Advice About Additives

This week the New York Times is running a series called the Well Challenge dealing primarily with the topic of ultra processed foods (UPFs): what they are, how to recognize them and how to avoid them in order to improve your health. As someone who enjoys cooking, I’ll begin with the disclaimer that I generally opt for whole, recognizable foods that I can prepare in ways that work for my food sensitivities and my tastebuds. In addition, when I do opt for prepared food, I’m a serial label reader because you never know when a manufacturer might slip in soy or dairy or more sugar than I can comfortably tolerate.  But reading the NYT series got me thinking about a food sensitivity that I did not address in my book: the sensitivity to certain additives found in even the healthiest of prepared foods, as well as those present in medications and supplements.

Years ago when I began taking levothyroxine for my thyroid issues, my functional physician wasn’t satisfied with the results I was getting from the generic version. She switched me to the gold standard of the name brands, Synthroid, and my response was even worse. Even with super careful eating, my Hashimoto’s symptoms continued to flare. She wondered if perhaps I had a sensitivity to the additives that were present in the tablets (like dyes, binders, etc). So she suggested I take Tirosint, a form of levothyroxine in a capsule with no additives. Sadly, my insurance plan would not cover the cost, but I was fortunate enough to be able to afford it through a mail-order pharmacy that offered deep discounts.  With the absence of additives, my symptoms began to calm down.

I offer this anecdote as a cautionary tale. If you’re seemingly doing everything right, but still experiencing symptoms from your autoimmune condition, be sure to carefully check the labels on prepared foods, and on all the medications and supplements you take for binders, dyes, emulsifiers and such. With medications, you often need to dig deeper by going to their websites to find the list of additives used in their preparation. Ask your doctor if alternatives exist that offer the main ingredient without the additives (maybe there is a manufacturer that offers the med in capsule form instead of tablet, as I was able to find).

Unless you’re a scientist (which I definitely am not), figuring out which, if any additives exacerbate symptoms involves a lot of trial and error. Personally, I just try to be as aware of them as I possibly can, without making myself crazy. Check labels, make no assumptions, ask questions and always keep in mind that you’re not going to get it right all the time. And sometimes you just have to eat a cookie. And that just has to be OK.