Food Aversions and Cravings?

[suzannai]

Anyone here experienced an aversion to meat (chicken, fish, red meat) and insane sugar cravings? This started after about two months on T3 for me. Could it be adrenal? Am I undermedicated? I am taking a high dose - 180 mcg of T3. PS - there has been slight weight loss (3 lbs) but nothing substantial and I am underweight to start.

[Pooh10]

I had v bad sugar cravings. They improved a lot when I sorted out my adrenals and thyroid med dose and also worked on candida.

nationalcandidacenter.com/c...

I also changed my diet and timings when I ate. Not sure about food aversions though. These maybe worth considering. Hope you figure it out soon.

[suzannai in reply to Pooh10]

Thanks Pooh10.

Yes, the cravings for sugar, sweets, chocolate are extreme and I have an aversion for all meats. In one book I did read that it could be low B6 but in Mark Starr's book he writes that it is a symptom of low thyroid. Strange considering this got so much worse when I started T3. Thanks again

[ivy77 in reply to suzannai]

My cravings for sugar, chocolate and sweets are directly correlated to my low iron, and low ferritin! When i improve it it just stops!!

I am very new with t3 my first day taking combined t4/t3(100+25), but your 180 t3 lvl sounds preatty high....

I think t3 increases metabolism 3 times more then t4 so this would translate into500 mcg t4 dose, which is really high....but i dont know your hystory how you got up that high etc etc

I am only 1 day on 25 t3 and i w slightly more hungry today then in the past 2 weeks ...taking 180 i think i would eat an elephant lol

[suzannai in reply to ivy77]

initially my appetite soared but it seems to have diminished significantly. I started with 45 mcg of T3 and worked up but dont seem better on a higher dose.

[ivy77 in reply to suzannai]

Everything in the body works like this, the optimal dose is the one in the middle, too little too many produce the same thing: bad results.....i would think 180 is too much........try adding supplements now, watching diet, and moderate sport.....

[suzannai in reply to ivy77]

its possible that I have thyroid receptor resistance as there is no response in a positive manner to this dose.

[Danifox6]

I suspect not related but i have given up pretty much all meat now, aside from bacon and pork loin (randomly) also given up dairy milk and eggs. CRAZY sugar cravings and intake, however I am only on Thyroxine and I am BIG on animal welfare so I suspect mine is not thyroid related (well the meat in any case)...but you never know

[ivy77 in reply to Danifox6]

Oh no i have heard too many times, from really very different profile of doctors, that hypothyroid people benefit from protein, its not wise to reduce them but to increase in all forms, not just eating red meat.....but all

Vegetarian food may only aggravate your mineral-vitamin, and nutritional status.

If you not eating meat for long you probbaly have low vitamin b12 and ferritin, which causes huge sugar cravings for me too, i think body needs some oxygen immediately some energy...when not havingnenough iron to metabolise more complex protein stuff

[Danifox6 in reply to ivy77]

You can get protein from other sources. We do not digest meat well as a race in any case. I wouldn't start eating certain things for my health I would definitely find an alternative as I don't believe in animal cruelty and I can't afford to eat ethical meat if there is such a thing) as it's so expensive!!

[ivy77 in reply to Danifox6]

Thats what they say for gluten too lol You cannnot convert me sorry i just wanted to say it as friendly advice....and warning and respect your choice, but i am firm believer its not healthy, there are though groups of people who can eat low protein food, due to different gut bacteria...this is just something thats been recently studied.....your food must be in sync with your gut bacteria, if you are not the vegie guy, it wont do you good!.....our gut is our second brain!! We dont have just 1 brain.....you must respect what those animals inside you ask, and they outnumber your own cells genes by 10 times

[suzannai in reply to ivy77]

I agree completely that one diet is not the be all for everyone. Historically I have done much better on a high animal protein diet, esp grass fed beef but this aversion to meat and sugar craving is new so I dont know if it is an indication that the thyroid hormone is low or something else like B6 or zinc deficiency.

[ivy77 in reply to suzannai]

It is an indication of low stomach acid! Low iron, low metabolic rate, yes b complex too- low thyroid yes!.....i was in that stage too, i would just eat sweets all day long...zinc goes together with iron, copper, magnesium etc...hypothyr people have all sorts of deficienncies becasue their metabolism not right....so this is the result

[suzannai in reply to ivy77]

I am also wondering if I have high metals and if this could be a cause of the hypothyroid symptoms. These all started after a stressful time last year and I know stress can raise copper levels and that this can impact thyroid function. My thyroid labs are all normal but I have lots of symptoms including myxedema. I am going to be tested for metals next week.

[ivy77 in reply to suzannai]

It can be if you live in that area then all other people in your arrea would be more affected then normal people too .....

Chronic stress is problem

Myxedema..wow this is like end stage of hypothiroidism....

If you hv high copper then must avoid chocolate!!

