The holiday season can be challenging to stay on track with dietary needs and stick to the foods you know make you feel your best. It can also be stressful for our loved ones as they prepare multi-course meals, host extended family in their homes, and juggle end-of-year responsibilities.
The holidays are when I am most likely to detour from a routine that has made my thyroid health sustainable and attainable. So when the holidays roll around, my mantra over the years has been helping me help you. After over four years of navigating a hypothyroidism diagnosis, I’ve identified the four categories of foods that consistently cause my thyroid symptoms to flair up sugar, gluten, dairy, and seed oils.
I recognize that various factors can cause thyroid flare-ups and that the dietary guidelines I follow are specific to my body. I encourage any thyroid patient to test and learn, and, as always, take what you want and leave what does not work for you!
5-Day Thyroid Meal Plan
In this free download, you'll get a five-day meal plan that includes a grocery list and recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, two snack options, plus dessert.
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Meal Tips For Success
Here are a few of the ways I have supported my thyroid health through the holidays and the guidance that I provide to those around me:
1. Make a list of foods that you CAN eat. Brainstorm the most commonly served dishes at your holiday gatherings and let your relatives know what already works for you. If substitutions are needed, provide them with some explicit guidance like:
- An easy gluten-free dessert recipe that you love (and other guests might enjoy too!)
- Recommend minor substitutions like swapping seed oils for olive oil.
- Remind your hosts that vegetables are always a safe bet and that roasting a few veggies in the oven with your oil of choice and spices will do wonders.
2. Provide a comprehensive list of foods that are no-gos. While we’re all a little more flexible during the holidays, what foods do you want to stay away from completely?
3. Give recommendations for adjusting your favorite recipes to meet your needs. Swap milk for coconut or almond milk and canola oil for olive or avocado oil. There are also many gluten-free options these days for pasta, flour, and bread.
4. Remind your people not to stress too much. The holidays can already be overwhelming, and your lists should be a helpful guide, not a burden.
5. Offer to answer any questions. People who have never navigated food restrictions may get overwhelmed, so make yourself available to provide guidance, reassurance, and gratitude that they are making some shifts to meet your needs.
Feel free to apply these rules of thumb to most events hosted by friends, family, and loved ones. At first, It can be hard to explicitly ask for what you need at first but remind yourself that your family is there to support your health, and you can make the process easy and accessible for those who love you.
A Note from Paloma Health
If you are in need of nutritional support or someone to walk you through thyroid friendly options during the holidays, our team of registered dietitians can help play a role in optimization your diet and lifestyle for better thyroid health.
We recommend to also test your thyroid levels after the holidays to get a better understanding of what your current levels are after a period of indulgence. Paloma Health’s Complete Thyroid Home Test kit makes it easy, affordable, and painless. With a Paloma test kit, you test at home with painless fingerstick testing. The panel includes Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH), Free Thyroxine (Free T4), Free Triiodothyronine (Free T3), and Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (TPOAb). You also have the option at checkout to add Reverse T3 (RT3) and Vitamin D tests to your panel. Just order your kit online, follow the easy instructions to take your samples, and send your test kit back to our certified lab in the prepaid mailer. Your results come back quickly to your secure online portal.
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