My Advice

Hey Y’all, (no, I’m not from Texas. Just like to say Y’all, and usually in a southern accent too. Try it! It’s fun!).  



I should start by apologizing for the length of this post in advance.  It's my first one and I have a lot to say. 


Well, I decided to finally start a blog! I want to start this blog to reach out to others with Hashimoto’s or other autoimmune disorders. I simply just want to help those who want the guidance from somebody who has gone through all the tough times of having this lovely thyroid disorder. Thanks to all my family and friends who have loved and supported me through this. It has been a rough couple of years, but here I am ready to share with whoever wants to listen. I love you all so much!

Let me start off by telling you a little bit of my story. I am 31 years old. I am married to a wonderful, supportive and very loving husband who has made my life much, much easier by making me laugh at least three times a day (even when I am mad at him). We have three beautiful children all under the age of 10. I was officially diagnosed with Hashimoto’s in May of 2010, after a very scary four day stay in the hospital that started with all the symptoms of a heart attack. I will discuss more of that experience in another post. After trying to figure out how to deal with this new disease, doing tons of research and finally feeling better, almost two years later, I have decided to put it all together to help others who are struggling to feel “normal” again. 

So, lets get started! I am going to give you the four things that have taken me from feeling really crappy, most of the time, to being able to live with energy and purpose. 

First and foremost, I want to say that my Faith in Christ is the reason I am where I am now. It was a rough start for sure. I totally believe that He has been there every step of the way guiding me on what to do next. He was preparing me for this disease my whole life and I didn’t even know it. But that’s how He rolls. He has given me hope for my future with this disease and also has given me a purpose through the process. That being said, I believe that there is a  huge connection between health and spirituality. Whether you choose to follow Christianity or some other form of “spirituality” is totally up to you. But my stance is in Christ. So please be prepared to find the occasional Bible verse on this blog. Speaking of a good Bible verse, here is my favorite;
Jeremiah 29:11- For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.



Along with the spiritual part of healing also comes an emotional part as well. Which, for me, is something I just learned. I went to get a therapeutic massage, in October 2011, and my massage therapist, (Anna Redman CMT) ended up schooling me on the emotional connection. She taught me about how my emotions were causing me to continue to feel sick. Anna ended up not giving me a massage. She ended up doing a foot detox and also did a technique called “Body Talk”. No joke, going to see her has been the best thing for me. Let me get a little deeper here. She told me that in Eastern medicine they teach that the thyroid is connected to feeling like you’re not being heard. Like you’re afraid to speak your “truth”. Which ,was exactly how I was feeling. She helped me get to a place where we were talking about specific events (past and current), in my life that made me feel this way and we worked on it together and I have to say, since I have started seeing her, I have felt like myself again. And, it’s been quite a while, (8 years or so). Anna truly has a God given gift and God Bless her for actually using it.

Next, and it’s a biggie! I’m Vegan! And Gluten free too! I know, I know, CRAAAAAAZY! Oh, I forgot to mention oil free too. But trust me, if you want to feel better you just might have to make that crazy a*# jump. I can’t tell you how great I felt once my naturopathic doctor, (yep I said it! Nat-uro-path-ic doc-tor. All together now =)..), told me I needed to give up all animal by products and gluten. I met with the best ND around, Connie Sanchez, and she was and has been so wonderful in helping me get balanced. It is so very important for Hashimotos patients to go gluten free. Here is an article that I think explains the reasoning very well. http://missionhillspt.com/2008/05/02/gluten-and-inflammation/

And lastly, I work out 5 or 6 days out of the week for at least 30 minutes. Depending on the day it can be just cardio, or lifting weights or doing a video of, p90x , Tracey Anderson, or my new fav, 10 minute trainer with Tony Horton. Exercise is very important. I know you may not even have the energy to think about working out, but once you get started it gets easier and you will start feeling better.

Well, there it is. These are all the things in my journey that have helped me feel “normal” again. I know it’s very overwhelming to think about. And trust me I have been there. But I started this whole journey by taking control of it (Hashimotos) before it could control me. I absolutely have had my ups and downs, and it wasn’t a “cake walk”. I have plenty of stories I can share about what a rough journey this has actually been. But I would not have changed any part of it. It really beats the alternative of feeling like crap. Going vegan and gluten free is hard , but I really truly believe Hashimotos can be controlled through diet.

If you are still reading and still interested, then great! Down below are a few things that can help you get started in your journey to getting better right away.

First, if you are not on Armour or Natur-throid, ask your doctor to change your medication. Second – start taking your medication at night, right before bed, for optimal absorption. 
Third – start eating gluten free. This is really important. By continuing to eat gluten you are causing your immune system to attack your thyroid and essentially slowly destroying it.

Here are the websites and books I found and use today to help me.
1. Living Well With Hypothyroidism By Mary J. Shomon www.thyroid-info.com I must say this is a fantastic guide. There is an autoimmune check list in the book and I am pretty sure there is one on the website. It was very helpful for me to actually see that all of my symptoms were there.

