advice please- protein shakes

[Goinginsane1]

I know we shouldn’t take other tablets or vitamins close to thyroxine, but is a meal replacement shake made from pea protein okay to drink an hour after thyroxine?

is that different to vitamins as it’s food?

Also, do we really have to avoid soya? I can’t have diary and most other protein shakes are soya. I was wondering whether to try soya and mix it with coconut milk that I usually have? Or should I try pea protein first as I will be having it for breakfast an hour or so after my thyroxine

thanks

[greygoose]

Soy stops thyroid hormones getting into the cells. So, I would say yes, best to avoid soy. Otherwise your blood levels of hormone will be good and your doctor won't understand why you still feel hypo.

[Goinginsane1 in reply to greygoose]

if I get a pea protein meal replacement one would that be okay an hour after taking thyroxine?

[greygoose in reply to Goinginsane1]

As far as I know it would. But why don't you eat real food? Not being sarky but I don't understand shakes or why people have them.

[FallingInReverse in reply to greygoose]

Agree with you on those shake protein powders there too. I do feel those soy-based powders and those sugar substitutes are no good!

I used to make shakes with raw vegetables and fruits… frozen spinach, strawberries, blueberries, bananas, carrots, sometimes broccoli. And only the least amount of water so it would pour.

I do avoid spinach now because of the calcium.

I just wondered if a little bit of spinach could be squeezed in … I do miss my smoothies.

Paper using 500 mgs elemental calcium validating it does indeed interfere with Levo:

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

looks like a cup of spinach is 250 mgs. Regardless of absorption rates, yup, still off limits. : (

[greygoose in reply to FallingInReverse]

Well, I'd rather chew something any day.

Talking of sugar substitutes, I came across this article just a few minutes ago:

greenmedinfo.com/blog/bitte...

It's really quite frightening! I tried these things in the early days, when they first came on the market, thinking 'what a good idea!' Fortunately, I could never stand the taste of them. But I knew a lot of people that got hooked! Terrible things.

[Zephyrbear in reply to greygoose]

Wow! That’s pretty horrific reading! Personally, I have never used any sugar substitutes as they always tasted vile and then left an equally disgusting aftertaste. If I want something sweetening, I’ll take my chances with sugar or honey!

[greygoose in reply to Zephyrbear]

Me too!

[Goinginsane1 in reply to FallingInReverse]

what is the issue with spinach and calcium please? Does it affect your thyroid?

[FallingInReverse in reply to Goinginsane1]

Spinach has a good amount of calcium.

Calcium interferes with iron absorption AND calcium interferes with absorption of our thyroid hormones like Levo and Lio.

If you are not on exogenous thyroid hormone replacement, you can have calcium. But any calcium whether a pill or by food (milk, spinach, etc) should be taken well away from Levo/lio.

[FallingInReverse]

My approach is that whether vitamins/minerals come from food or supplements - the interaction with my thyroid hormones will be the same.

I do read labels, and obviously levels in food are less than in a supplement.

But yes , for example, I have eliminated or seriously cut down in some foods, and reserve a brief window around 5-7 pm for treating myself to things that interfere with my hormone meds. This is 4+ hours after my mid day Lio and 4+ hours before my bedtime Lio.

I’ve stopped drinking glasses of milk through the day like I used to because of the calcium. And I’ve eliminated soy entirely, when I used to have it every day in my smoothie. I have also cut down on spinach (which I also used to have in my smoothie every single day) because of the calcium.

[Forestgarden]

I avoid soy as much as possible, but allow myself some soy sauce occasionally with an evening meal so I keep it well away from my thyroid meds. On the subject of shakes, my son is dairy intolerant (as am I) and is currently having a shake for breakfast consisting of oat milk, vanilla and a couple of scoops of bone broth powder (no good if you're vegetarian) for the protein. Oat milk is also my milk of choice too; just need to bear in mind its higher in carbs than cows milk.

[FallingInReverse in reply to Forestgarden]

Oat milk is so yummy!

But equal with dairy milk regards to calcium - at least the brands I’ve bought anyway.

I don’t know if it’s fortified, but I would love to find a milk substitute with no calcium! Let me know if you know one!

[greygoose]

Many years ago, after my hysterectomy, when I was putting on weight almost visually, my doctor suggested I try a couple of weeks of protein-drinks that replace meals - three times a day! I was ready to try anything at that point. I can't remember the ingredients because it was a long time ago. And I didn't know much in those days. But I don't think there was anything too awful in these drinks. But they tasted awful! And I desperately wanted something to chew. And, no matter how many times a day I cleaned my teeth, they were still coated in hairy jackets five minutes later.

However, being a disiplined person in those days, I stuck it out for the alloted time. And I gained three kilos. And the doctor refused to believe I hadn't cheated. So, that's what you get for taking dietary advice from a doctor! Never again!!!