What is the best protein powder for Hashimoto’s?
Written by Jack Schrupp and reviewed by Ella McGonagle, M.S. Nutrition
drink wholesome is the best protein powder for Hashimoto’s. It is additive-free, dairy-free, and made with real food protein, not protein isolates – 99% of supplements fail to meet at least one of these criteria. This makes it perfect for individuals with Hashimoto’s, as well as for people simply looking to boost their protein intake without the processing and added junk. Order samples to see if our protein powder is right for you.
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drink wholesome is the best protein powder for Hashimoto’s.
What is Hashimoto’s?
Is protein powder good for Hashimoto’s?
What is the best protein powder for Hashimoto’s?
Why drink wholesome?
What is Hashimoto’s?
Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, also known as Hashimoto’s disease or chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis, is an autoimmune disorder that affects the thyroid gland. The thyroid gland is a small, butterfly-shaped gland located in the front of the neck. It plays a crucial role in regulating various bodily functions by producing hormones that control metabolism.
In Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, the body’s immune system mistakenly identifies the thyroid gland as a threat and produces antibodies that attack and damage the thyroid tissue. Over time, this can lead to inflammation and permanent damage to the thyroid gland, causing it to become less efficient at producing thyroid hormones.
Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is more common in women than in men, and usually develops between the ages of 30 and 50. Common symptoms include: fatigue, weight gain, muscle weakness and joint pain, mood swings and depression, and constipation.
Treatment for Hashimoto’s thyroiditis usually involves thyroid hormone replacement therapy with medications like levothyroxine. These medications help supplement the missing thyroid hormones and restore normal thyroid function, reducing symptoms and preventing complications associated with an hypoactive thyroid (hypothyroidism).
Is protein powder good for Hashimoto’s?
Research has found that the amount of dietary protein you eat can affect the activity of your thyroid gland. Specifically, it has been found that a protein deficiency may cause hypothyroidism symptoms. In one study, researchers found that hypothyroidism was caused by impaired thyroxine (a thyroid hormone) production, and that a protein deficiency partly contributed to the impairment. Although more research is needed, it is safe to say that eating enough protein is important for people with hypothyroidism.
Because Hashimoto’s leads to hypothyroidism, which slows down your metabolism, it can cause weight gain. Increasing the percentage of your calories that come from high protein foods, like protein powder, can help you lose weight. This happens in large part because protein is the most satiating macronutrient, meaning it keeps you feeling full for longer than other foods. This, in turn, helps prevent cravings and overeating.
Most people should be able to get enough protein from a balanced diet, but people with dietary restrictions, reduced appetite, and busy schedules are not always able to meet their protein needs this way. This is where protein powder can help. Adding a scoop of powder to your diet can be a great way to ensure that you are getting enough protein and managing your hypothyroidism symptoms.
What constitutes enough protein is different from everyone, but you should be eating at least 0.36 grams per pound of body weight per day. This means that if you weight 150 pounds, you should be eating at least 54 grams of protein ever day. Use our Daily Protein Intake Calculator to figure out how much protein you need.
What is the best protein powder for Hashimoto’s?
Going dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free, and following a nutrient-dense, anti-inflammatory diet can improve Hashimoto’s symptoms. This means that protein powders made with soy protein and dairy-based proteins like whey and casein are not recommended. Protein powders made with inflammatory ingredients like emulsifiers, thickeners, fake flavors, and fake sweeteners are also not a good choice. Generally speaking, you should look for a protein powder made with a short list of simple ingredients – the shorter and simpler the better.
We make two types of protein powder with short lists of simple ingredients: egg white protein powder and vegan almond protein powder. For those with Hashimoto’s who are not immune-reactive to eggs and almonds, drink wholesome is a great way to boost your protein intake.The main reason why is that our protein powders are made for people with gut issues. Gut issues are very common among people with thyroid disease including Hashimoto’s, and most protein powders are not at all gut-friendly. Keep reading to learn more.
Why drink wholesome?
drink wholesome is additive-free.
One reason why we make the best protein powder for Hashimoto’s is that we do not use food additives of any kind. Added ingredients like these, and even if used in small amounts, are really hard to digest because they do not look like real food. They consequently spend extra time in your gut, feeding your gut bacteria. Gut bacteria produce gas, which can cause bloating, flatulence, stomach pain, and even constipation. Partially digested food additives also cause your colon to absorb extra water, which can make you run to the bathroom (if you know what I mean).
