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First, several issues need to be addressed when planning to begin a dietary regimen strategy for Grave's disease. According to Ronald Hoffman, M.D., substances that are considered toxic to the thyroid and affect its functioning need to be eliminated; for example, soy, cabbage, turnips, kale, rutabaga, cauliflower, and broccoli should be removed from the diet or at least restricted. Also, iodine can affect thyroid activity, so food high in iodine should not be ingested. Also, it is suggested that products with caffeine such as coffee, soda, tea, and chocolate should be avoided as well as walnuts and peanuts. These eliminations from the diet are important points to accept at the beginning.
According to the National Library of Medicine, Grave's disease is considered an autoimmune disease, so an important issue about nutritional intake is to eat foods that do not begin an autoimmune response. This means that certain foods may activate cells of the immune system to turn on self and view the body as an antigen (foreign) and begin to attack self; thus, foods need to be eaten that do not provoke an autoimmune response. According to Dr. Ronald Hoffman, foods like meats, nuts, and produce should be incorporated into the dietary regimen. -
Generally speaking, researchers propose that autoimmune disorders may be caused by certain foods that have become common to the human diet within the past 40,000 years. According to Dr. Hoffman, foods new to human consumption within this time period include: grain and dairy products, lentils, beans, and yeast foods. On the other hand, Dr. Hoffman notes that food that consists of meats, nuts, vegetables and fruits have been consumed by humans for 2 million years and that this diet, known as a Paleolithic diet, is the diet beneficial to patient s with Grave's disease.
Protein in a Paleolithic diet, according to Dr. Hoffman, constitutes roughly 25-30% of calories, the source of which is lean meats and fish. This differs from the modern western diet that includes only 10-15% protein; furthermore, the source of this protein typically are meats high in fat, legumes, grains and dairy products (part of Dr. Hoffman's more recent 40,000 year past). So, the source of protein ingested is important. - A counter that lists the amount of iodine in different substances is included to help with dietary choices (see Iodine Counter-Gravesdiseasecure website in References).
