Episode 9
Table of Contents:
In this episode:
Today we are joined by Dr. Anshul Gupta, world expert in Hashimoto’s Disease. We discuss his mission to help over a million people reverse their health conditions, and the 3-step process he uses to help patients reverse their Hashimoto’s and live life to the fullest. We learn about his Mito-Thyroid diet and even get guidance on creating the perfect breakfast smoothie.
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Episode Transcript
Julie Michelson: Welcome back to the inspired living with auto-immunity podcast. I'm your host, Julie Michaelson. And today we have such a treat for you. I'm here with Dr. Gupta world expert in Hashimoto's disease. Dr. Gupta is also a speaker and author. And a researcher who has worked alongside Dr. Mark Hyman at the Cleveland clinic and has helped thousands of patients recover their health.
[00:00:58] He's now on a mission to [00:01:00] help over a million people, reverse their health conditions. I say he should go for a billion. Listen in to hear about the inspiring health journey that led him to functional medicine and learn about what his research has shown to be truly going on in Hashimoto's disease. He also is going to share with us his three step process that will end fatigue, eliminate brain fog and encourage weight loss and those suffering from Hashimoto's.
[00:01:26] Dr Gupta. Welcome to the podcast. I'm so excited to have you with us today.
[00:01:33] Anshul Gupta: Thank you so much. It's my pleasure to be here and thank you so much for having me on.
[00:01:38] Julie Michelson: I know, you know, we addressed in the intro, you have this lofty goal of helping a billion that's billion with a B people improve their health. And I know so many of us in the functional medicine space got here through our own health journey. So I would love if you would share a little bit with [00:02:00] the audience about your health journey and how you got to be focused on functional medicine and auto-immunity and doing what you're doing.
[00:02:10] Anshul Gupta: Absolutely Julie. So like, you know, as you already shared that every, you know, like practitioner who enters a functional medicine field always have this tough journey of their own, which kind of propels us in this direction. So my journey actually started very early. So after doing my family medicine residency, You know, I joined a very busy function, like, you know, family medicine practice.
[00:02:33] But at that time I started having my own health issues. I was having this terrible, terrible stomach pain, and I could not figure out what was causing it. You know, after the stomach pain, then I will become tired. I was getting fatigued. I was actually having some brain fog issues that by the end of the day, you know, like I was having feeding that I was not able to concentrate.
[00:02:53] I was forgetting. And then I was gaining weight, like crazy. And I thought I was healthy at the time. [00:03:00] So, you know, like, okay, I thought I'm the physician. I can fix myself. Let me give myself some medications. So I started some medications, no change. You know, this pain will hit me just randomly, anytime during the day.
[00:03:13] So that was very, very scary at the time I thought, well, I'm not smart enough. Let me see all these good specials. Who are smarter than me and can fix myself. So I saw all different kinds of specialists, gastroenterologist, cause you know, like allergy specialists and they did all kinds of testing, endoscopy ultrasound, blood work, allergy testing, everything was near.
[00:03:36] They literally could not figure out what was wrong with me. So they taught, well, just let us add more medications. So they added more and more medications, but nothing was working. I was still miserable. My symptoms were getting worse. And I was just 32 at the time. So it was really scared. I was like, wow, we'll have to live the rest of my life this way.
[00:03:58] This is really [00:04:00] scary. And at one point you're like, I was really scared for my family because I didn't knew like what this and how the. But at that time I discovered functional medicine. Somebody said, well, why don't you see or look functional medicine? So I looked up and I heard story though, several people similar to me who kind of, you know, had similar problems and they were able to fix it.
[00:04:20] So I got trained into functional medicine. I started applying it on my own within one month. My pain was.
[00:04:27] Julie Michelson: Oh, my
[00:04:27] Anshul Gupta: So literally like, you know, I had no pain at all and I was like, really? That could happen. Like, so that was the biggest hope that I got at the time. Within six months I was off all medications, I lost 40 pounds.
[00:04:42] And then, you know, like my energy level was super high and my mental clarity was just like,
[00:04:48] Julie Michelson: Wow. And, you know, we all have our own unique story, but there's, there's so much common overlap. I'm sure listeners right now are like, That was me, you know, [00:05:00] that classic case of, oh no, your labs are fine. Your tests are fine. It must not be anything wrong with you. Right. And then those classic symptoms of that fatigue and the brain fog, it's just so, so common.
[00:05:13] Most of us don't become functional medicine practitioners to heal ourselves necessarily. But I love how quick your results were. And I'm imagining just like in my own journey, you know, once you see what the functional medicine approach does. And how well it works. There's just no going back. And you clearly, as in your mission, want to shout it from the rooftops and for you take it one step further and actually help that billion people.
[00:05:44] So.
[00:05:45] Anshul Gupta: Is that what I thought, you know, like, you know, after going through my own. I promised to myself that I will not let any more person go through what I did, because several people, you know, who go through these chronic issues, especially thyroid disorders, they are [00:06:00] always told that there is no hope for them to get better.
[00:06:02] They are just take this medicine and you are on their own. This, this is what I was seeing, especially in Hashimoto's patients. When I was working in the Cleveland clinic the time. And again, they were seeing all these doctors, my antibody levels are super high. Can you do something? You know, and then, or I'm not feeling good.
[00:06:18] Can you do something about it? They were always told, well, your TSH looks good. Nothing can be done. You are fine. Everything is in your head. Maybe you need to see a psychiatrist. And these people kept on telling, well, you know, I don't meet a psychiatrist. It's not in my head. Something is really happening.
[00:06:34] But the sad reality was that no doctor was listening to them. So that's where I decided these people need help. They are very similar to me because I was in the similar boat. So I need to help. So that's where I started the research on Hashimoto's the seed figuring out like, what exactly was wrong with them and how we can fix them now, because that was the most important permission of my life.
[00:06:57] And the good part was that I was able to [00:07:00] research on it, found good things which were useful and made a protocol, which actually worked.
[00:07:06] Julie Michelson: And I want to get into that protocol in a moment. But I, I want to dig in a little bit to you. It's so common for people with autoimmunity to have more than one diagnosis, and it's even more common for Hashimoto's to be one of them, whether it's an initial or an eventual diagnosis. Can you explain for listeners.
[00:07:28] But as I find even people with Hashimoto's don't necessarily understand, they'll just say, well, I'm hypothyroid. And I'm like, Ooh, well, no more than that. So can you tell, tell listeners a little bit about the difference between just having low thyroid and having.
[00:07:48] Anshul Gupta: Very important question. And you know, this is a question which I ask all of my clients when they come to see me or, you know, I have this of disorder. I said, It was, and they said that, I don't know, [00:08:00] maybe, maybe not. I said, you know, like it's very important to differentiate. The problem is that even the conventional doctors do not order a test to actually check for Hashimoto's.
[00:08:09] They would order just a simple test, like a TSH. And if that is the normal, they will just start pumping them with thyroid hormone. They will not even bother about no. What exactly is going wrong with them? Like, do they have Hashimoto's or not? So the classical difference between like just having low thyroid and Hashimoto's is that the low thyroid is basically kind of telling us that your tyroid is not functioning optimally to meet the demands of your body for the thyroid hormone.
[00:08:38] Now, there can be various reasons for it, like iodine deficiency, you know, like one Hashimoto's is, you know, like the second one and go wider and other things can be the other reasons for. Now in the present age Hashimoto's is the number one reason actually of hypothyroidism. And just imagine nobody's actually checking for it.
[00:08:57] So in Hashimoto's is an autoimmune conditions. So [00:09:00] what happens is that your body starts producing antibodies against your own title. So these antibodies over the course of time, start destroying tyroid, and then Tyrone is not able to keep up to produce enough thyroid hormone, and that eventually leads to low tide or hypothyroidism.
[00:09:19] Now, if we are not doing anything to decrease these antibodies, then we are not doing anything to safeguard a tyroid. So slowly and slowly, this tyroid is going to die off. And then people see that their, their medication dosages keep on Ingrid. And there are symptoms. Keep on getting worse.
[00:09:37] Julie Michelson: Thank you so much for explaining that. And I want to add as somebody who was on the other side of that traditional testing, Sometimes your TSH is quote unquote normal for that unhealthy bell curve they look at. And so they say for years, oh no, you're talking about spine. Cause they're not looking at some of the other problems and, and they're certainly not checking [00:10:00] antibodies at that point.
[00:10:01] And so it's, it's both sides. And for me, the exciting part with all. And I think probably for you too, with all of the auto immunity challenges people can face is that there's so much we can do to stop the process and often to reverse the process. So that's why when we first met, I told you, I, you know, you're a hero of mine because I was one of those people for over a decade who had known.
[00:10:31] When I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, I was told yield decline period. And I was okay. You know, 10 prescriptions later. It was like, maybe there is another pro, maybe they're wrong. You know, maybe there's something else I can do. And so that's why I share your passion of, I just want people to know.
[00:10:52] I know that there are steps they can take. I just had the experience last month, I had been working with a client who was [00:11:00] referred to me by a functional medicine doc here, not for autoimmune thyroid at all. And, and actually, usually I will see the full labs before we start working, but I didn't because what we were working on was just such basic good lifestyle health.
[00:11:16] Stuff that I, you know, I hadn't thought to, to check labs. And when we had the lab review and I looked, I saw the previous lab, I was like, oh my gosh, he had elevated thyroid antibodies. When I started working with him. Now, he doesn't, you know, now he knows how to avoid stepping into that Hashimoto's diagnosis.
[00:11:36] So it is so exciting and empowering. It can be overwhelming which leads us to you try to take that overwhelm away for people. I know you don't have a, you know, 52 step process. So tell us a little bit about through your research and your experience. You've created this, these three steps and I just want to touch on, you know, I'm [00:12:00] sure there are listeners with Hashimoto's that don't even know they have.
[00:12:03] And so it goes back to those key symptoms that you were sharing with us that, that fatigue and the brain fog and the wait game. And I know that your, your process targets all of that. So tell us more about.
[00:12:17] Anshul Gupta: Yeah, absolutely. So. The very first important kind of, you know, like know whether you have Hashimoto's or not. Right. And in that aspect, a complete tired profile is very, very important. Right? So as you said, most of the people will just order the TSH, which will often, or always miss the diagnosis of Hashimoto's.
[00:12:35] So along with the TSH, you know, like make sure that, you know, people are getting their T3. As well as the antibodies, the title were oxidase as well as the title globally, because these antibody levels will do to remind, you know, like how bad is your Hashimoto's and whether you have it or not. Now the second thing that, you know, like I would like people to understand is that to what exactly is going on in [00:13:00] Hashimoto's why people continue to suffer from the symptoms, you know, even after taking the medicine.
[00:13:06] So as I said, you know, the conventional thought is that in Hashimoto's patients, the problem is actually a deficiency of thyroid hormone. So let's pump people with more thyroid hormone and they will all. But in reality, that never works. Right. So what actually in my research I figured was that the underlying problem in Hashimoto's patient is actually destruction of an important connection between the tyroid and the mitochondria.
[00:13:32] I call this connection like a Mito thyroid connection just for the simplicity sake. So this connection is broken in people with Hashimoto's and that is responsible for all the symptoms. Of Hashimoto's patients. So what is this mind divided connection? Right. So mitochondria actually commonly is known as powerhouse of the cell.
[00:13:51] So basically mitochondria is a small, teeny, tiny organelle, which is present in each, every, every cell of your body and is responsible for [00:14:00] producing energy. Now there is a connection between the thyroid and the mitochondria that tyroid controls, the mitochondrial function, mitochondria controls the thyroid functioning now in Hashimoto's because of inflammation and antibodies.
[00:14:13] You know, we start destroying thyroid and mitochondria, both, and that actually leads to various symptoms. So that's the underlying issue. Now in my process, what we do is that, which is a three-step process. The very first, very first step of the process is actually figuring out. What is causing the destruction or this motivated connection.
[00:14:35] So what are the triggers? So, you know, like we divide these triggers into five different categories, know be food sensitivities. It can be nutritional deficiencies, it can be toxins and can be infections and it can be stress related. So all of these triggers can be responsible for destroying this microtiter connection.
[00:14:55] So in the very first step, we need to figure. What is the trigger. Now, the second [00:15:00] step is start fixing this mitochondrial connection. So we have made, you know, like a special microtiter diet and, you know, have, you know, like figured out a special supplement regimen, which helps to reduce the need for mitochondria and region read the title plan.
[00:15:14] So that's the second step. Now the third step is where we remove these toxins. You know, because you know, our body's toxic with toxins, stress and infections. So we need to pull out the body from all of these toxins so that we can get term relief from Hashimoto's. And that's the thing.
[00:15:34] Julie Michelson: I love it. And I love the, again it's these are the things that we do to, to fix chronic illness. I mean, these are the root causes. Do you find that is a leading question, but do you find that there's often, you know, people say, oh, I, I identified my root cause. Singular, I would imagine in your work, you see an overlap.
[00:15:58] I always say, you know, [00:16:00] most of us that have had know chronic illness have chronic stress. And so there's all these things play together, but is that, is that what you see in your practice? This, this multiple root causes?
[00:16:13] Anshul Gupta: Absolutely. You know, like again, you know, you're very correct. You know, like traditionally a lot of people come to see me and say that, oh, you know, like I found my root cause you know, it was, let's say this infection, but you know, I fixed it. It happened. So I said, the problem is that you did not do a complete evaluation.
[00:16:28] We need to come do a complete evaluation to look for all the root causes, because most of the people have multiple root causes, you know, which are interlinked, you know, as you said, and we have to work on all of them to get people better. So like, there is a famous quote, you know, like I worked with Dr.
[00:16:44] Mark Hyman, he's kind of well-known in the functional medicine. So you'd always say is if the patient is not better, that means there is still a root cause that we have not addressed. So make sure you find it. So that's what, you know, like always believe in and always [00:17:00] follow to look for all the root causes so that we know what we're dealing with and then make a step-wise plan to fix all of.
[00:17:08] Julie Michelson: I love that. Yeah. We always say there's lots of.
[00:17:10] rocks to look under. And, and so. It's really, and this is why people get so frustrated. Right? They may say read mark Hyman's books and they're think they're doing the things, but they're not getting better. And it, it is it's because there's that missing piece.
[00:17:26] So I, it sounds like with your three-step process, you do that comprehensive evaluation as step one with everybody you're not. Say, I don't know, doing a food sensitivity panel and then waiting six months to see what happens.
[00:17:44] Anshul Gupta: Absolutely not, you know, I always tell all of my clients is that the first, very first step, you know, when you mean, when we meet them for the first time is all about evaluation, because I want to know what we are dealing with because once I know, like all of the. You're dealing with then, you know, we make a step wise plan, [00:18:00] then we can decide, okay, well, what root cause we need to fix first before we go to the second one.
[00:18:04] But you know, otherwise, if you don't know that we keep fixing, trying to fix one for like six months or a year and people are still not better. And they feel frustrated because no, no, no. And like I am on that person. I want to know what we are dealing with. Let's get started with that so that, you know, like your healing processes, x-ray.
[00:18:20] And that's the, even within four to six months, we get good results. And most of our clients actually as youth or that the antibody levels comes down. A lot of them are off medications and their quality of life is so much better.
