Helpful app to support improving/recording diet naturally

[CernCrystal]

Hi, hope this helps someone. It is helping me (so far mentally - physical results will take a while) record a food diary with my nightmare journey. I'm hypothyroid and have awful pins and needles/numbness - arms/legs/mouth/face and sometimes across chest. Brain disconnect/brainfog (can't drive and I need to) and frighteningly low energy. My research and other symptoms show I may not be absorbing or using B12 and folate effectively. Dr is useless.

Cost of living crisis/age/caring responsibilities mean I cannot afford costly supplements and I believe I don't absorb cheaper well. I don't eat meat really but reading on here the benefits of liver (chicken is best tasting for me) am trying that and other meats. This app showed me the huge benefits, and the liver is surprisingly good cooked pink with hot sauce/chilli (yes saw that can help with absorption too - definitely helps with mental health and I now have a huge range of chillies and hot sauces).

explorefood.foodafactoflife...

[Jaydee1507 Administrator]

You did say in a previous post that you were taking a B complex?

Exploring diet to help the gut and vitamins is a wonderful and helpful thing BUT I literally couldn't eat all the folate I need to maintain optimal levels. The reason diet doesn't work for us is the low stomach acid we get and not being able to absorb the vitamins well. Unfortunately there really isn't a substitute for supplementing for that reason.

You could try drinking a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar (product has to include the Mother - will be labelled on bottle) in a glass of water with your main meal to helpo acidify your stomach.

Did you get a dose increase yet?

[CernCrystal in reply to Jaydee1507]

Hi, thanks - yes dose is now 75mcg. Have seen that liver has high folate and am happy to try having liver everyday to see if that changes things. Am trying to get more hours so that I have more cash for better supplements too. Have read about the better form of flolate etc and as soon as I can afford will take that.

[CernCrystal in reply to Jaydee1507]

Meant to add that I will try cider vinegar too - and as slowdragon has pointed out I'm on different manufacturers for the different pill sizes and will avoid the manitol in future.

[Wua13262348]

Think I read somewhere that you should only eat no more than 3oz. of liver once per week because it is very high in Vitamin A. Don't know if it applies to chicken livers or not , but likely does. Depending on whether chicken, pig, ox, beef etc. type of liver the vitamin A content will vary. Too much Vitamin A from liver is a bad idea.

Suggest you research by googling. Definately do not eat every day, as you are exceeding the upper limits for Vitamin A.

[CernCrystal in reply to Wua13262348]

Thanks for this - luckily for me my local shop hasn't any but after reading your post will keep levels low. Have just bought b12 drops for under tongue - hopefully they will help.

[Wua13262348 in reply to CernCrystal]

I don't know if you are able to eat fish or not. Fish is also a high dietary source of selenium. If you are able to absorb vit b12 and folate from diet, then mussels, scallops, shrimp and prawns are high in folate. Mussels have 9 times the amount of vit b12 than beef and 5 times more than salmon. Asda sell a bag of frozen mussels ,400g for £3.00. If you used 75g per portion , you have just over 5 servings for £3.00. I put them in batch -cooked Red Curry, which I make with coconut milk. I serve it with brown basmati rice. It is very budget friendly, easily made and I freeze the sauce. Once sauce defrosted, just heat the sauce and add mussels, prawns, shrimp or scallops and heat gently for about 5 minutes. Very energy efficient cooking cost wise, and minimum time and effort. Recipe is as follows:

For 4: Heat 2tbsp vegetable oil in large non stick pan over medium heat, add 1 garlic clove peeled and chopped, 2 tablespoons red curry paste and 2 kaffir lime leaves, and fry for 1 minute. Stir in 400ml of cocnut milk and cook for 5 minutes. Add 2 tbsp fish sauce and 1 tbsp palm sugar, and stir well. Add 50ml of water and cook for a further 5 minutes. Stir in fish of your choice and cook 3-5 minutes. You can add a small amount of chopped basil and coriander leaves as desired.

Hope you find this useful. If so, enjoy!

[Wua13262348 in reply to CernCrystal]

The forum members who eat chicken livers, I think, source them in Asda, which is where the 400g frozen ,shelled mussels for £3.00 come from too.

[CernCrystal in reply to Wua13262348]

Thanks for the recipe and support. I'm going to Asda tomorrow and will check out seafood - hadn't thought of that. I was looking for quick fixes but am coming to realise that there is no such thing! I'd started to veer towards a vegetarian diet but think that it may not suit me. I love batch cooking.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Wua13262348]

Morrisons sell a chicken liver parfait. And Tesco and Sainsbury also do chicken livers.

And if you don't want to deal with them yourself, seems Nando's offer them!

And this might be of some interest:

Why chicken livers are good for you

Chicken livers: replete with iron and vitamins – and good for so much more than processed pâté

theguardian.com/lifeandstyl...

Also - if there is ANY possibility of being, or becoming, pregnant, be very, very careful not to consume excess vitamin A - from any source.

[CernCrystal in reply to helvella]

Thanks! Been looking at ideas for using chicken livers as I've noticed an improvement with the periferal neuropathy (awful pins and needles). Chicken livers and b12 drops seem to be working whereas pills in any form did nothing. Exploring pate so I can have a smaller amount each day.