Dear Type 1 Community. Like many people, I have Type 1 and an additional autoimmune disease, in my case, Hashimotos. I am very much struggling with some stomach issues and bloating/constipation and recently, some weight gain. I maintain a healthy diet, work out five days a week, and have TSH numbers that are “in range” (typically a TSH between 1.5-3) I am at wit’s end because I am not finding much guidance and how to adapt my diet to relieve my symptoms. My endo is typically far more focused on my Type 1 management and given the pseudo-science out there about various diet fads and thyroid problems, he has not provided much guidance and expresses skepticism. He regularly tests me for celiac disease but that is about it. Where to start? eliminate gluten first? dairy? soy? all three at once? Ironically, dairy and soy have helped me manage my diabetes as they are naturally low in carb. I would appreciate a science-based resource for some guidance. My stomach is at times so bloated I look pregnant.
Most people will not agree with me but I am working with underactive thyroid not auto immune based case but similar problems. Bloating, can’t lose weight… I am severely depressed and can’t control me appetite.
I am going Keto carnivore and feel significantly better. I wouldn’t have believed it if I didn’t see it for myself. I haven’t eating meat in 20 + years. Do a basic Youtube search on carnivore and thyroid and I think you will find some very intriguing info worth exploring.
Thank you for your reply. I am glad Keto is working for you. I definitely think protein (in all forms) is helpful, but going full keto will be too hard on my heart and kidneys so I will need to explore other strategies.
I switched to high carb low fat, although it took me 2 years to fully switch over. It’s a plant based diet with no dairy at all. Dairy was the last thing I gave up during my transition because I love yogurt.
You get to eat lots of carbs as long as they are not processed carbs and lots of protein, but not protein from meat.
Of course I still eat wheat because I don’t have any issues with it, but I find my sugars are easier to control on this diet and unlike keto, I don’t feel like I’m craving anything.
It’s called mastering diabetes if you want to look it up. It is not for everyone and takes careful planning. Going out to eat is harder, but I don’t freak out about it either, I will eat fat if I’m out, and yes it means I need more insulin but I’m not a fanatic about it.
I am type 1 but don’t have other autoimmune issues, so am not sure if this will be good advice. My doctor put me on Victoza about 10 years ago and that really helped with my eating and weight, which helped my blood sugar levels. Over time I switched to Trulicity, and now Ozempic. I have had to go without for a couple of weeks over the past 10 years, and the struggle with food comes back fast. Might be worth asking about.
Timothy: thank you for your reply. Yes, dairy will be my last hold out as yogurt plays such a foundation in my meal planning for protein.
Were you experiencing bloat as well (sometimes referred to as Hashimoto’s Belly)? I am familiar with the Mastering Diabetes Book which has a ton of useful information. It appears to be primarily aimed at reducing insulin resistance which is not something (yet at least) I suffer from.
thanks again for sharing.
Insulin resistance is a misnomer when it comes to type 1 especially. Usually insulin resistance refers to someone whose blood sugars are abnormal because their body’s are resistant.
I prefer to call it insulin sensetivity. And yes low fat diet will reduce your need for insulin. For me it wasn’t that much of a drop. But my sugars are better controlled.
I never had bloating, I wanted to lose a little weight and I just wanted to keep my sugar in better control.
My insulin use is well within the normal range for type1.
The idea is that fat and oil will cause less insulin sensitivity or call it resistance. It doesn’t really matter.
If you are bloated, there is some issue. Maybe allergy or digestive issue or even a neurological issue.
So you might want to see if you can find a root cause maybe my eliminating foods one at a time to see if it helps
I also learned some really interesting things about my metabolism,ni am able to fast which was a bad word back in the day.
On weekends I do. 24 hour fasting one meal a day and I feel good afterwards. I really don’t have issues with hunger. I realized that I had been eating based on a schedule for 37 years and never considered things like fasting or skipping meals etc.
There are a lot of different things you can try
I’m sorry to hear that you’re struggling without much resolution. The only thing I can offer is that you need to keep the variables to 1 @ a time. If you can, after getting solid info re what might be the most likely offenders in your diet, eliminate the most likely 1st & go from there -1 by 1. Takes longer but…
There are already so many variables @ work over which you haves less control (stress, illness, random infection, etc) which makes this more difficult. There are so many highly educated experts on this site who can generously provide you with some guidelines & starting points. Consider their ideas. Best of luck.