[00:18:33] Julie Michelson: I love that I'm going to lead you. This is a personal inquisitive. I think so many of us have heard, you know, the importance of mitochondrial health and over the past couple of years, if you're plugged into. The anti-aging community, functional medicine community, you know, it's mitochondria, mitochondria, mitochondria, and those of us that have ever experienced chronic fatigue can certainly understand, you know, how [00:19:00] those powerhouses, you know, that cellular energy just leads to energy period.
[00:19:05] To be healthy, do all the things we need to do. We hear it a lot with detox, people that have, you know, either genetically challenged detox pathways or detox troubles, but I love this. So this is, I'm just geeking out learning like, oh my gosh, I never really thought of Hashimoto's as a mitochondrial issue.
[00:19:28] And I understand it's a two way street. Are you doing anything? Special or in particular to support the mitochondrial health or is it just as this healing process, you know, is this just a natural occurrence as you're addressing the root causes and the thyroid is healing, the mitochondria are as well, or how, how how's that work?
[00:19:53] Anshul Gupta: No, no, definitely. We need to be more specific and we have to use things to specifically fix the mitochondria because unless we do it, [00:20:00] people do not get better or the symptoms, you know, might partially improve, but not completely. So a few things we do. You know, again, I'm a believer that food is power and food is medicine.
[00:20:10] So that's where the Mito thyroid diet, you know, are based on the concepts, which helps support the mitochondria. So in this diet, you know, we use macro nutrients, which are good for mitochondria. Like we use good quality proteins. We support mitochondria, good quality fats. Now again, you know, everybody's scared of using pairs.
[00:20:29] We actually integrate all of our clients to use. In good quantities because that supports that mitochondrial membrane and functioning of the mitochondria, less colorful vegetables, again, different colors of different vital needs. Will help improve. Reducing inflammation also reduces reactive oxygen species, which helps the functioning of the mitochondria better.
[00:20:50] So that's the first thing in the diet that we use. Then we use specific supplements. We support the mitochondria. One of the important ones is coenzyme Q 10, which, you know, we have [00:21:00] seen diamine again, can support the mitochondria. Magnesium is a huge one because it helps tyroid as well as mitochondria.
[00:21:07] Then the B vitamins, especially B12, you know, can be very, very useful for mitochondria. And then, you know, like we use a blend of like Etsy dial L-carnitine, alpha lipoic acid, you know all of those things to kind of support the mitochondria to, to be more specific with it.
[00:21:25] Julie Michelson: I love that. These are all things I do. So I'm glad I'm not missing any, any of the, at least what are, you know, may sound like a lot to some people, but to me are the, are the basics. And I love that you brought up, you know, clean, Good.
[00:21:41] healthy well-sourced proteins and fats. Because my personal journey, I had grown up on a low fat diet.
[00:21:48] And so it wasn't until. I finally got educated enough. And I had to, at that point, forced myself because it was so conditioned that fat is bad. It wasn't until I [00:22:00] replenished those healthy fats in my diet that I started to really, it was like a light switch, really talk about the missing ingredient as far as diet.
[00:22:08] For me, that was the missing ingredient. And I think so often people are focused on. What do they need to avoid in their diet? Right? What are they eliminating? And it's just as important, what you're putting in to nourish your body and fuel those those selves. I mean, they need fuel. So.
[00:22:27] Anshul Gupta: Absolutely. It was the same thing with me, you know, like, because you know, like growing up, you know, I was at chubby. You know, like everybody would like to kind of hold your cheeks and kind of, you know, like play around with you and very early, you know, like I was having some health issues again, and I did an ultrasound.
[00:22:42] They showed that you have fatty liver. So the first thing he told me do not eat fats. So again, you know, I was like gain on the low fat diet, not like utilizing fat at all. Now in those six months, you know, where I changed my diet and did everything and lost 40 pounds, I was just eating fat, you know, like along with the [00:23:00] vegetables and all those things, but eating good.
[00:23:02] And then you will not imagine my faculty were actually got reversed. The whole fatty liver was gone. And I was like, come on. You know, if you know, like the whole concept of avoiding good fats and like pumping, you know, like your body with carbohydrates is actually the leading cause of the metabolic syndrome, fatty liver and autoimmune diseases and all that stuff.
[00:23:21] So that's, I'm glad that finally the research is out that, you know, good fat is very, very important to incorporate in everybody's life.
[00:23:29] Julie Michelson: The research is out and living in the bubble that we S we spend time in. We think people know, but I'm going to ask you to say that again about. The carbohydrates and at being this underlying driver of all of these metabolic, auto-immune say it again.
[00:23:46] Anshul Gupta: Oh, absolutely. So this simple carbohydrates or the high carbohydrate diet that everybody has been pushed on to in the last decade is the underlying reason, which is causing all of our medic chronic medical issues, [00:24:00] whether metabolic syndrome, diabetes, cholesterol, issues, hypertension, heart diseases, auto-immunity tyroid problems.
[00:24:08] All of those things are related to like, you know, a high carbohydrate diet that we have been consuming.
[00:24:14] Julie Michelson: Thank you. I just, I feel like people can't hear that enough. And even I have clients that I work with that. I have one client who's coming to mind. She had five autoimmune diagnoses and she also has auto-immune liver issues and fatty liver disease, and same thing. She was as she worked with me, improving and improving and, you know, just reducing and eliminating symptoms and then saw her GI doctor who scared her about eating fats.
[00:24:45] Cause she has fatty liver and I'm like, no, no, no. Remember, you know, sometimes. Even when we know it, it's just, we've been so conditioned for so long. And the allopathic Western medical establishment is [00:25:00] not necessarily on the same page yet all the time. And so it gets confusing for people, which was why I asked you to say it again, because it is, it is just it's.
[00:25:11] So to me, as you were explaining the, your diet strategy, What wouldn't that be good for? I know we're talking about Hashimoto's, but what would a vegetable, lots of colored veggies, you know, a very good variety, lots of good healthy fats and clean well-sourced protein. That's what everybody should be eating for life just for living.
[00:25:36] Anshul Gupta: Exactly. And that's the whole point, you know, when it was. It comes to see me, or they're concerned about, you know, the diet or, you know, like their doctor told them not to kind of fall through for these diets. I always tell them, what is the harm? You know, what is the harm in doing a good quality diet? You know, is there a harm or is there is a downside if it is not going to hurt your body and if it is going to be useful, it doesn't matter whatever disease you [00:26:00] have.
[00:26:00] No, maybe I'm wrong. I'm completely wrong about, you know, it is going to help you with Hashimoto's or anything, but it's going to help you in general, it's call. Why would you not do it? You know, that's the question I ask all of my, like, you know, conventional friends who are doctors and things. I said, what is wrong?
[00:26:15] You know? Like, why, why should nobody like, you know, anybody not do this thing. And then literally they don't have any answer for it.
[00:26:20] Julie Michelson: No, they don't. And I think those of us that have had a, the personal health journeys that we've had, and when you see what a difference it makes, but also when this is what you do day in and day out. And, and like, as I just said, it works with everybody, right? And I think people get confused by the labels of paleo and keto and, you know, I'm an auto-immune protocol coach and, you know, I think within that umbrella of those, you know, veggies, clean proteins and lots of healthy fats is then it's ratios and personalization and food sensitivities, and, you know [00:27:00] but it.
[00:27:00] is, I just think that the, you know, the people that say, well, I, I can eat everything.
[00:27:05] You know, I feel fine. It's like, To win for how long, you know, it's always just a matter of time, whether as you mentioned, you know, if it's heart disease or fatty liver or prediabetes, or Alzheimer's, you know, it's going to catch up with you eventually. And so you're right. Like, why not like who shouldn't be doing this?
[00:27:28] Anshul Gupta: Exactly. You know, like, you know, I always tell those people who say that, you know, like I feel perfectly fine, you know, like all my numbers are fine. You're like, I can like, literally. Splurge on any food that you will tell me. I said, let's say God has given you that good genetic makeup, but that doesn't mean that you abuse it.
