Vegan Diet

[dotti]

Hi folks

Just wondering is a Vegan diet okay to follow if your Hypo i was thinking of giving it a go thanks in advance

Dotti

[Clutter]

Dotti,

There's no reason why a hypothyroid patient shouldn't follow a vegan diet but you should be aware that you will need to supplement methylcobalamin because B12 is only obtained from eggs, dairy, meat and fish.

[dotti in reply to Clutter]

Thanks clutter

Dotti

[MidnightBlue]

A few of us on here are vegan, including me. Just be careful not to go mad with soya as it is not good for the thyroid. I avoid it completely.

[dotti in reply to MidnightBlue]

Hi MidnightBlue

Do you feel more benefits health wise by been vegan

Dotti

[MidnightBlue in reply to dotti]

I have been vegan for a very long time, for ethical reasons. I have never been iron deficient, not even really when I was pregnant, until I got hashimotos. My sister's daughter ( also vegan, 4 years old), had a blood test recently and the doctor was really surprised that she was not low in iron or vit D as he finds all young children are ( he didn't even know she was vegan). Supplementing D and B12 is sensible, plus iron if you have hashi's I would suggest.

[bluebug]

I'm not sure of your age but if you are still menstruating you need to be very careful to ensure you get sufficient iron. And if you have heavy periods then a vegan diet is a no-no simply because iron from meat is easier for you to absorb than iron from non-animal sources.

[dotti in reply to bluebug]

I have gone through the menopause (thank god) am 55 but really want to clean up my diet.

Thanks everyone for your advice

Dotti

[Angel_of_the_North]

It probably won't improve your thyroid, but if you decide to do it, you need to be really careful about supplementing B12, D3 and ferritin (and be sure to get enough omega 3s).Your folate will be probaly be great You might also find a nutrional yeast like Marigold/Engevita useful for B vitamins. I'm mostly vegan and gluten-free. No longer have asthma, but it didn't help my thyroid.

[dotti in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

Thanks for the advice thats really helpful

Dotti

[Ebs73]

Hi, I would suggest that you don't. I was vegetarian for 23 years with long stints as vegan. It made me very ill & that's with extensive research & nutrition training. I would try Paleo type diet first which is high in good fats, medium amounts of quality protein, low-ish carb (carbs from fruit & veg& tubers) No grains, no cow dairy (some use sheep & goat if tolerated) no refined sugars & no vegetable & seed oils. Also a diet that's inspired by Dr Raymond Peat has some benefits especially if you tolerate dairy. If you do decide to go vegan please take heed of what others have said. Avoid soya. Cook all cruciferous veg well. Supplement with Vitamin D, B12 &Bcomplex & watch for low iron. Unless you're going vegan for ethical reasons there are no real benefits for removing animal products. Tyrosine is another thing you may be low on as a vegan it's v important for thyroid health & it's very easy to get from animal products. Western A Price is also a good start google him. Good luck 😊

[thyr01d in reply to Ebs73]

Please excuse me for interrupting your thread Dotti - ebs73, what is tyrosine?

Dotti - I am vegan for ethical reasons and have been for decades and my two adult daughters have been too. One is in excellent health and does not supplement at all, the other like me struggles with tiredness and low ferritin, so I'm inclined to think some people can be very healthy on a vegan diet and those of us that are not might not be even if we were omnivores.

So, please don't be put off by negative comments but as others have advised you do need to be very careful about vitamin B12.

Btw the healthy vegan eats a lot of soya every day, is 35 years old and leads a very active life so whilst I follow the advice on here to avoid it I still return to "one man's meat ....".

One last thing, there are some good cook books around, one brilliant Australian one, don't be put off by the extraordinary recipes in one of the currently hugely popular vegan cookbooks.

[Ebs73 in reply to thyr01d]

healthaliciousness.com/arti...

Hi, a link to a basic article.

I suspect that people with underlying health issues like hypothyroidism may eventually suffer on a vegan diet. I started off reasonably healthy I just had joint pains and was allergic to dogs, cats & pollen etc... I was slim and energetic and had thick hair and clear skin I did yoga & other exercises. It wasn't until I had my son that problems arose and I didn't lose my health entirely until a few years ago. I have two slim healthy brothers who drink eat pizza and smoke. I think it is very individual but unless it was for ethical reasons I state again there is little evidence that it's healthier than say Paleo or Western A Price or Raymond Peat inspired ways of eating. But as suggested try it and see. I'm an avid nutrition nerd and read articles, books and science papers for fun. When I transitioned to include animal products I researched insanely before I found a local farmers market and eventually, cautiously added back grass fed and wild meat products. I was not a junk food vegetation and vegan everything was home cooked and organic the same is true of what I eat now. Good luck in experimentation! 😊

[dotti in reply to Ebs73]

Thank you

Dotti

[thyr01d in reply to Ebs73]

Thanks ebs1973

[MidnightBlue in reply to thyr01d]

I think thyrosine is an ammino acid, you can get it in health food shops. I supplement it from time to time.

[thyr01d in reply to MidnightBlue]

Thanks MidnightBlue

[dina7]

What blood group are you dotti? If you're O, you may find a vegan diet hard. But the best way to find out is to try it and see. Every body is different so what works for one person won't work for the next. The blood type diet works well for me though I don't stick rigidly to it.

[dotti]

Thanks everyone for your input great advice from you all

Dotti x

[Lentil61]

Hi,

For general health a vegan diet can be the healthiest. No diet is going to be healthy if all you eat is junk food. Search online for an organisation called Viva! and check out a doctor called Michael Greger who has just published a book entitled ‘How Not to Die’. I personally limit goitrogenic foods (especially soya) and have never needed supplements. My iron, b12 and vitamin D results have always been okay.

If you need to supplement there is a company called ‘Veganicity’ who stock all vits including vegan D3.

All the best,

Pete

[dotti in reply to Lentil61]

Thanks guys

Great information

Dotti

[Hidden]

I have total respect for anyone that can stick out a vegan diet. I was vegetarian for many years and that made me ill. I am however going to follow a low carbs/sugar and high protein, vegetables and fats diet after my baby is born as find this works best for me and pretty much what I am doing now.

[Lentil61 in reply to Hidden]

Hi Katie,

Please be careful of high fat diets. Yes, diets such as these seem very appealing because it is possible to lose weight quickly, but as a consequence fats get stored internally in other places (intramyocelular lipids). Long term this may well lead to other issues, such as, cardio-vascular diseases and possible insulin resistance. Please check out atkinsexposed.org, nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-fat/ and nutritionfacts.org/topics/saturated-fat/.

Kind regards,

Pete

[Hidden in reply to Lentil61]

I am actually eating this way due to insulin resistance as I have gestational diabetes at the moment. I wasn't previous to diagnosis. Anything carbs send my blood sugar sky high. It's all good fats I am eating like olive oil, butters and fish ect. But also eating more veg, nuts, seeds than anything else. I will just sometimes need to put protein with a low amount of carbs to stop my blood sugar rising. It helps it slow down and not spike so high.

[mgh348]

Please be aware that humans evolved on a diet based on animal protein and fat, which allowed the brain to reach its large size, about 200,000 years ago. Agriculture (grain-based nutrition) was only developed about 10,000 years ago.

[Lentil61]

Hi mgh348

If the consumption of animal fats/protein allowed “the (human) brain to reach its large size”, please explain why the brains of natural carnivores (i.e. cats) have not done a similar thing? We have never had the teeth/jaw bone, digestive system or claws of a natural carnivore/omnivore.

Regards,

Pete