2. www.thenutritiondoc.com - This is my Naturopathic Doctor Connie Sanchez. If you happen to be in the Denver area and you need a wonderful doctor, she’s it. She also happens to be on Mary J. Shomon’s list for top Thyroid doctors in Colorado. She has changed my life. She is understanding and truly cares about the patient. I can’t even put into words what I think of this woman. Simply put, she is AWESOME!!!!!

3. www.wholefoods.com - There is an icon at the top of their home page labeled, Health Starts Here. I go there for recipes often. These are typically vegan and gluten free and also without oil. FYI, oil inflames the body.

4. www.stopthethyroidmadness.com – This is a great website for thyroid information.

5. I bought a book on Amazon called Unprocessed By Chef AJ. I love the recipes in this book!

6. www.crossroadsabc.com. - This is my home church. Our church has an online campus that allowed me to watch church online from the comfort of my own home when I was feeling too tired to even get up off the couch. Our Pastor is Kim Skattom and truly has a God given talent. He is a wonderful pastor and he has also changed my life. Because of something he said in a sermon (and also because of my beautiful mother and sister) I am doing this blog and reaching out. He said, “In times of struggle and pain run towards God and not away. Then reach out towards others for help and to help.” Those words changed my view of this Hashimoto’s business in such a positive light. 

7. www.klove.com – I listen to this radio station. It is a Christian station. It is very uplifting and encouraging. On bad days, I can hear one song and I feel much better. It really puts my life into perspective.

8. The 4th hour of the Today Show. Kathy Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb, are such a funny part of my day. I started watching this when I was first diagnosed and so sick I couldn’t go to work. I am now back at work and feeling much better, but I still need to watch them, so I DVR it every day and watch when I get home. 


9.  www.annaredmancmt.com - This is my Massage therapist that I mentioned above. She is really a blessing.

Keep in mind, I am not a doctor. I am simply someone who is not going to let this disease take over my life. What has worked for me might not work for you. But then again it just might. This is all simply just trial and error for me. And you might need to do the same thing. I just hope and pray that my trial and error journey can help you cut through all the information and get to feeling better as soon as possible. I know all of this information can be grueling and overwhelming. When I first got diagnosed, I remember opening the Living Well With Hypothyroidism book and just crying. I didn’t even know where to start and I felt all alone and overwhelmed. I would cry simply because there was finally an answer to why I felt so crappy for so long and that I wasn’t a hypochondriac. Every little emotion would just simply come out because I opened up a book.

So, on the upside,I am just going to give you a sample menu of how I eat, because this is a huge part of feeling better.


Breakfast – Within the first hour of being awake Green smoothie – In a good blender –
2 handfulls of spinach, kale or romaine lettuce
2 cups filtered water 2 bananas ½ cup blueberries 2-3 tablespoons of flax seed

Lunch – Usually a big salad of kale, romaine or collards with diced up apple or pear with a small handful of nuts or seeds (I really like pecans), and a chopped green onion. For the “dressing” I usually sprinkle Mrs.Dash or pepper.

Dinner – Lentil Chili from the Whole Foods website under the Health Starts here icon, with some steamed veggies.

Here are a couple of snack ideas:
Fruit and a small handful of nuts or seeds Peanut butter (the natural kind without any sugar added) with fruit or celery. I really like eating a banana with PB. SOOOOO Yummy!
Kale chips

More Breakfast ideas:  
Gluten free oatmeal (I like Bob’s Red Mill) with a diced up apple, some raisins, some almonds and cinnamon. -
Coconut yogurt with fresh or frozen berries.

More dinner/lunch items: 
Quinoa pasta with tomato sauce and veggies 
Quinoa pasta mixed with a can of black beans and a can of diced tomatoes and spices of your choice. I usually toss in fresh basil, garlic powder and a little onion powder. 
Corn shelled tacos with black beans and pico di gaillo and guacamole.

Here are the rules for how I try to eat: 
Try to buy organic as often as possible especially produce and eat WHOLE, unprocessed foods as often as possible. 
No meat 
No dairy or soy
No gluten 
No oil  
No sweeteners, (not even honey), Stevia is the only option  
No caffeine (except for green tea), although, being honest, I have a hard time with this one. I love coffee with soy milk. 
No alcohol - Right about now, some of you are thinking “No Fun!"


Keep in mind "everything in moderation". I do have a glass of wine every once in a while. And, if time is short I will eat something like quinoa pasta (which is processed), but hey it's better than regular pasta.  Just make sure you pay attention to your body/symptoms.  Your body was designed with the amazing capability of telling you what's wrong.  

I'm not gonna lie, it’s hard at first, but if it seems like too much to do all at once, start by removing gluten first and once you feel you have a grip on that, try taking out dairy, then meat and so on. It can be tough and there are days when I give in and have some cheese (that is my kryptonite) I pay for it later, but every once in a while, it happens. Don’t beat yourself up about it. Nobody is perfect!

Well that’s it for now! I hope this information helps somebody out there. I will be checking in, so please feel free to email me. I will try to respond as quickly as I can.