Cathy, could you please....
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Cathy, could you please....
| Thu, 09-16-2004 - 11:01am |
make one list for us of things we should stay away from. I know from many of the posts that teas are not a good idea, but really I have no idea and since you have been dealing with this for so long you might just be able to let us know what works for you. Just a general list of what works against us would be helpful. Also some good things that we can substitute with if you can. Nothing elaborate, just the basics. I have tried reading books about thyroid but my library does not have many and some are so old that they contradict each other. Thanks so much. Mary

Is there something about teas I don't know about? Please let me know.
Good idea about the list!
Take care,
Rebecca
Babs
Tea is a problem because it contains floride. It is a naturally occuring ingredient in all teas. Floride is a problem for is with hypothyroidism because it blocks the receptor sites on the thyroid for iodine, which is what out thyroid uses to make thyroid hormone. T4 is thyroxine with 4 iodine atoms; T3 is thyroxine with 3! Isn't that interesting? :)
Drinking floridated water is a problem, too, if you really drink a lot of it like you're supposed to. So if you have anything but well water, chances are your water is floridated and chlorinated and that's not good.
I gave up coffee for tea. Then read about tea and gave that up and started drinking flovered bottled water. But I thought all of it was so gross that I just switched to bottled water and that's all I drink. I guess if you can't get used to drinking plain water - I never thought I would but I did - you can try things like Crystal Light etc. I just didn't want to start consuming a lot of artifical sweeteners so I resigned myself to water. Now I can't live without it.
Other foods to avoid are a class called goitrogens - these are food that contain an antithyroid ingredient and they block the absorption of thyroid medication plus can actually promote the growth of goiters. But they have to be eaten raw to be a problem for us. These include all soy products unless they are first heated, broccoli, cabbage, Brussels Sprouts, turnips, rutabaga, kohlrabi, raidshes , cauliflower, African cassava, millet, cabbage, kale, pine nuts and peanuts. Again, there isn't a problem with these foods if they are cooked first but if eaten raw, they could be a problem.
Taking an iodine supplement, or a multi with iodine or taking a kelp supplement can be a bad idea because it can suppress the thyroid in some people, causing a thyroid "crash", a feeling of fatigue etc. Not everyone will react this way but I figure there can't possibly be any need for additional iodine if you use iodized salt or ever eat anything manufactured!! Salt is not a scarcity in our diet!! So I avoid it altogether. That's my personal decision.
Those are the basic things I know about. The other basics have to do with taking your medication on an empty stomach first thing in the AM and then waiting an hour to eat or take any other medications. Iron and calcium supplements have to be taken 4 hours from the medication because they can block absorption.
Mary - did you see my post to you about what you're eating? Post it here or down in D&F if you want some help, ok? Hope this other info helps! Cathy :)
This is Babs, thanks for the information on Tea - who knew?? I went from Hypo to Hyper - I was Hypo for eight years doing very well on meds, then about six months ago I went Hyper and my Dr. is working with me to bring me back to a "normal" level! Slow but sure I'm coming along. Thanks for your knowledge - it sure helps!
Babs