Is Low Carb Good for Hypothyroidism? A Guide to Treating Your Thyroid Issues Through Diet

Have you been experiencing symptoms such as … 

• Weight gain
• Fatigue
• Increased sensitivity to cold
• Constipation
• Dry skin; and 
• Bloating

… among others? You may be suffering from hypothyroidism. Or perhaps you’ve already received a diagnosis and want to know what to do next.

You may have heard that a low-carb diet can help your thyroid. But is that true? And, if so, how low carb should you go?

This guide will explain:

• The benefits of a low-carb diet and other lifestyle changes
• The possible dangers of a keto diet for hypothyroidism; and
• Other natural remedies that can alleviate the symptoms of your condition



Keep reading to learn all you need to know!

Table of Contents

Many women who have gained weight with no explanation often find out that it’s due to an underactive thyroid. That’s because a healthy thyroid gland sends hormones into your bloodstream that work to control your metabolism. When your body stops making the right amount of those hormones, this process slows.

This may cause you to feel … 

• Cold
• Tired; and
• Sluggish

… which can lead to you moving less, slowing your metabolism even further.

Hypothyroidism may also cause your body to retain salt and water, which causes bloating. Generally, only about 10% of the weight gain caused by this condition is due to the body holding on to water and salt. Any more weight gain than that is probably caused by the symptom of fatigue, which makes it harder to plan healthy meals and exercise regularly.



While you are trying to get your hypothyroidism under control, you may look to a low-carb diet to help shed those extra pounds. Let’s find out what that entails.

Low-carb diets aren’t anything new — they have been around since the 1860s — but the modern version of this way of eating began in the early 1970s with the popularity of the Atkins Diet. 



With many people successfully taking control of their health over the years using low-carb diets, some have started to wonder what low-carb diet thyroid benefits could be. Let’s explore the specifics of a low-carb diet and then look into ways it may help people with hypothyroidism.

The nutrients that contribute calories to a diet are protein, fat, and carbohydrates. A low-carb diet restricts the number of carbohydrates you eat and relies more on foods high in protein and fat.

Carbohydrates are found in foods such as:

• Vegetables
• Fruits
• Beans/lentils
• Milk and yogurt
• Grains
• Sugary foods such as candy
• Snack foods like chips
• Sodas and juices
• Sweeteners — honey and syrups, for example

Many of the foods on this list are healthy, so you wouldn’t want to just get rid of carbs altogether. 

Complex carbohydrates, such as non-starchy vegetables and whole grains, are digested more slowly and have less of an effect on blood sugar than refined carbs like sugar. They also provide fiber, which is essential for a healthy diet.



Generally, low-carb diets focus on proteins and non-starchy vegetables, although some also let you have small amounts of fruits and whole grains. A typical low-carb diet allows 50-150g of carbohydrates per day. Compare this to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which recommends that you ingest 225-325g of carbs per day.

Foods alone cannot cure hypothyroidism. But a combination of medication and the right nutrients from your diet can work together to minimize symptoms and restore thyroid function. 



Let’s look at some ways a low-carb diet may be beneficial to those suffering from hypothyroidism.

We’ve already touched on how hypothyroidism makes it easier to gain weight and also makes weight loss harder. Incorporating a low-carb diet into one’s life may be a good way to kickstart the metabolism again. 

It can also help people with an underactive thyroid achieve fat loss and  weight maintenance.

Low-carb diets are known to be good for heart health, as they may:

• Increase good cholesterol levels
• Decrease blood pressure; and
• Decrease triglyceride levels
• 
  

A study has found that overweight people who lowered the number of refined carbohydrates in their diets and increased their intake of healthy fats — while still eating fiber-rich foods — had bigger improvements in cardiovascular disease risk factors than those who followed a higher-carb, lower-fat diet.

Carbs have a direct impact on blood glucose levels in the body. 

Any foods with carbohydrates — even those we wouldn’t think of as sugary — break down into simple sugars in the body.

Through a metabolic process, these sugars turn into glucose, which causes our blood sugar levels to rise. In a healthy body, this stimulates the pancreas to release insulin, which removes the glucose from the bloodstream and stores it.

The stored glucose is often used for energy, but in a body with a slower metabolism — as you find in a person with hypothyroidism — it may not be used up and will turn to fat.

Eating a diet lower in carbohydrates will decrease blood sugar levels in the body, leading to less stored glucose turning to fat.

The keto — or ketogenic — diet is a very low-carb, high-fat diet that has become extremely popular in recent years. Its goal is to reach ketosis, which causes your body to produce ketones from the fat in your liver and use fat, not carbs, as its main source of fuel. This causes the body to burn fat more quickly, which leads to weight loss.



The keto diet restricts carbs to fewer than 50 grams per day with moderate protein intake and a drastically increased fat intake.

So is the keto diet bad for your thyroid, or can it be helpful? 

While the keto diet is beneficial for people with many medical conditions — including epilepsy or insulin sensitivity — it is generally not recommended for people with low-functioning thyroids.

Why? Thyroid hormones are important for glucose metabolism. Drastically cutting carbs can lead to too little insulin in the body, which can hinder the liver’s ability to convert the inactive T4 thyroid hormone to the active T3 form, causing the thyroid to not work as well.

Another issue is that if the body stays in ketosis for too long, accumulated acidity may lead to inflammation. For hypothyroidism patients who may already have problems with chronic inflammation, this isn’t a good idea.

Many people think that those with hypothyroidism should not have a dietary intake of fewer than 100 grams of carbohydrates per day to prevent impaired thyroid function. 



Others feel that lower carb totals are okay, but that people who are on a low-carb, high-fat diet should take breaks from carb restriction in order to boost thyroid function back up to normal.

So what else can you do besides changing your diet to help with weight gain caused by hypothyroidism? Let’s look at three helpful changes you should incorporate into your lifestyle.

You cannot discount the importance of getting good sleep for your well-being. Sleep is essential for weight loss and overall health because it is your body’s time to repair and maintain itself.



The average adult needs between 7-9 hours of sleep per night, and research has shown that women need more sleep than men.

If you’re stressed, it can lead to a cycle of … 

• Fatigue
• Poor eating choices; and
• Depression
• 
  

… that can exacerbate the existing symptoms of your hypothyroidism.

When you’re under stress, your body can release too much cortisol, which interferes with the production of your thyroid hormone. 



Be on the lookout for things that cause you stress and try to avoid them, or come up with a system to successfully deal with stressful triggers.

Not only is exercise a great way to boost your metabolism, but it can also:

• Strengthen bones
• Build muscle
• Improve heart health; and perhaps most importantly
• Help you manage stress



You don’t need a hardcore exercise program to reap the benefits — regular walking or gentle yoga can be just as good for your body.

If you’re looking for a more natural way to treat your hypothyroidism and have found that the low carb/thyroid connection isn’t working for you, consider coming to HealthierU for Nutrition Response Testing.

We will conduct an assessment and confirm the cause of your issues, then design a custom program for you that addresses your distinct needs with a personalized hypothyroidism diet.

There may be elements of a low-carb diet in your plan, but that won’t be the sole focus. Our lifestyle programs are inclusive of things such as:



• Diet
• Whole food supplementation; and
• Exercise
  

At HealthierU, we believe that your body knows what’s wrong with it. 

As specialists in women’s health and wellness, we identify and permanently alleviate your health-related symptoms using natural remedies.

If you believe you’re suffering from hypothyroidism or other issues that are causing you to not feel your best, contact us today for a complimentary consultation.