[00:27:46] I said, please don't abuse it because you will definitely pay for it later on. So, you know, you should actually be happy that you have a good genetic makeup. You don't have to work so hard to actually be the healthy person because several of my clients, [00:28:00] unfortunately, their genetic makeup is such a bad situation.
[00:28:03] They have really have to. Double the amount of work have to put in their lifestyle to actually feel better. So understand the other, you know, you are lucky, you know, like you should be grateful and you should actually utilize these things, not be abusive and abuse your system for.
[00:28:17] Julie Michelson: I could not agree with you more. If I, if I were a cheerleader, I would be your cheerleader. I just, I love everything that you're doing. Tell us. So I know you, you know, in your practice, you have your three-step process and so much more. I know what is one simple step? And of course simple means something different to everybody.
[00:28:38] And we can discuss that as well, but. What can listeners do today? You know, you work with enough people with varied, you know, where they, where they are in their journey. What may seem simple to one is certainly not to another, but, but what's one thing that listeners can start doing today to move the needle, to improve their health.
[00:28:59] Anshul Gupta: So [00:29:00] I'm very big proponent of morning smoothies. You know, like I, I cannot kind of share that how many of my clients have actually improved just by introducing morning smoothies. So breakfast is the most important meal of the day that I believe. So if you get a dry. Then the whole day gets better. And if you pack it with all the nutrients that is needed, that just sets the stage of healing your body even during the day.
[00:29:26] So that's the reason I like the morning smoothies, you know, like this is like a family ritual for us. Like, you know, as soon as I wake up, I make those smoothie for everybody, me and my wife, our two young kids, which are like four. They like even lower smoothies now they used to it, but that gear like that packs so many nutrients to it, you know?
[00:29:43] And then, you know, and you can hide it so much stuff in those movies that, you know, literally like you will not like to eat, but in a smoothie because they are blended, it becomes so much easier. You can add some greens to it, you know, like you can add some fiber. You can add some chia seeds, you can add some good [00:30:00] protein powder in it.
[00:30:01] You know, you can add some data free milk to it. It's like literally every nutrient that your body needs, you can add that to the morning smoothie and that jumpstart your whole system and actually can help you with so many things. So that's one thing I tell everybody that don't eat your breakfast. Just do these mornings movies.
[00:30:19] If you want to do just one thing, this is going to help you out.
[00:30:23] Julie Michelson: I love that. And so many people, you know, food prep and cooking and all of that is, is hard. And breakfast does seem to be, especially one of the meals people struggle with. I want you to. Give a little more detail or just kind of remind listeners. We were just talking about high carb and how that doesn't support you.
[00:30:43] I get nervous when people say smoothies, I can picture your smoothie because I know I can imagine what goes in it. But yeah. The one thing I always get nervous about, unless somebody is following a recipe or guided by somebody like you people tend to [00:31:00] load their smoothies with fruits and sugars and I'm not anti fruit at all.
[00:31:04] But you know, talk, talk about really what I mean, you just named all the ingredient. You didn't actually mention sugar or fruit and, and your, your rundown. But. You know, just reiterate for listeners how important it is to be that vegetable focused and with the healthy fats and the proteins. And.
[00:31:28] Anshul Gupta: Yeah, no, absolutely correct. You know, like again, when, when I talk about smoothies, a lot of people just say, well, can I add honey to it? Or can I add, or to it? Like, you know, like, you know, coconut sugar to it. I said, no, no, no, no, no. We are not talking about how the sugars or any kind of sugar, you know, said, you know, because it all the sugar doesn't matter, whatever kind it is, it is going to give you that insulin storage and that insulin surge is going to ultimately lead to inflammation.
[00:31:54] And which is a root cause, you know, of all these autoimmune conditions. So that's very important that [00:32:00] everybody should know is that, you know, we, our goal is not to make. Smoothies like, you know, deserts that's not what they are. So these are healthy meals, so definitely keep the sugar away. It doesn't matter what kind it is, whether it's honey or a Garvey or, you know, like, you know, any kind of sweeteners that you want to use.
[00:32:16] And then same with the fruits, the sweeter, the fruit. The less, you know, like nutrients in half. So like bananas and mangoes, which are delicious and wonderful. But again, you know, there are definitely going to give you the sugar kick and they are going to be like, you know, are detrimental to your health.
[00:32:34] So that's the reason berries are really a friend. So stick with like blueberries, blackberries, you know, maybe some struggles. Those are wonderful to add to the smoothies, have a nice labor and with so many nutrients and they're low sugar fruits. So that's what, you know, if you want to add a fruit, just some berries will be nice to add over there.
[00:32:52] But then, you know, like, you know, other nutrients are important. So as I said, a good quality protein powder, which is good, you know, you can always add some collagen [00:33:00] protein or you can, if you're vegan or vegetarian, you can find some good quality protein powder over there. Then, you know, add some greens like spinach or kale, which again is going to give you that, all that good non-starchy vegetables.
[00:33:13] Then nondairy milk again, dairy is something that we totally want to avoid very inflammatory to everyone. So it's very important to avoid dairy. And then, you know, we have good days like dairy alternatives now. Coconut milk. Alman milk. Flax milk. Yeah. Kind of is available these days. And I liked chia and flax seeds.
[00:33:30] The reason is that they are again, packed with so many nutrients, good omega threes, you know, that can happen fiber proteins. So all of that stuff, which is needed for gut health, you know, like healing your body. So that's the reason, you know, like I like all of that stuff. So that would be like, you know, this pro like, you know, this smoothie, you know, like has good quality protein, you know, get, gets good fats, your TLC.
[00:33:51] Good quality, like complex carbohydrates, you know, like through your non starchy vegetables. So that way, you know, like you power through your day. [00:34:00] And then again, it has lots of anti-inflammatory things to reduce an influence.
[00:34:04] Julie Michelson: I love it. You guys just got a gift of the, basically the walkthrough on how to make yourself a good breakfast smoothie. And like you said, how to start your day, the right way. I I that's terrific. I know you have a gift for listeners. You have your thyroid quiz, and we're going to have the link in the show notes for that.
[00:34:25] Before we wrap up, tell us where listeners can find you.
[00:34:29] Anshul Gupta: Yeah, sure. So I'm always on social media, like Instagram, you know, LinkedIn. So my social media handle is unsure Gupta MD. So you can find me over there. I actually have a YouTube channel too, where I share a weekly kind of videos. Maybe thyroid, you know, the things people can do to improve it. But otherwise I have a website, you know, where I actually have a very active blog on it.
[00:34:50] And shul Guppta md.com which have all the blogs listed over there. A lot of information that I share with my listeners. And then obviously they have options [00:35:00] of like how to work with me and information that, you know, they want to know.
[00:35:04] Julie Michelson: Wonderful. And we will include all those links in the show notes as well. Dr. Gupta, thank you so much. You have shared beyond what anybody I think would expect in a half hour interview. Just between your knowledge, your caring comes through your experience with, you know.
[00:35:22] the auto-immunity. And, and again, then this extra extra level gift of really walking us through how to start our day off the right way and what rocks we need to look under to heal our chronic illness.
[00:35:37] So Thank you so much for joining us.
[00:35:41] Anshul Gupta: Thank you so much for having me on the show. I'm really grateful you gave me this opportunity to share more information with, you know, people around us.
[00:00:58] He's now on a mission to [00:01:00] help over a million people, reverse their health conditions. I say he should go for a billion. Listen in to hear about the inspiring health journey that led him to functional medicine and learn about what his research has shown to be truly going on in Hashimoto's disease. He also is going to share with us his three step process that will end fatigue, eliminate brain fog and encourage weight loss and those suffering from Hashimoto's.
