Last week I told you I was changing my diet in hopes of prodding my lazy thyroid without increasing meds. Thanks to all of you who offered tips and advice.
With the help of a nutrition guru I eased into:
- Gluten-free
- Soy-free
- Caffeine-free
- Mostly unprocessed
Because poor planner is my middle name, I got off to a rough start. I was not eating enough and my workouts suffered.
The Aha Moment:
Remember that Think Thin Bar?
First thing every morning, I take my thyroid meds w/water, followed by half of a Think Thin bar with coffee. I’d feel swelling in my throat shortly after that and assumed it was the meds doing a number on my wonky thyroid. I mentioned it to my doc and have a thyroid ultrasound in my future. However, immediately after skipping the Think Thin bar, the swelling is gone. GONE! Think Thins are gluten-free but contain soy. Soy is controversial and maybe it’s fine for those with fully functioning thyroids. But I’ve come to learn that eating soy so close to taking thyroid meds was pretty much cancelling out any benefits. Talk about a lightbulb moment.
Here are some of my new best friends:
Lot of eggs, lean protein, veggies, leafy greens, nuts/nut butter butter and fruit.
But it isn’t all sunshine and roses.
I had to send back this loaf of yeasty perfection at our anniversary dinner last week. Sigh. I sat out when we went for fro-yo after Skyfall….well some people saw Skyfall while others saw Hotel Transylvania. Yes, I’d have loved to see Skyfall but hearing the laughter of children as I sat watching HT with Thing 2 was worth the sacrifice.
Thing 1 had a sleepover last weekend. What kind of mom would I be if I didn’t whip up a pan of these?
You can bet your cocoa stash I had some too. But treats like these aren’t a daily occurence anymore. I’m doing the mindful square of dark chocolate thing and so far so good.
I’ll keep you posted. Have you ever tweaked your diet?
I’ve been struggling with adult acne for a few years now and recently read that eating too much dairy can make it worse. I cut back on milk (I used to drink it with each meal, but that was mostly it) and then eat a bunch of cheese. I swear it has made it better.
My body also doesn’t like beans, whole eggs, or soy. Stomachaches galore if I do that. Almost slipped once in a restaurant when I forgot to ask for an egg white omelet, but thankfully Hubby reminded me and the waitress ran off to the kitchen before it was too late. 🙂
I think you and I both are gonna be eating very clean and simple!
I won some Think Thin bars in a giveaway several months ago but never got them 🙁
Hear they are good!
Big kuddos to you, way to rock the food intake!! I can’t say I’m eating 100% healthier – poor planning is my first and last name – but I’m just trying to eliminate 90% of the sugar crap I was eating and the processed carbs. Everything is a processed carb unless you go totally fruit, veggies, meats and nuts. Which sort of sucks. But I’m here to tell you that eating 500 almonds for dinner one night really isn’t all that good for you! 🙂
Keep being strong, girl!! xoxo
I’m glad you can still have eggs! Those a staple around here, without which, we’d probably starve.
I’m on a low sodium diet and once cut out caffeine and alcohol for two years to see if they helped with Meniere’s Disease. So far, it seems the low sodium is working!
Turtle & I loved Hotel Transyvlania! We’ve tweaked our diet to try to be strictly organic…it’s difficult, and we’re by no means perfect, but it does feel a lot better!
Many years ago I had to tweak my diet. I was having bad migranes and was trying to avoid the heavy medication. I cut out msg, pork, too much caffeine, and loaded up on water. I have been migrane free for 15 years!! It is certainly not as hard as what you are doing though! It’s crazy what food can do to our bodies!
It’s so interesting how every body has different tolerances/needs. I admire you for making the sacrifices–those are some things I’d hate to give up!
soy allergy is the worst. it is in everything! planning is hard (/i’m lazy) and i am not doing my body any favors by not-planning/being lazy 🙁 got to get back on track myself – don’t you fall off!
I totally overhauled my diet when I began vegetarian…and most days vegan. It take more planning but I find my body is way better than before.
Kudos to you!
Oh man! I’m glad you’re figuring things out alittle bit more now and tweaking things to get yourself where you need to be. I can’t imagine how tough that is!! Keep on trekking! Spa <3
Thanks for this post! I had a similar reaction to a Think Thin bar!
Isn’t amazing how the older we get, the weirder our bodies get 🙂 I definitely have strange reactions to things that were never a problem before I hit 40. Sigh.
I had a similar aha momenet a few years ago when I realized I had soy milk with breakfast every morning after taking my thyroid meds, duh!
I’ve never tried a diet to this extreme! I’ve heard great things about gluten free diets! Only for those that need it though… and I don’t think I do.
I’ve been doing the 10 Day Pledge from 100 Days of Real Food and have cut out processed foods, sugars and flours for the past 9 days. It’s amazing how much better I feel. Less bloated, clearer skin, more energy, better digestion-I think I’m onto something with this!
I did a three week gluten-free experiment to see if it made any difference in my health. I’m already vegan, so I found it quite challenging. I totally understand when you talk about how poor planning can make everything more difficult. I spent my first week hungry because I wasn’t prepared with snacks, lunches, etc. I’d hate to try taking soy out of my diet too. I know there are gluten free, soy free vegans out there, but still…
The throat swelling sounds scary to me! I’m glad removing that bar made it stop! Hope the new diet helps.
The only strict diet I’ve done is the one required when you are pregnant. 😉