I realise this has nothing to do with thyroid disease, strictly speaking, but I still hope it's OK to post my question here.
I have been advised, over and over again, by my hormone doctors, to eat more red meat, preferably 2-3 times a week, to get my iron levels up. I have been on prescription drug Losferron for the last few months (without any tangible results, unfortunately).
These past few weeks, the very idea of eating any kind of meat (including poultry) sickens me. Fish and shellfish are still OK. Other than that, I prefer vegetables and fruit to meat.
Has anyone experienced the same thing? I have never been a vegetarian, and never planned to, it's just that...lately, I don't seem to stomach the idea of eating meat.
thecat, way back in the late 90s I was very ill and not able to digest red meat. Stomach acid wasn't happening due to several issues. Beef just sat in my stomach forever, my ferritin plummeted, B12 was down.
Even though people claim that fish is easy to digest, it wasn't. Nor was chicken. Believe it or not, the only meat that was okay was pork. I went to the gastroenterologist. He verified, that yes, the easiest to digest animal meat (including fish) is pork. But pork is generally low in iron.
I ended up taking all sorts of supplements and was feeling a lot better. I can't even remember what I was taking because there were so many of them. It was ridiculous but I felt better. Then I got 'supplement fatigue' because taking so many capsules and pills everday became a chore. My health gradually went downhill, but then an endo increased the levothyroxine dose and I got better....... for a number of years when after menopause things went bad again. And I can't for the life of me remember what all I was taking at the time. I know B complex, vitamin C for sure and iron. (Those were the pre-vitamin D days). There were some herbs too. I took everything at bedtime. There's some theory that since the body repairs and rebuilds during sleep, it's better to take vitamins in the evening. Don't know if that's strictly the case but that's how I was doing things.
You are right, it's easy to end up with "supplement fatigue" when you have to take a lot of them...!!!
I find it interesting what you say about taking vitamins in the evening. Since I have to take iron supplements at least four hours away from thyroid meds, taking all supplements in the evening might be a good idea.
Interesting also what you say about pork...one thing I don't mind eating (and sometimes even crave) is bacon...I know, not healthy at all. I have tried to force myself to eat beef because it contains iron, but I think I will have to go off it for a while (maybe even indefinitely). What's the point of trying to eat something that makes you feel queasy?!
My friend was about to be sent for an endoscopy when I told her about the cider vinegar thing and she never had the digestion problems again. Cider vinegar or pepcin/hcl are great for digestion.
If you're hypothyroid, it's best to avoid tofu & cruciferous veg, as they're goitrogenic & block thyroid hormones. I've been Veggie nearly 30 years, & only found this out recently, after eating these foods most days for minerals.
Best not to take iron with calcium as the latter blocks absorption.
I try to remember to take something iron rich with vitamin C in the morning & lunchtime, & my calcium & magnesium at bedtime.
Right about the tofu, wrong about the cruciferous veggies - unless you eat them in excessive amount. I'm willing to be you eat a lot of other goitrogens without even noticing it.
I find it's quite common for hypos to go off meat. I certainly did, I stopped eating it completely for years (and my health suffered!) and I still Don't want to eat very much of it. As gabkad said, we have low stomach acid and find it difficult to digest - although we Don't necessarily realise that's the case. Personally, I class going off meat as a hypo symptom.
That sounds very plausible to me! I have been hypo for around 20 years. As far as I can remember, eating meat has been rather difficult for me, although I have forced myself to eat beef twice a week at the insistence of my hormone doctor who says my iron levels are suboptimal...the prescription supplement I have been taking for a couple of years, Losferron, does not seem to help...
I also wonder why you're being told to keep eating something if you're clearly not getting on with it and there is a supplement which will help. My doc said he tells patients to eat sardines if they're low in vit d (I think?) and they all promise to do it and never do and I said I will dissuade you of the idea that I will promise because I will never eat sardines so I might as well take the supplement. I mean, we're adults right? Why prolong the agony and make yourself feel ill? Life is hard enough already.
I continue to eat red meat because my doctor told me my iron levels were low, and that the best way to raise them would be to eat beef...
The thing is that, in addition to find eating meat (any kind of meat) difficult to eat lately, I am also having a hard time eating vegetables...salad, kale, tomatoes, peppers, avocado, onions...
I have always loved vegetables, and been told to avoid most fruit, as they contain too much sugar...however, these past few days, I find myself craving fruit, especially grapefruit, pineapple, and papaya...
Is it possible that my blood sugar levels are getting too low...? I have been taking Diabecon and Hyponidd for the past few months, having been diagnosed with insulin resistance...however, how would that relate to my resistance to eating meat and vegetables...?!
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