[00:01:26] Dr Gupta. Welcome to the podcast. I'm so excited to have you with us today.
[00:01:33] Anshul Gupta: Thank you so much. It's my pleasure to be here and thank you so much for having me on.
[00:01:38] Julie Michelson: I know, you know, we addressed in the intro, you have this lofty goal of helping a billion that's billion with a B people improve their health. And I know so many of us in the functional medicine space got here through our own health journey. So I would love if you would share a little bit with [00:02:00] the audience about your health journey and how you got to be focused on functional medicine and auto-immunity and doing what you're doing.
[00:02:10] Anshul Gupta: Absolutely Julie. So like, you know, as you already shared that every, you know, like practitioner who enters a functional medicine field always have this tough journey of their own, which kind of propels us in this direction. So my journey actually started very early. So after doing my family medicine residency, You know, I joined a very busy function, like, you know, family medicine practice.
[00:02:33] But at that time I started having my own health issues. I was having this terrible, terrible stomach pain, and I could not figure out what was causing it. You know, after the stomach pain, then I will become tired. I was getting fatigued. I was actually having some brain fog issues that by the end of the day, you know, like I was having feeding that I was not able to concentrate.
[00:02:53] I was forgetting. And then I was gaining weight, like crazy. And I thought I was healthy at the time. [00:03:00] So, you know, like, okay, I thought I'm the physician. I can fix myself. Let me give myself some medications. So I started some medications, no change. You know, this pain will hit me just randomly, anytime during the day.
[00:03:13] So that was very, very scary at the time I thought, well, I'm not smart enough. Let me see all these good specials. Who are smarter than me and can fix myself. So I saw all different kinds of specialists, gastroenterologist, cause you know, like allergy specialists and they did all kinds of testing, endoscopy ultrasound, blood work, allergy testing, everything was near.
[00:03:36] They literally could not figure out what was wrong with me. So they taught, well, just let us add more medications. So they added more and more medications, but nothing was working. I was still miserable. My symptoms were getting worse. And I was just 32 at the time. So it was really scared. I was like, wow, we'll have to live the rest of my life this way.
[00:03:58] This is really [00:04:00] scary. And at one point you're like, I was really scared for my family because I didn't knew like what this and how the. But at that time I discovered functional medicine. Somebody said, well, why don't you see or look functional medicine? So I looked up and I heard story though, several people similar to me who kind of, you know, had similar problems and they were able to fix it.
[00:04:20] So I got trained into functional medicine. I started applying it on my own within one month. My pain was.
[00:04:27] Julie Michelson: Oh, my
[00:04:27] Anshul Gupta: So literally like, you know, I had no pain at all and I was like, really? That could happen. Like, so that was the biggest hope that I got at the time. Within six months I was off all medications, I lost 40 pounds.
[00:04:42] And then, you know, like my energy level was super high and my mental clarity was just like,
[00:04:48] Julie Michelson: Wow. And, you know, we all have our own unique story, but there's, there's so much common overlap. I'm sure listeners right now are like, That was me, you know, [00:05:00] that classic case of, oh no, your labs are fine. Your tests are fine. It must not be anything wrong with you. Right. And then those classic symptoms of that fatigue and the brain fog, it's just so, so common.
[00:05:13] Most of us don't become functional medicine practitioners to heal ourselves necessarily. But I love how quick your results were. And I'm imagining just like in my own journey, you know, once you see what the functional medicine approach does. And how well it works. There's just no going back. And you clearly, as in your mission, want to shout it from the rooftops and for you take it one step further and actually help that billion people.
[00:05:44] So.
[00:05:45] Anshul Gupta: Is that what I thought, you know, like, you know, after going through my own. I promised to myself that I will not let any more person go through what I did, because several people, you know, who go through these chronic issues, especially thyroid disorders, they are [00:06:00] always told that there is no hope for them to get better.
[00:06:02] They are just take this medicine and you are on their own. This, this is what I was seeing, especially in Hashimoto's patients. When I was working in the Cleveland clinic the time. And again, they were seeing all these doctors, my antibody levels are super high. Can you do something? You know, and then, or I'm not feeling good.
[00:06:18] Can you do something about it? They were always told, well, your TSH looks good. Nothing can be done. You are fine. Everything is in your head. Maybe you need to see a psychiatrist. And these people kept on telling, well, you know, I don't meet a psychiatrist. It's not in my head. Something is really happening.
[00:06:34] But the sad reality was that no doctor was listening to them. So that's where I decided these people need help. They are very similar to me because I was in the similar boat. So I need to help. So that's where I started the research on Hashimoto's the seed figuring out like, what exactly was wrong with them and how we can fix them now, because that was the most important permission of my life.
[00:06:57] And the good part was that I was able to [00:07:00] research on it, found good things which were useful and made a protocol, which actually worked.
[00:07:06] Julie Michelson: And I want to get into that protocol in a moment. But I, I want to dig in a little bit to you. It's so common for people with autoimmunity to have more than one diagnosis, and it's even more common for Hashimoto's to be one of them, whether it's an initial or an eventual diagnosis. Can you explain for listeners.
[00:07:28] But as I find even people with Hashimoto's don't necessarily understand, they'll just say, well, I'm hypothyroid. And I'm like, Ooh, well, no more than that. So can you tell, tell listeners a little bit about the difference between just having low thyroid and having.
[00:07:48] Anshul Gupta: Very important question. And you know, this is a question which I ask all of my clients when they come to see me or, you know, I have this of disorder. I said, It was, and they said that, I don't know, [00:08:00] maybe, maybe not. I said, you know, like it's very important to differentiate. The problem is that even the conventional doctors do not order a test to actually check for Hashimoto's.
[00:08:09] They would order just a simple test, like a TSH. And if that is the normal, they will just start pumping them with thyroid hormone. They will not even bother about no. What exactly is going wrong with them? Like, do they have Hashimoto's or not? So the classical difference between like just having low thyroid and Hashimoto's is that the low thyroid is basically kind of telling us that your tyroid is not functioning optimally to meet the demands of your body for the thyroid hormone.
[00:08:38] Now, there can be various reasons for it, like iodine deficiency, you know, like one Hashimoto's is, you know, like the second one and go wider and other things can be the other reasons for. Now in the present age Hashimoto's is the number one reason actually of hypothyroidism. And just imagine nobody's actually checking for it.
[00:08:57] So in Hashimoto's is an autoimmune conditions. So [00:09:00] what happens is that your body starts producing antibodies against your own title. So these antibodies over the course of time, start destroying tyroid, and then Tyrone is not able to keep up to produce enough thyroid hormone, and that eventually leads to low tide or hypothyroidism.
[00:09:19] Now, if we are not doing anything to decrease these antibodies, then we are not doing anything to safeguard a tyroid. So slowly and slowly, this tyroid is going to die off. And then people see that their, their medication dosages keep on Ingrid. And there are symptoms. Keep on getting worse.
[00:09:37] Julie Michelson: Thank you so much for explaining that. And I want to add as somebody who was on the other side of that traditional testing, Sometimes your TSH is quote unquote normal for that unhealthy bell curve they look at. And so they say for years, oh no, you're talking about spine. Cause they're not looking at some of the other problems and, and they're certainly not checking [00:10:00] antibodies at that point.
[00:10:01] And so it's, it's both sides. And for me, the exciting part with all. And I think probably for you too, with all of the auto immunity challenges people can face is that there's so much we can do to stop the process and often to reverse the process. So that's why when we first met, I told you, I, you know, you're a hero of mine because I was one of those people for over a decade who had known.
[00:10:31] When I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, I was told yield decline period. And I was okay. You know, 10 prescriptions later. It was like, maybe there is another pro, maybe they're wrong. You know, maybe there's something else I can do. And so that's why I share your passion of, I just want people to know.
