Diet: the real levers and the iodine trap

Hashimoto's overlaps strongly with celiac disease, so get screened once (a simple blood test — while still eating gluten). If you have celiac, gluten-free is the treatment. Without celiac, going gluten-free rests on one small pilot that lowered antibodies but didn't change thyroid hormones — so treat it as an optional, time-boxed trial: test antibodies before and after 3 months and keep it only if it moves the needle. Restriction isn't free. Evidence ●●●○○

The single most important dietary fact: in Hashimoto's, too much iodine worsens the autoimmune attack. Kelp, seaweed, and high-dose iodine 'thyroid support' supplements are a common self-inflicted harm — the opposite of help. Aim for ordinary dietary adequacy (~150 mcg/day from a normal diet or a standard multivitamin), not megadoses. If you're taking an iodine or kelp supplement, this is the first thing to stop. Evidence ●●●●○

The defensible base is a Mediterranean, anti-inflammatory pattern with plenty of vegetables and controlled blood sugar (Hashimoto's clusters with insulin resistance). The strict autoimmune protocol (AIP) may improve how you feel short-term but doesn't change the thyroid and is too demanding to live on — use it as a short eliminate-and-reintroduce experiment, not forever. And the goitrogen fear (broccoli, soy) is a myth at normal, cooked amounts — keep eating your vegetables. Evidence ●●●○○