Started a vegan diet about two months ago, I have recently had symptoms of an underactive thyroid?
I started eating a vegan diet about 3 months ago. In the last 2 weeks, I’m freezing all of the time (I live in the Arizona, so it’s not exactly cold), my skin has gotten drier, always sleepy, sore muscles for no reason. I’m on the thin side, but I always have been.
could it be soy milk inhibiting my thyroid? I drink about a glass or two a day.
I am well-versed in nutrition. For the first two weeks of eating, I anally documented everything I ate and changed my diet accordingly to meet dietary needs.
and that’s how I started drinking soy milk - for calcium and B12, the two nutrients I was lacking.
Tagged with: calcium • nutrients • nutrition • sore muscles • thin side • thyroid • vegan diet
Filed under: Symptoms Of Underactive Thyroid
First of all, do not attempt to self-diagnose a problem. This should be done by a doctor. You could go down a list of symptoms and it could match almost anything. You may have an infection for all you know.
Are you not using iodized salt? If you have an iodine deficiency, this could cause thyroid problems http://www.vegfamily.com/dietician/1006a.htm Salt has been iodized in the US for the better part of the past century for all people– including meat eaters. If you don’t use it, you need to get a bit of iodine in your diet somewhere– about 150 mcg. http://veganhealth.org/articles/iodine/
I’m going to assume, because of your thin condition, that you do not eat a whole lot of food. Is that a correct assumption? Do you have any kind of eating disorder? Make sure you eat enough food to maintain a healthy weight, and meet your nutritional needs– such as getting enough iron, calcium, and other micronutrients. Iron is especially important for females who have their monthly period, because you lose iron when you bleed. If you are female and you’re of menstruating age, you need more iron than a male. Vegetarians may also need a bit more iron from plant sources because it is nonheme. http://veganhealth.org/articles/iron/
You also want to be sure you’re eating vitamin B12 daily in either a supplement or in fortified foods in addition to eating a healthy diet. Here’s an excellent website on vegetarian and vegan nutrition http://www.vrg.org/
edit: The reason I mentioned iodine was because you asked about soy and thyroid. The American Dietetic Association stated, "Foods such as soybeans, cruciferous vegetables, and sweet potatoes contain natural goitrogens. These foods have not been associated with thyroid insufficiency in healthy people provided iodine intake is adequate (They cited Messina M, Redmond G. Effects of soy protein and soybean isoflavones on thyroid function in healthy adults and hypothyroid patients: a review of the relevant literature. Thyroid. 2006;16:249-258.)." http://www.eatright.org/ada/files/VegetarianPositionFINAL.pdf If your iodine is fine, this research indicates that it’s not the soy that would cause a thyroid problem.
You are probably not getting enough nutrients and could becoming anemic, have you fully researched how to get all the nutrients you need from a vegan diet? It’s probably NOT the soymilk affecting your thyroid. I would go see your doctor, they can run blood tests to check iron levels, vitamins and thyriod to make sure everything is at the proper levels.
You should eat a fresh baby lama. That will make you feel much better.
Sounds more like anemia. I take it you used to get a lot of your iron and protein from dairy?
More leafy green veg for you.
Go check with your doc though to see what you are missing. You may want to talk to a nutritionalist about your diet to see what you are lacking. When in doubt, more beans.
I had the same problem. I went to the doctor and it turns out that I’m anaemic but I was only slightly anaemic and I took care of it naturally. Being a vegan actually helped me overcome anaemia as I started eating more green vegetables, before that I was a carboholic vegetarian. So I was pretty much asking for anaemia.
I was feeling tired, cold, I was pale, sore leg muscles, sounds about the same. You might want to get a blood test.
Anaemia is easy enough to cure. Make sure you’re eating enough iron.