[00:10:52] I know that there are steps they can take. I just had the experience last month, I had been working with a client who was [00:11:00] referred to me by a functional medicine doc here, not for autoimmune thyroid at all. And, and actually, usually I will see the full labs before we start working, but I didn't because what we were working on was just such basic good lifestyle health.
[00:11:16] Stuff that I, you know, I hadn't thought to, to check labs. And when we had the lab review and I looked, I saw the previous lab, I was like, oh my gosh, he had elevated thyroid antibodies. When I started working with him. Now, he doesn't, you know, now he knows how to avoid stepping into that Hashimoto's diagnosis.
[00:11:36] So it is so exciting and empowering. It can be overwhelming which leads us to you try to take that overwhelm away for people. I know you don't have a, you know, 52 step process. So tell us a little bit about through your research and your experience. You've created this, these three steps and I just want to touch on, you know, I'm [00:12:00] sure there are listeners with Hashimoto's that don't even know they have.
[00:12:03] And so it goes back to those key symptoms that you were sharing with us that, that fatigue and the brain fog and the wait game. And I know that your, your process targets all of that. So tell us more about.
[00:12:17] Anshul Gupta: Yeah, absolutely. So. The very first important kind of, you know, like know whether you have Hashimoto's or not. Right. And in that aspect, a complete tired profile is very, very important. Right? So as you said, most of the people will just order the TSH, which will often, or always miss the diagnosis of Hashimoto's.
[00:12:35] So along with the TSH, you know, like make sure that, you know, people are getting their T3. As well as the antibodies, the title were oxidase as well as the title globally, because these antibody levels will do to remind, you know, like how bad is your Hashimoto's and whether you have it or not. Now the second thing that, you know, like I would like people to understand is that to what exactly is going on in [00:13:00] Hashimoto's why people continue to suffer from the symptoms, you know, even after taking the medicine.
[00:13:06] So as I said, you know, the conventional thought is that in Hashimoto's patients, the problem is actually a deficiency of thyroid hormone. So let's pump people with more thyroid hormone and they will all. But in reality, that never works. Right. So what actually in my research I figured was that the underlying problem in Hashimoto's patient is actually destruction of an important connection between the tyroid and the mitochondria.
[00:13:32] I call this connection like a Mito thyroid connection just for the simplicity sake. So this connection is broken in people with Hashimoto's and that is responsible for all the symptoms. Of Hashimoto's patients. So what is this mind divided connection? Right. So mitochondria actually commonly is known as powerhouse of the cell.
[00:13:51] So basically mitochondria is a small, teeny, tiny organelle, which is present in each, every, every cell of your body and is responsible for [00:14:00] producing energy. Now there is a connection between the thyroid and the mitochondria that tyroid controls, the mitochondrial function, mitochondria controls the thyroid functioning now in Hashimoto's because of inflammation and antibodies.
[00:14:13] You know, we start destroying thyroid and mitochondria, both, and that actually leads to various symptoms. So that's the underlying issue. Now in my process, what we do is that, which is a three-step process. The very first, very first step of the process is actually figuring out. What is causing the destruction or this motivated connection.
[00:14:35] So what are the triggers? So, you know, like we divide these triggers into five different categories, know be food sensitivities. It can be nutritional deficiencies, it can be toxins and can be infections and it can be stress related. So all of these triggers can be responsible for destroying this microtiter connection.
[00:14:55] So in the very first step, we need to figure. What is the trigger. Now, the second [00:15:00] step is start fixing this mitochondrial connection. So we have made, you know, like a special microtiter diet and, you know, have, you know, like figured out a special supplement regimen, which helps to reduce the need for mitochondria and region read the title plan.
[00:15:14] So that's the second step. Now the third step is where we remove these toxins. You know, because you know, our body's toxic with toxins, stress and infections. So we need to pull out the body from all of these toxins so that we can get term relief from Hashimoto's. And that's the thing.
[00:15:34] Julie Michelson: I love it. And I love the, again it's these are the things that we do to, to fix chronic illness. I mean, these are the root causes. Do you find that is a leading question, but do you find that there's often, you know, people say, oh, I, I identified my root cause. Singular, I would imagine in your work, you see an overlap.
[00:15:58] I always say, you know, [00:16:00] most of us that have had know chronic illness have chronic stress. And so there's all these things play together, but is that, is that what you see in your practice? This, this multiple root causes?
[00:16:13] Anshul Gupta: Absolutely. You know, like again, you know, you're very correct. You know, like traditionally a lot of people come to see me and say that, oh, you know, like I found my root cause you know, it was, let's say this infection, but you know, I fixed it. It happened. So I said, the problem is that you did not do a complete evaluation.
[00:16:28] We need to come do a complete evaluation to look for all the root causes, because most of the people have multiple root causes, you know, which are interlinked, you know, as you said, and we have to work on all of them to get people better. So like, there is a famous quote, you know, like I worked with Dr.
[00:16:44] Mark Hyman, he's kind of well-known in the functional medicine. So you'd always say is if the patient is not better, that means there is still a root cause that we have not addressed. So make sure you find it. So that's what, you know, like always believe in and always [00:17:00] follow to look for all the root causes so that we know what we're dealing with and then make a step-wise plan to fix all of.
[00:17:08] Julie Michelson: I love that. Yeah. We always say there's lots of.
[00:17:10] rocks to look under. And, and so. It's really, and this is why people get so frustrated. Right? They may say read mark Hyman's books and they're think they're doing the things, but they're not getting better. And it, it is it's because there's that missing piece.
[00:17:26] So I, it sounds like with your three-step process, you do that comprehensive evaluation as step one with everybody you're not. Say, I don't know, doing a food sensitivity panel and then waiting six months to see what happens.
[00:17:44] Anshul Gupta: Absolutely not, you know, I always tell all of my clients is that the first, very first step, you know, when you mean, when we meet them for the first time is all about evaluation, because I want to know what we are dealing with because once I know, like all of the. You're dealing with then, you know, we make a step wise plan, [00:18:00] then we can decide, okay, well, what root cause we need to fix first before we go to the second one.
[00:18:04] But you know, otherwise, if you don't know that we keep fixing, trying to fix one for like six months or a year and people are still not better. And they feel frustrated because no, no, no. And like I am on that person. I want to know what we are dealing with. Let's get started with that so that, you know, like your healing processes, x-ray.
[00:18:20] And that's the, even within four to six months, we get good results. And most of our clients actually as youth or that the antibody levels comes down. A lot of them are off medications and their quality of life is so much better.
[00:18:33] Julie Michelson: I love that I'm going to lead you. This is a personal inquisitive. I think so many of us have heard, you know, the importance of mitochondrial health and over the past couple of years, if you're plugged into. The anti-aging community, functional medicine community, you know, it's mitochondria, mitochondria, mitochondria, and those of us that have ever experienced chronic fatigue can certainly understand, you know, how [00:19:00] those powerhouses, you know, that cellular energy just leads to energy period.
[00:19:05] To be healthy, do all the things we need to do. We hear it a lot with detox, people that have, you know, either genetically challenged detox pathways or detox troubles, but I love this. So this is, I'm just geeking out learning like, oh my gosh, I never really thought of Hashimoto's as a mitochondrial issue.
[00:19:28] And I understand it's a two way street. Are you doing anything? Special or in particular to support the mitochondrial health or is it just as this healing process, you know, is this just a natural occurrence as you're addressing the root causes and the thyroid is healing, the mitochondria are as well, or how, how how's that work?
[00:19:53] Anshul Gupta: No, no, definitely. We need to be more specific and we have to use things to specifically fix the mitochondria because unless we do it, [00:20:00] people do not get better or the symptoms, you know, might partially improve, but not completely. So a few things we do. You know, again, I'm a believer that food is power and food is medicine.
