hypothyroid
I've been interested in becoming a vegetarian for quite some time, and have tried it often. The first time was in highschool, but of course, cheese pizza and peanut butter sandwiches won't cut it, so i got sick and had to quit. The secind time I tried was in college, but again, food service didn't have great veggie options, and because I didn't know about eating vitamin C with my iron sources, I became severely anemic, and my doctor made me stop. I tried again last year, and my husband and I fealt great for a while...then we fealt super tired all the time, and I noticed my metabolim slowing down.
I want to try again, but I'm worried I'll just have the same results. I'm also hypothyroid, so a slowing metabolism is a big deal for me. I also don't think I can eat much soy, because I've heard it intereferes with thyroid medication. I know i ate it four days in a row once, and my levels were insanely screwed up.
Any advie, or anyone with hypothyroid out there to offer some persepctive?
Thanks!! ~^_^~
I'm hypothyroid and vegan. I don't know if you're more or less hypothyroid than I am, if it makes a difference. I take 200 mcg / 0.2 mg a day, if that helps for comparison.
I haven't had a problem, in that I don't feel all that different (I feel a little better). I think that it's a matter of getting a balanced, whole food diet. I eat soy because it comes in premade things and I get lazy and I like tofu scrambles, but it's naturally not something I eat multiple times a day. I've done well with standard fare: veggies, beans, grains, fruit, seeds & nuts. Sometimes when I feel less energy I'll drink a fruit and veggie smoothie and that will pick me up, so I attribute it to the lack of a balanced diet.
I was vegan in college and I always felt like I was dragging. When I tried it again, I was fine. I don't know what was different between the two times.
I am hypothyroid (Hashimoto's disease) and lacto-vegetarian, though very little lacto. I take .125mg a day and I occasionally eat soy. I've had no problems.
I'm another Hashimoto's vegetarian. And diabetic. It can be done, I promise. As said above, you just need to balance your diet and eat whole foods. And pop thyroid pills. ::)
I also have hypothyroid and havent ever hada problem and i eat some sort of soy every day.
When you are taking your thyroid med, you dont want to eat it w/ any kind of soy or calcium product w/in one hour...b/c it is blocked by calcium and possibly soy. It should be taken on an empty stomach....some pple even take it before they go to bed. The key is consistency..take it at the same time each day, so that when your levels are checked, you are removing as many variables as possible from interfering w/ your numbers.
You say you were tired...were you simply omitting meat products and not including more calories? That will certainly make you tired and slow down your metabolism.
Like PIP said, make sure you are adding nuts, beans, lentils, quinoa, etc to make sure you are getting a balanced diet. For milk you can use another alternative to soy milk, like almond, rice or oat milks. Try different types and different brands to see what you like.
Also, eat often thrroughout the day, this will also keep you energized and your metabolism going.
If you dont feel like you can go cold *tofu*key...try eating veggie meals 3x a week, then 4x, etc etc...until all your meals are veggie.
I would also recommend a multi vitamin and b12 supplements.
Are you taking iron now? Make sure that you dont have an underlying condition which can screw up your iron and b12 levels...something called intrinsic factor.
Try cooking in an iron pan as well...bulk up on iron rich foods, like beans, spinach, peanuts, etc.
Good luck!! ;)b
thank you guys so much! Some of that info was really helpful. I think I am going to try the slow transistion thing, and I'm going to try eating soy once a week and see how it goes. I'll just try adding more soy gradually until I find the amount I can handle while on my medication.
THanks for the great advice!