I have LADA and Hashimoto’s, as well as some other autoimmune disorders, including asthma. There are a lot of books and websites on this topic, and the two things that have helped me the most are:
- I restrict the amount of gluten I eat. I am not gluten free, although on some days I am. This has really helped with digestive issues. And, interestingly, my breathing is much better as well.
- I do not eat any raw cruciferous vegetables or nuts.
Hope this helps.
Thank you Timothy. You have a point as my AIC had recently risen so I will revisit the book. I have also explored fasting, I think it depends on my activity levels as I do work out five days a week. I appreciate your feedback. For now, I am beginning by eliminating gluten for a month and will load up on protein and good fats. Thanks again!
Thank you for your thoughtful reply. As you suggest, I am beginning with eliminating gluten for a month and see how it goes. Next will be soy. And yes, you are so right about all the variables that can impact our health. I just started a new job (a good one) so my routines have been upended and now entering post-menopausal era.
Josefine: Thank you for your insights. I am day 5 on a gluten free diet and will see how it goes. Then will consider soy and/or dairy. I had read about the cruciferous vegetables before so will also be more mindful of it. Nuts would be hard for me to eliminate because of its protein but will definitely try it if my other restrictions fail. I am glad to hear that your breathing improved after restricting gluten. It’s amazing how many people seem to have a sensitivity to it.
The Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) would be my suggestion for a place to start. There is one (small) study using AIP for Hashi’s, and it’s easy to find hundreds of anecdotes if you look around. It can be as low carb or high carb/low protein or high protein as you care to design it.
Anecodotes: You searched for hashimoto’s - Autoimmune Wellness
There are several people who have written about AIP, but I like this book cause it’s not overly long, it’s concise and informative:
A Simple Guide to the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol: Laird, Eileen: 9781519600288: Amazon.com: Books
Best of luck, and feel free to PM if you have any questions. I’ve done AIP for years for RA and Celiac.
Dear Sarah:
Thank you so much for the information, I will definitely consult these resources. I have begun cutting out gluten to see if that helps. In the meantime, I plan on learning more about AIP to see if that will help.
Anna
That’s a great starting point! If it helps, I cut out gluten first, then dairy a few weeks later, before doing AIP a couple months after that. It was an easier transition that way for me.
I too have T1D and Hashimoto and like you normal TSH. Since I still have normal thyroid hormone, the Hashimoto is just a watchful wait. The bloating, is a separate issue and you should bring it up with your PCP as it may have zip to do with diabetes or Hashimoto. If your endo is your PCP, be more forceful – make him/her focus on what is bothering you. There are many possible causes, from infection, IBS, fructose, lactose, too little exercise, eating too fast, drinking to many carbonated beverages, and many, many more.
If you want to see if diet is a possible cause, keep a food diary and mark when you get bloated to see if there is any corrolation between bloating and dairy or soy or gluten or…
Thanks. Gradual is the way to go. Dairy will be hard for me…not milk but yogurt and cheese but if it will help me to eliminate dairy I will do it.
Thank you.
I have pushed my doctors on this front (my endo and PCP) and I have been tested for celiac, I had a colonoscopy, a scan, and bloodtests. When nothing seemed to come of these tests, I returned to reading what I could find and it all seemed to circle back to Hashimotos. Your idea of a diary is a good one as I experiment eliminating one food group at a time: gluten, then dairy, soy and so on. I also gave up alcohol for drytober (and have done it for other months too), it did not change the bloating but it did improve my sleep.
I appreciate you taking time to respond. The eating too fast is an additional factor that I will keep in mind.
I learned about the food diary when I had GI problems - eventually traced to my body stopping production of lactase and thus not being able to digest lactose. Pretty common occurrence but, at that time, not well known in the medical profession. See if you can see a dietician to help with planning a food elimination diet. Good luck.
Thyroid disorders correlate highly with T1D. So does celiac. I had been tested for celiac when I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s followed by Graves over 20 years ago. Fifteen years later, I went through about 9 months of bloating and was misdiagnosed as lactose intolerance by my family doctor. Unlike your experience, I lost weight and even failed a hematocrit test due to nutrient malabsorption. I eventually came across the stats on T1D and celiac, stopped eating anything with gluten and the bloating gradually subsided over the following year. I write “gradually” because it took months to filter out foods with cross-contamination. Bloating is always the indicator of gluten cross-contamination for me.
On a related note, thyroid dysfunction should always be meaured by three labs (TSH, FT4, FT3), not TSH alone.
I hope this is helpful to you.