[00:20:10] So that's where the Mito thyroid diet, you know, are based on the concepts, which helps support the mitochondria. So in this diet, you know, we use macro nutrients, which are good for mitochondria. Like we use good quality proteins. We support mitochondria, good quality fats. Now again, you know, everybody's scared of using pairs.
[00:20:29] We actually integrate all of our clients to use. In good quantities because that supports that mitochondrial membrane and functioning of the mitochondria, less colorful vegetables, again, different colors of different vital needs. Will help improve. Reducing inflammation also reduces reactive oxygen species, which helps the functioning of the mitochondria better.
[00:20:50] So that's the first thing in the diet that we use. Then we use specific supplements. We support the mitochondria. One of the important ones is coenzyme Q 10, which, you know, we have [00:21:00] seen diamine again, can support the mitochondria. Magnesium is a huge one because it helps tyroid as well as mitochondria.
[00:21:07] Then the B vitamins, especially B12, you know, can be very, very useful for mitochondria. And then, you know, like we use a blend of like Etsy dial L-carnitine, alpha lipoic acid, you know all of those things to kind of support the mitochondria to, to be more specific with it.
[00:21:25] Julie Michelson: I love that. These are all things I do. So I'm glad I'm not missing any, any of the, at least what are, you know, may sound like a lot to some people, but to me are the, are the basics. And I love that you brought up, you know, clean, Good.
[00:21:41] healthy well-sourced proteins and fats. Because my personal journey, I had grown up on a low fat diet.
[00:21:48] And so it wasn't until. I finally got educated enough. And I had to, at that point, forced myself because it was so conditioned that fat is bad. It wasn't until I [00:22:00] replenished those healthy fats in my diet that I started to really, it was like a light switch, really talk about the missing ingredient as far as diet.
[00:22:08] For me, that was the missing ingredient. And I think so often people are focused on. What do they need to avoid in their diet? Right? What are they eliminating? And it's just as important, what you're putting in to nourish your body and fuel those those selves. I mean, they need fuel. So.
[00:22:27] Anshul Gupta: Absolutely. It was the same thing with me, you know, like, because you know, like growing up, you know, I was at chubby. You know, like everybody would like to kind of hold your cheeks and kind of, you know, like play around with you and very early, you know, like I was having some health issues again, and I did an ultrasound.
[00:22:42] They showed that you have fatty liver. So the first thing he told me do not eat fats. So again, you know, I was like gain on the low fat diet, not like utilizing fat at all. Now in those six months, you know, where I changed my diet and did everything and lost 40 pounds, I was just eating fat, you know, like along with the [00:23:00] vegetables and all those things, but eating good.
[00:23:02] And then you will not imagine my faculty were actually got reversed. The whole fatty liver was gone. And I was like, come on. You know, if you know, like the whole concept of avoiding good fats and like pumping, you know, like your body with carbohydrates is actually the leading cause of the metabolic syndrome, fatty liver and autoimmune diseases and all that stuff.
[00:23:21] So that's, I'm glad that finally the research is out that, you know, good fat is very, very important to incorporate in everybody's life.
[00:23:29] Julie Michelson: The research is out and living in the bubble that we S we spend time in. We think people know, but I'm going to ask you to say that again about. The carbohydrates and at being this underlying driver of all of these metabolic, auto-immune say it again.
[00:23:46] Anshul Gupta: Oh, absolutely. So this simple carbohydrates or the high carbohydrate diet that everybody has been pushed on to in the last decade is the underlying reason, which is causing all of our medic chronic medical issues, [00:24:00] whether metabolic syndrome, diabetes, cholesterol, issues, hypertension, heart diseases, auto-immunity tyroid problems.
[00:24:08] All of those things are related to like, you know, a high carbohydrate diet that we have been consuming.
[00:24:14] Julie Michelson: Thank you. I just, I feel like people can't hear that enough. And even I have clients that I work with that. I have one client who's coming to mind. She had five autoimmune diagnoses and she also has auto-immune liver issues and fatty liver disease, and same thing. She was as she worked with me, improving and improving and, you know, just reducing and eliminating symptoms and then saw her GI doctor who scared her about eating fats.
[00:24:45] Cause she has fatty liver and I'm like, no, no, no. Remember, you know, sometimes. Even when we know it, it's just, we've been so conditioned for so long. And the allopathic Western medical establishment is [00:25:00] not necessarily on the same page yet all the time. And so it gets confusing for people, which was why I asked you to say it again, because it is, it is just it's.
[00:25:11] So to me, as you were explaining the, your diet strategy, What wouldn't that be good for? I know we're talking about Hashimoto's, but what would a vegetable, lots of colored veggies, you know, a very good variety, lots of good healthy fats and clean well-sourced protein. That's what everybody should be eating for life just for living.
[00:25:36] Anshul Gupta: Exactly. And that's the whole point, you know, when it was. It comes to see me, or they're concerned about, you know, the diet or, you know, like their doctor told them not to kind of fall through for these diets. I always tell them, what is the harm? You know, what is the harm in doing a good quality diet? You know, is there a harm or is there is a downside if it is not going to hurt your body and if it is going to be useful, it doesn't matter whatever disease you [00:26:00] have.
[00:26:00] No, maybe I'm wrong. I'm completely wrong about, you know, it is going to help you with Hashimoto's or anything, but it's going to help you in general, it's call. Why would you not do it? You know, that's the question I ask all of my, like, you know, conventional friends who are doctors and things. I said, what is wrong?
[00:26:15] You know? Like, why, why should nobody like, you know, anybody not do this thing. And then literally they don't have any answer for it.
[00:26:20] Julie Michelson: No, they don't. And I think those of us that have had a, the personal health journeys that we've had, and when you see what a difference it makes, but also when this is what you do day in and day out. And, and like, as I just said, it works with everybody, right? And I think people get confused by the labels of paleo and keto and, you know, I'm an auto-immune protocol coach and, you know, I think within that umbrella of those, you know, veggies, clean proteins and lots of healthy fats is then it's ratios and personalization and food sensitivities, and, you know [00:27:00] but it.
[00:27:00] is, I just think that the, you know, the people that say, well, I, I can eat everything.
[00:27:05] You know, I feel fine. It's like, To win for how long, you know, it's always just a matter of time, whether as you mentioned, you know, if it's heart disease or fatty liver or prediabetes, or Alzheimer's, you know, it's going to catch up with you eventually. And so you're right. Like, why not like who shouldn't be doing this?
[00:27:28] Anshul Gupta: Exactly. You know, like, you know, I always tell those people who say that, you know, like I feel perfectly fine, you know, like all my numbers are fine. You're like, I can like, literally. Splurge on any food that you will tell me. I said, let's say God has given you that good genetic makeup, but that doesn't mean that you abuse it.
[00:27:46] I said, please don't abuse it because you will definitely pay for it later on. So, you know, you should actually be happy that you have a good genetic makeup. You don't have to work so hard to actually be the healthy person because several of my clients, [00:28:00] unfortunately, their genetic makeup is such a bad situation.
[00:28:03] They have really have to. Double the amount of work have to put in their lifestyle to actually feel better. So understand the other, you know, you are lucky, you know, like you should be grateful and you should actually utilize these things, not be abusive and abuse your system for.
[00:28:17] Julie Michelson: I could not agree with you more. If I, if I were a cheerleader, I would be your cheerleader. I just, I love everything that you're doing. Tell us. So I know you, you know, in your practice, you have your three-step process and so much more. I know what is one simple step? And of course simple means something different to everybody.
[00:28:38] And we can discuss that as well, but. What can listeners do today? You know, you work with enough people with varied, you know, where they, where they are in their journey. What may seem simple to one is certainly not to another, but, but what's one thing that listeners can start doing today to move the needle, to improve their health.
