The Experiment

A couple years ago, I think, (it's for sure been a while) I remember reading an article about Jenny McCarthy and how she had been able to improve her son's autism using a strict diet and being diligent with it. When I first decided to research how to eat with hypothyroidism, I thought if she could improve autism with diet, why shouldn't I be able to help myself with my disease?
But I first got curious over a book I saw in a whole foods store in Utah. It was about unrefined virgin coconut oil. That got the ball rolling. But I don't like to get upset over just one thing. I like to back up my sources before I believe it. There's just so much out there, how do you know if it's true or not?

So I did an initial experiment. After reading about the effects of soy, and how it slows metabolism and is a phytoestrogen (plant-based hormone), I tossed everything we had with soy, soy lecithin, soybean oil, and soy protein out of our pantry. The next thing I went through was the sugar. I simply avoided it for three days.  It made sense that the more sugar you eat, the harder your pancreas works to produce and release insulin. What our bodies need is a stable release of glucose. The quick spikes from simple sugars over time lead to insulin resistance, easily paving the way for diabetes mellitus. With my sweet tooth in control, I was on the fast track to developing diabetes. Finally, I read about how part of gluten blocks nutrient absorption for persons with hypothyroidism. So, I didn't eat bread, rice, or anything processed.

After three weeks I felt infinitely better. Like a new person was waking up. Like the clouds had parted for the first time since I was fourteen years old revealing a beautiful, clear, blue sky. I could think clearly. I had energy. I could get out of bed as soon as I woke up. I brought sugar and gluten back into my diet and the effects of sugar were a lot more immediate than the gluten. It took a couple days of eating gluten to feel the difference. I always attributed the heaviness in my gut to overeating. But the more I kept eating the gluten foods, the heavier I felt with constipation making a reappearance. My husband and I sat down and discussed whether or not it was fair to change our whole family's diet just because of my issue. We figured it was a no-brainer and quickly decided it would be beneficial for all of us to eat more naturally.

Over the course of one month we have seen incredible byproducts in our overall health as a family as we focused on eating healthfully and naturally.

    1. I lost 8 pounds. (Yes, you read that right! After being told to not expect weight loss and to focus on how I feel for so long, I was ecstatic to see that.) I also lost 1.5" around my belly, .5" around my waist, each thigh, and 1" around my hips!
    2. My husband has lost 10 pounds and, after some natural detox from all the Coke, Mountain Dew and Nos he used to drink, a release from headaches.
    3. My almost 3 year-old, who has suffered from eczema since she was an infant, has not had any breakouts since we changed our diet.
    4. My 5 month-old infant has not suffered from nearly as much stomach discomfort and her eczema has seen great improvement as well.
    5. My kindergartener has begun to request a "healthy snack" when she comes home from school, instead of just fruit snacks or candy.

So, now that I'm a believer, the question now is can we make it a lifestyle? And can it be enjoyable? I propose that it can be an enjoyable lifestyle, and one that we should be living anyways, despite our health issues. If children develop lifetime eating habits by the time they are ten years old, I've got my work cut out for me. This blog will be my record of research findings, recipe hits and misses as I experiment for one year on how to eat for hypothyroidism while enjoying it.