FAQs

The thyroid-healthy meal plans are designed to take the guesswork and problem-solving out of thyroid-healthy eating.

You can use them to kickstart or simply hit the refresh button on your healing journey. 

Before you begin with the meal plans, I'll walk you through the 4-week Kickstart plan. This includes 1 week to plan and prepare, and 2-weeks to utilize the meal plans. In weeks 4 and beyond, I'll guide you through the process of creating DIY meal plans so that you can make thyroid-healthy eating your new normal (NOT just a 2-week "diet").

I've created (2) seasonal 2-week meal plans to choose from, including detailed shopping lists, and recipes.

Choose from:

• The Spring/Summer 2-week Meal Plan
• The Fall/Winter Meal 2-week Plan

Before you get started, I teach you how to use the meal plans to discover your unique food sensitivities, using the Food Sensitivity Tracker. 

For convenience, I put everything in one place within each meal plan, so you can download or print it out, and have everything at your fingertips.

Each Meal Plan Includes:

• Shopping Lists
• Recipes
• Menu Calendars
• Blank DIY Meal Planning Templates
• Helpful Tips & FAQs
• A Recipe Favorites Log

If you have any questions along the way about thyroid-healthy eating, you'll have my 35-page guide and 3-video mini-course on Thyroid-healthy Eating to refer to. 

Everything you need is included in the Meal Plan Kickstart!

One of my primary goals with the meal plans was to provide a real-world approach for busy people-- I am one of those people! 

Typically, each week includes 1 main prep day (on Day 1), where 2 to 3 recipes are prepared, to set you up for the week. After that, most days will require you to prepare only 1 recipe, or none! 

Also, the vast majority of my recipes require less than 30 minutes of prep time. 

All told, if you can devote a couple hours to meal prep on Day 1, you shouldn't need to spend any more than one hour a day on meal prep during the week. 

I always shoot for quick, easy, doable recipes that don't require special cooking skills or equipment. 

I use ingredients that I can source at my small-town grocery and/or health food store, without having to order specialty items. 

I'm a chef and a mom with Hashimoto's so I try to make the recipes as delicious and kid-friendly as possible, without a lot of fuss. 

All of the recipes are gluten and dairy-free. 

Most of the recipes are Paleo and Whole30 compliant, meaning they're free of gluten, dairy, grains, legumes, soy, refined sugar, and other industrially processed ingredients. 

The meal plans included in the Kickstart are 100% Paleo. 

Many of the recipes in both the meal plans and the cookbook are AIP. NOTE: The meal plans are not 100% AIP elimination phase-compliant. 

Also, many of the recipes happen to be low-carb, although that is not the focus of the Kickstart. 

The Kickstart is not intended as a weight-loss program, but rather a health and energy promoting program! 

That said, I've seen many Thyroid Thrivers lose excess weight by applying the concepts used in the Kickstart. 

Weight loss can be a welcome side-effect of reducing inflammation in the body, trading processed foods for whole foods, healing the gut, supporting the body's built-in detox pathways, and helping the body convert and utilize thyroid hormone medication with thyroid-healthy eating. No calorie counting required!

NO. While this program does address hypothyroidism, it is not limited only to those who have been diagnosed with hypothyroidism or Hashimoto’s. The information contained in the program is helpful for anyone taking long-term supplemental thyroid hormone. 

This includes you if:

• You’ve been diagnosed with hypothyroidism

• You had your entire thyroid removed due to thyroid cancer, goiter, nodules, or Graves’ Disease/hyperthyroidism.

• You had part of your thyroid surgically removed for any reason and now take thyroid hormone replacement. 

• You had Radioactive Iodine treatment (RAI) for Graves’/hyperthyroidism and now take thyroid hormone replacement

If any of those describe you, this cookbook and/or Kickstart is for you!

Eating a plant-based or vegan diet is a personal choice, often rooted in ethical or environmental beliefs. I respect that and have included the vegan label in the recipe key for those who are, or are cooking for, plant-based eaters.

However, I do not specialize in or provide meal plans or cookbooks dedicated to this style of eating. 

Vegan diets are highly-debated in the world of thyroid-specific nutrition, and are usually not recommended due to nutritional concerns. There are quite a few key thyroid-supporting nutrients that are primarily found in animal protein. Also, soy which is often a staple source of plant-based protein, is problematic for the thyroid. 

While it's possible to thrive on a plant-based diet, I feel it's best done with the 1-on-1 guidance of a nutritionist or dietitian. 

If you have another health condition, or are unsure in any way about whether the Kickstart is right for you, always consult with your doctor or other healthcare provider first. 

Other diseases and conditions often come with their own set of dietary recommendations. They may also come with their own health risks, or medications. Unfortunately, I am unqualified to help you navigate all that. Working 1-on-1 with a dietitian or nutritionist can be very helpful.   

The Thyroid-healthy Everyday Cookbook and Meal Plan Kickstart are for informational and educational purposes only, and not intended as a substitute for proper medical care and treatment. Always consult with your doctor before making dietary changes. 

Absolutely! While this is not a 1-on-1 program, and I do not make personalized recommendations or offer medical advice, I'm happy to help with any questions or customer service needs you have.

For assistance, you can reply to any Hypothyroid Chef emails or reach out to me at [email protected].

Also, I encourage your engagement within the comments section of the course. I monitor these regularly and always try to help in any way I can.