In 2016, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. This came after years of trying to figure out what was going on with my body. At the time I had recently graduated college and attributed a lot of my symptoms, such as gaining weight and extreme tiredness, to the college lifestyle. However, when my long full hair started rapidly shedding, I decided this was not normal after all. I lost over 50% of my hair’s volume within about 2 years.

During this time, I started asking my doctor to test my vitamin levels, that something felt off, and they kept replying that everything was normal. I finally just told myself that maybe this was how everyone felt and tried to accept that. Then at my yearly checkup, the doctor did a full body exam and when he touched my neck, he said he felt some swelling and sent me to receive an ultrasound. Sure enough, my ultrasound came back with a very inflamed thyroid with multiple nodules of all sizes on it. They then recommended me to an endocrinologist where they did a full thyroid panel, and my antibodies were extremely elevated. I had Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. When I was finally diagnosed, I felt relieved to finally have an answer but also disheartened after understanding this was an autoimmune disease and there is no cure.

After the appointment and diagnosis, my doctor handed me a single printed out piece of paper that told me a brief synopsis of what Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis was and to come back in a year. That was it. The endocrinologist told me there were many websites I could research and sent me on my way more confused than ever. I bought all the books and guides, read message boards, and was overly inundated with so much information. One book said one thing, one guide said to do another. I started with an extremely strict diet with no gluten, no dairy, no night shades and I had no idea how to eat like this. I was making myself miserable. I’ve always been a foodie and this was just too much. I was scared to eat anything thinking that it might trigger something. Over time, I found a better relationship with food and my mindset in general and figured out what worked for me and my lifestyle. In the end, I stuck with just a gluten free diet as it made me feel the best. I have for years experimented with new recipes that brought me joy and took away the suffering element of if I slipped up and ate a piece of bread. Moral of the story is that you can always get back on track. However, after a month or so eating naturally gluten free meals, I started craving those meals and my body naturally started to shift to new favorite foods. I stopped thinking about all the meals I can’t have and changed my mind set to all the meals I can have.

Turns out my Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis was hereditary. A few years after my diagnosis, my mom was diagnosed with it as well. She had one large nodule that, while benign, grew too large which resulted is a complete thyroidectomy. We have both been on completely different journeys and it is important to remember that we all present differently. However, we both agree that a gluten free diet is what improved our quality of life the most (on top of a stable level of levothyroxine).

I am not a doctor or an expert in the disease. This is solely a depiction of the steps, and mistakes, I have made along my personal journey with this disease. It is incredible the amount of people I have met that have a thyroid disorder since my diagnosis, something I desperately wish I knew when I was figuring it all out. This is what I eat, healthy or not healthy, that works for me when trying to live a gluten free life in Spain with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis.