Hey tamu,
You’ve probably noticed the forum is no longer that active, so you might not get a ton of replies. But here are my 2 cents…
1) Are you working with a therapist who specialized in EDs? Having a therapist in your tool-box could be very helpful while for you while trying to recover.
2) From the tone and style of your post, you sound very anxious. This is totally understandable. It’s also pretty common for those with EDs. I know, I was there (and still sometimes am). I point this out because it might be helpful for you to try some anxiety reducing techniques (whatever that may be for you… meditation, more rest, stretching, watching funny movies, smelling the roses… whatever does it for you). The more relaxed you are, the better your body will digest all these new foods. Maybe you can try and tell yourself: “my body is totally fine with dairy and gluten” and/or “these foods are nourishing my body.” Sometimes our mental/emotional outlook can really affect our physiology and how we react to foods and situations.
3) I would go ahead and eat start eating gluten and dairy. If it makes you feel more comfortable, you could incorporate them in small amounts and then increase. You said you’re not having any immediate noticeable symptoms from either– so I think it would really help your peace of mind to just go ahead and incorporate all the food!
4) My understanding is that there are no scientific studies showing that gluten or dairy are bad for hashimotos or other autoimmune diseases (except, of course, celiac). Food intolerances are also kind of “woo.” Yes, people can have reactions to foods, but it seems once people recover from EDs and lower the stress in their lives, they have less and less reactions. So overcoming your ED and fixing (or rather, improving) metabolic function might eliminate/improve any food intolerances you have.
You mentioned that everything you are reading about hashimotos says people need to get rid of their intolerances in order to lower inflammation and heal. Well, again, there aren’t any scientific studies showing that food intolerances cause inflammation and lead to hashimotos (if there are, please point them out). These claims that food can lead to inflammation in that way are kind of vague and unscientific… how does it cause inflammation? What is the specific physiological pathway in the body?
It might actually help for you to stop reading some of the online blogs and forums for hashimotos that discuss the disease, especially those that discuss it in non-scientific ways. I’m not saying you have to avoid those online forums and communities forever… but maybe you could take a break from them for a month while you re-feed just to give your mind a rest. You can let yourself know that in one month, those same forums or online blogs will still be there and you can catch up on anything you missed. Continuing to convince yourself that food is causing inflammation in the body will be unhelpful in your ED recovery.
5) Try re-feeding for a month or two and then reassess how you feel. Has your body temp increased? Has your digestion improved? How about your mood and anxiety? etc etc.
If you feel things are getting worse and you’re gaining weight but not getting better, then you can always stop.
Also, depending where you’re at physically, you might need to consult your doctor about re-feeding. People with severe anorexia can experience re-feeding syndrome. You also don’t have to increase calories all at once on day one. For instance, if you’re used to eating 1000 calories a day, maybe increase by 300… so eat 1300 calories for several days, then add another 300 and so on. That way you don’t go form 1000 calories to 2800 overnight (2800 is just a random number… i have no idea how many calories your body actually needs).
This was way more info than you requested, but from the tone of your post, I thought some of these thoughts would be helpful.
Good luck to you! And breathe =)