Metal poisoning can be problem, you have to think about how you lived your life before, eating, what was not right. If the casue is not there then maybe environment yes..and i am sure we all know this for urselves sometimes its many things that piled up during the years

[suzannai in reply to ivy77]

oddly i have been craving chocolate. I also ate alot of it this past year and lots of coffee and avocados also high in copper. My diet was healthy up until a year ago. when i started getting sick i didnt eat as well ironically

[suzannai in reply to ivy77]

I am also wondering if I have high metals and if this could be a cause of the hypothyroid symptoms. These all started after a stressful time last year and I know stress can raise copper levels and that this can impact thyroid function. My thyroid labs are all normal but I have lots of symptoms including myxedema. I am going to be tested for metals next week.

[Danifox6 in reply to ivy77]

convert you to what? I don't care about anyone else eating animals and being responsible for so much cruelty. I don't feel you telling me to abuse animals is respectful, thank you and not friendly at all. I do NOT need to be responsible for the constant abuse of farmed animals nor do I need to eat stacks of meat. I am not designed to eat meat. Avoiding gluten or eating it, neither is the same as animal abuse due to eating intensely farmed animals, so not sure what on earth you are on about.

[suzannai in reply to Danifox6]

Sorry Danifox6, but I believe your response was intended for Ivy.

[ivy77 in reply to Danifox6]

Dani i was about health, am not into religion and worships of any kind.....i love animlas too, and excuse me big time if my answer offended you.

I know there are people who are designed to eat less meat or maybe no meat....just wanted to share what i found out, i am def not the one .....and i was never huge meat eater but i became one since it helps my health.

I was always more likely to eat a cake then some beef ...but i noticed i dont want to live on sugars and that i need to do something about it, i fixed it by eating proteins and animal fats

[ivy77 in reply to Danifox6]

There are docs who say people as race not designed to eat gluten stuff, please dont be so emotional there is no reason to get so upset over foods

[suzannai in reply to ivy77]

thanks Ivy. I do feel better when eating meat and my iron is low. Am supplementing with it and B12 and D.

[ivy77 in reply to suzannai]

Must take iron too, i take 100- 200 mg....check your ferritin.....and make decision accordingly.

Variety of foods is crucial, i so wish i can buy someplace grass fed animals here i just dont know anyone here who sells it, eating liver would help a lot for iron, but eating one treated with antibiotics,,i dont know so i eat it 2 times yearly but i love it

[suzannai in reply to ivy77]

I love chicken liver but it is high in copper so not going to eat that. I am taking 90 mg of iron byglycinate. Ferretin last check before supplementing was 23

[ivy77 in reply to suzannai]

Was that above low end of the range? Its still low.....so this can be cause of sugar cravings, i am 100 % sure in that link with me, when you take so muvh t3 your oxidative metabolic rate is high so you need plenty of iron to support it....i think the logic would go like that

[Glynisrose]

I agree with others, more likely to be Candida

[greygoose]

Well, I don't know, Suzannai, I was brought up eating meat but suddenly, when the hypo really started to kick in (although I didn't know what it was at the time) I just went off meat. And I have heard so many people say that same thing (not on here perhaps, but over the collection of forums I've frequented over the years) that I don't think it can be a coincidence.

It could be because we have low stomach acid and therefore difficulty digesting it. I'm a firm believer that the body knows what it needs. But sometimes I have cravings for meat. Last year, when I was very ill, I hardly ate a thing (yes I lost weight and yes I put it all back on again! lol) but sometimes I craved roast chicken. My daughter brought me rotisery chickens and she'd hardly be out of the door before I ripped open the bag and ate the the chicken with my hands, tearing into it like a wild thing, tossing lumps to the dog who sat eagerly at my feet. lol

But that's only occassionally. Generally, I'm civilised, and I don't crave anything.

Hugs, Grey

[suzannai in reply to greygoose]

Thanks Grey. It does make sense regarding low stomach acid and zinc. In Mark Starrs book he does state that a severe aversion to meat is indicative of low thyroid function. Also maybe B6 as we need it to break down the protein.

[suzannai in reply to suzannai]

Many hypo get worse on low protein diet and I wonder if it is because there is more of an imbalance in zinc and copper.

[greygoose in reply to suzannai]

Oh, yes! We definately need our protein, and animal protein if possible. Bit of a Catch 22, isn't it!

[Aecarlson]

Finally. I have been seeking this information myself. I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2018. I take synthroid 112, relatively low dose. But, I was a red meat eater prior to my diagnosis. Became intolerant. Then pork fell out. Tho I could eat bacon for awhile. Now bacon has left. I can still eat poultry and fish. My sweet tooth goes up and down. When I mentioned it to my endocrinologist, he didn't seem overly concerned. I even got tested for lone star tick bite, because you can get bit and get an allergy reaction to the protein in meat. But that wasn't it. It is kind of a relief to hear others with thyroid issues have gone through this as well. Another thing that happened to me is that I went off beer for over a year. I was a total beer snob and then lost my taste for it. I'm actually going through it again right now. It's very strange. Hope to hear some more input from others. I've had two endocrinologists and neither were able to give any insight. Neither was the Tick Center. Or my primary.