Here is a list of the most common food additives in protein powder:
acacia gum, acesulfame potassium, artificial flavors, aspartame, carrageenan, cellulose gum, dextrin, dextrose, erythritol, gellan gum, guar gum, gum arabic, inulin, locust bean gum, “natural” flavors, maltodextrin, rice syrup solids, soy lecithin, silica, sucralose, sunflower lecithin, xanthan gum, xylitol
The main concern with food additives is what they might do to you over time. Regularly eating additives can disturb regulatory pathways in your intestines, making it more likely that you develop inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and other chronic inflammation conditions. Some additives, like artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols, can also mess with your gut microbiome – the community of tiny organisms living in your gut. A dysbiotic gut microbiome is a leading driver of inflammation in the body, and can trigger the development of a number of chronic diseases.
the alternative:
Protein Matrix Comprised of (Whey Protein Concentrate, Whey Protein Isolate, Calcium Caseinate, Micellar Casein, Milk Protein Isolate, Egg Albumen, Glutamine Peptides), Polydextrose, Sunflower Creamer (Sunflower Oil, Corn Syrup Solids, Sodium Caseinate, Mono- and Diglycerides, Dipotassium Phosphate, Tricalcium Phosphate, Soy Lecithin, Tocopherols), Natural and Artificial Flavor, MCT Powder (Medium Chain Triglycerides, Nonfat Dry Milk, Disodium Phosphate, Silicon Dioxide), Lecithin, Cellulose Gum, Salt, Yellow 5, Sucralose, Acesulfame Potassium, Papain, Bromelain.
drink wholesome is dairy-free.
Another reason why we make the best protein powder for Hashimoto’s is that we do not use dairy-based proteins. Many other protein powders use whey and/or casein, which come from cheese and yogurt production. These dairy-based proteins can cause painful gastrointestinal (GI) side effects, especially for people with lactose intolerance. Lactose intolerance, which occurs at a high frequency in Hashimoto’s thyroiditis patients, impairs your ability to digest lactose, the sugar in dairy. As you just learned, foods that are hard to digest can cause gut issues.
drink wholesome is made with real foods.
A final reason why we make the best protein powder for Hashimoto’s is that we use real food protein sources, not protein concentrates or isolates. Almost all other protein powders use one or both of these protein sources, which are foods stripped down to just their protein content. They are called “pea protein” or “whey protein” instead of “peas” or “whey.”
Making protein concentrates and isolates involves a ton of mechanical and chemical processing. Sometimes chemicals like hexane are used to extract the protein. What ends up in your protein shake thus does not look much like real food.
Your gut is built to handle unprocessed or minimally-processed real food, not artificial and refined ingredients. Eating anything other than real food can cause problems. While researchers are still trying to figure out what happens when you eat lots of processed ingredients like protein isolates, preliminary findings suggest that they can damage your gut microbiome.
Your gut microbiome does more than just digest food; it also acts as a barrier against harmful pathogens, contributes to educating the immune system, and impacts various bodily functions. It is therefore unsurprising that imbalances in the composition of your gut microbiome can affect the progression of thyroid diseases like Hashimoto’s.You should therefore think twice before using protein powders made with protein concentrates and isolates.
Instead of using protein concentrates or isolates, we make the best protein powder without artificial ingredients with egg whites and almonds. To create protein powder from egg whites, all you need to do is pasteurize and dry. Almond protein powder, on the other hand, is made by simply roasting almonds, pressing them to remove some oil, and grinding what’s left. Minimally-processed egg whites and almonds are a gut-friendly alternative to protein isolates and concentrates.
Real foods egg whites and almonds contain enzymes and natural digestive aids that make digestion a breeze. If you can tolerate eggs, egg white protein powder is your gut’s best friend. It is low in fiber, low FODMAP, and alkaline, making it super easy to digest. Our happy customers have had an easier time digesting our egg white protein powder than any other protein supplement.
For those of you who cannot eat eggs, our vegan almond protein powder is a fantastic choice. Almonds have prebiotic propierties that improve the diversity of the gut microbiome. They also keep your bowel movements on track and healthy.
In a nutshell, our protein powders go through minimal changes to keep your gut and overall health in top shape.
“If you can tolerate eggs, this is a godsend for people with Hashimoto’s. I love peanut butter and chocolate (vanilla is next)! No stomach or gastro issues and they taste delicious!” – Minday
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drink wholesome is the best protein powder for Hashimoto’s.
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This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. drink wholesome is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.