[00:28:59] Anshul Gupta: So [00:29:00] I'm very big proponent of morning smoothies. You know, like I, I cannot kind of share that how many of my clients have actually improved just by introducing morning smoothies. So breakfast is the most important meal of the day that I believe. So if you get a dry. Then the whole day gets better. And if you pack it with all the nutrients that is needed, that just sets the stage of healing your body even during the day.
[00:29:26] So that's the reason I like the morning smoothies, you know, like this is like a family ritual for us. Like, you know, as soon as I wake up, I make those smoothie for everybody, me and my wife, our two young kids, which are like four. They like even lower smoothies now they used to it, but that gear like that packs so many nutrients to it, you know?
[00:29:43] And then, you know, and you can hide it so much stuff in those movies that, you know, literally like you will not like to eat, but in a smoothie because they are blended, it becomes so much easier. You can add some greens to it, you know, like you can add some fiber. You can add some chia seeds, you can add some good [00:30:00] protein powder in it.
[00:30:01] You know, you can add some data free milk to it. It's like literally every nutrient that your body needs, you can add that to the morning smoothie and that jumpstart your whole system and actually can help you with so many things. So that's one thing I tell everybody that don't eat your breakfast. Just do these mornings movies.
[00:30:19] If you want to do just one thing, this is going to help you out.
[00:30:23] Julie Michelson: I love that. And so many people, you know, food prep and cooking and all of that is, is hard. And breakfast does seem to be, especially one of the meals people struggle with. I want you to. Give a little more detail or just kind of remind listeners. We were just talking about high carb and how that doesn't support you.
[00:30:43] I get nervous when people say smoothies, I can picture your smoothie because I know I can imagine what goes in it. But yeah. The one thing I always get nervous about, unless somebody is following a recipe or guided by somebody like you people tend to [00:31:00] load their smoothies with fruits and sugars and I'm not anti fruit at all.
[00:31:04] But you know, talk, talk about really what I mean, you just named all the ingredient. You didn't actually mention sugar or fruit and, and your, your rundown. But. You know, just reiterate for listeners how important it is to be that vegetable focused and with the healthy fats and the proteins. And.
[00:31:28] Anshul Gupta: Yeah, no, absolutely correct. You know, like again, when, when I talk about smoothies, a lot of people just say, well, can I add honey to it? Or can I add, or to it? Like, you know, like, you know, coconut sugar to it. I said, no, no, no, no, no. We are not talking about how the sugars or any kind of sugar, you know, said, you know, because it all the sugar doesn't matter, whatever kind it is, it is going to give you that insulin storage and that insulin surge is going to ultimately lead to inflammation.
[00:31:54] And which is a root cause, you know, of all these autoimmune conditions. So that's very important that [00:32:00] everybody should know is that, you know, we, our goal is not to make. Smoothies like, you know, deserts that's not what they are. So these are healthy meals, so definitely keep the sugar away. It doesn't matter what kind it is, whether it's honey or a Garvey or, you know, like, you know, any kind of sweeteners that you want to use.
[00:32:16] And then same with the fruits, the sweeter, the fruit. The less, you know, like nutrients in half. So like bananas and mangoes, which are delicious and wonderful. But again, you know, there are definitely going to give you the sugar kick and they are going to be like, you know, are detrimental to your health.
[00:32:34] So that's the reason berries are really a friend. So stick with like blueberries, blackberries, you know, maybe some struggles. Those are wonderful to add to the smoothies, have a nice labor and with so many nutrients and they're low sugar fruits. So that's what, you know, if you want to add a fruit, just some berries will be nice to add over there.
[00:32:52] But then, you know, like, you know, other nutrients are important. So as I said, a good quality protein powder, which is good, you know, you can always add some collagen [00:33:00] protein or you can, if you're vegan or vegetarian, you can find some good quality protein powder over there. Then, you know, add some greens like spinach or kale, which again is going to give you that, all that good non-starchy vegetables.
[00:33:13] Then nondairy milk again, dairy is something that we totally want to avoid very inflammatory to everyone. So it's very important to avoid dairy. And then, you know, we have good days like dairy alternatives now. Coconut milk. Alman milk. Flax milk. Yeah. Kind of is available these days. And I liked chia and flax seeds.
[00:33:30] The reason is that they are again, packed with so many nutrients, good omega threes, you know, that can happen fiber proteins. So all of that stuff, which is needed for gut health, you know, like healing your body. So that's the reason, you know, like I like all of that stuff. So that would be like, you know, this pro like, you know, this smoothie, you know, like has good quality protein, you know, get, gets good fats, your TLC.
[00:33:51] Good quality, like complex carbohydrates, you know, like through your non starchy vegetables. So that way, you know, like you power through your day. [00:34:00] And then again, it has lots of anti-inflammatory things to reduce an influence.
[00:34:04] Julie Michelson: I love it. You guys just got a gift of the, basically the walkthrough on how to make yourself a good breakfast smoothie. And like you said, how to start your day, the right way. I I that's terrific. I know you have a gift for listeners. You have your thyroid quiz, and we're going to have the link in the show notes for that.
[00:34:25] Before we wrap up, tell us where listeners can find you.
[00:34:29] Anshul Gupta: Yeah, sure. So I'm always on social media, like Instagram, you know, LinkedIn. So my social media handle is unsure Gupta MD. So you can find me over there. I actually have a YouTube channel too, where I share a weekly kind of videos. Maybe thyroid, you know, the things people can do to improve it. But otherwise I have a website, you know, where I actually have a very active blog on it.
[00:34:50] And shul Guppta md.com which have all the blogs listed over there. A lot of information that I share with my listeners. And then obviously they have options [00:35:00] of like how to work with me and information that, you know, they want to know.
[00:35:04] Julie Michelson: Wonderful. And we will include all those links in the show notes as well. Dr. Gupta, thank you so much. You have shared beyond what anybody I think would expect in a half hour interview. Just between your knowledge, your caring comes through your experience with, you know.
[00:35:22] the auto-immunity. And, and again, then this extra extra level gift of really walking us through how to start our day off the right way and what rocks we need to look under to heal our chronic illness.
[00:35:37] So Thank you so much for joining us.
[00:35:41] Anshul Gupta: Thank you so much for having me on the show. I'm really grateful you gave me this opportunity to share more information with, you know, people around us.
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Anshul Gupta
Functional & Integrative Medicine
Dr. Anshul Gupta is a speaker, author, researcher and world expert in Hashimoto's disease. He educates people worldwide on reversing Hashimoto's condition.
He is a Board-Certified Family Medicine Physician, with advanced certification in Functional Medicine, Peptide therapy, and also Fellowship trained in Integrative Medicine. He has worked at the prestigious Cleveland Clinic Department of Functional Medicine alongside Dr. Mark Hyman. He has helped thousands of patients to reverse their health issues by using the concepts of functional medicine. He is now on a mission to help 1 million people reverse their health conditions. To achieve this mission he has started a virtual functional medicine practice, a blog, video series so he can reach people from all the world.
Through his innovative approach towards Hashimoto's disease, he has helped several patients to reverse their unresolved symptoms and live their life to the fullest.
He is a Board-Certified Family Medicine Physician, with advanced certification in Functional Medicine, Peptide therapy, and also Fellowship trained in Integrative Medicine. He has worked at the prestigious Cleveland Clinic Department of Functional Medicine alongside Dr. Mark Hyman. He has helped thousands of patients to reverse their health issues by using the concepts of functional medicine. He is now on a mission to help 1 million people reverse their health conditions. To achieve this mission he has started a virtual functional medicine practice, a blog, video series so he can reach people from all the world.
Through his innovative approach towards Hashimoto's disease, he has helped several patients to reverse their unresolved symptoms and live their life to the fullest.
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