet -ying yang, found in Chinese herbal recommendations). When changing up your diet take a long time to do it and gradually adjust your body…probiotics definitely help me with digestion too.
I’ve been on thyroid medicine since I was 11. I have lupus and 3 years ago I ended up with colostomy. For life. Even though it’s been almost 3 years. I still have problems eating different things. I drink plenty of water but I know I’m not eating enough protein. I been very depressed. Having health issues. I don’t get quite back to being myself. Then something throws my body off. Usually my lupus acts up. In the last 4 months I gain 10lbs. I can stay up for days. I can’t sleep even with a sleeping pill. I have an appointment with a new Internal medicine doc in 2 months. I’m hoping he’ll have a different view on my health and how we can improve it thanks for listening hope you find your sleep miracle
Thanks to a supposedly great dr. in Fla., I had 1/2 of my thyroid removed. An MRI disclosed a node. I’d had breast CA 9 yrs. before so I was scared. I didn’t question. Now I’m minus 1/2 of my thyroid because he didn’t biopsy the node prior to surgery. He went in & took the node out – it was a cold node and never should have been removed. Within weeks, I gained 40 lbs so no more swimming for me since I couldn’t find anything that fit. 15 yrs. later & it’s worse. I never ate much, rarely had snacks. Now I’m 71, have arthritis due to my former job but can barely walk without pain. I have too much weight on. I’m cancer-free 22 yrs. later – it was hormonal so I can’t have soy. I consider myself a vegetarian, have been since I was a child. I don’t eat meat, fish, eggs. If I make soup or stew, I’ll use chicken/beef broth but any meat, the dog gets. Looking at this diet, what am I supposed to eat? I don’t like every vegetable or fruit out there. I’ve looked at Keto and it’s not for me. Way back in high school, I wanted to take off some weight – Dr. told me to avoid avocados (which I’m not a fan of), bananas and corn. I took off the 10 lbs. I wanted.
I find much of this contradictory.
There are no one size fit all diets. I’m not a medical expert but after over 40 years I know my own body. I just take advice that works and leave those that don’t work for me. Majority of the list is a regular on my shopping list and home menu. However, high sugar fruit do not work for me. But, I can’t say that I have ever tried the trio together. I am tempted to try a very small amount to keep the carb consumption as low as possible. I have digestive issues so it would be great if it works.
I did KETO for 2 months including interment fasting and felt like total crap! Bloated & weight gain was enough of a sign to stop this diet. It was horrible for my hypothyroidism.
Great info! However aren’t cruciferous vegetables not recommended for thyroid issues?
Following a Keto diet, the only fruit allowed was strawberries & blueberries yet #14 & #16 you are suggesting more options. Won’t that disrupt Keto?