DJ, I want to change my diet, and I will as soon as the kids leave home. I know I will eat less meat and potatoes.

Please share more about healthy diets. I need one!

I have dinner often with these folks. And yes, the dinners are delicious and not bland. My friends are eating more vegetables, and some fruits, but not overdoing the fruits because of the sugars and the threat of too much potassium.

Remember that the processed food industry is the biggest industry in the US. Maybe it's convenient to buy premade items, but you have to carefully read every single label. So my friends are cooking more from scratch.

Some of what they've given up varies -- you can take individual tests to find out for sure for your own body, but here are a few of the things that folks avoid:

The biggest offenders are the chemical additives. MSG is a bad one, and it's in more foods than you realize.

Fake oils like Olestra don't even have to be listed any more, which is a crime in my opinion. Canola oil could be bad. I have to avoid safflower oil. Whatever oil you get, you probably should use organic.

Sugar and fructose -- they're in almost everything (like soup, chips and lots of drinks including juices). Nutrasweet is also bad.
Caffeine
Alcohol
Cows' milk
Hormones and antibiotics in meat and dairy.

More difficult for everyone is when they give up wheat flour which is hard for pasta lovers, but there is some decent rice pasta.

I didn't have a thyroid problem myself but had an adrenal problem, which might be a precursor to the thyroid problems. Thyroid is more severe, I think. That's when your hair starts to fall out, isn't it?

I can tell you this: my diet was much more severe as I started to recover than it is right now. I avoid cane sugar but will eat beet sugar, and the only time I do is when I eat chocolate (which is also the only caffeine I ingest now -- My prefered chocolate is a product called the Bat Bar, which is bittersweet and dark.

You can Google "thyroid and diet" for more information.

[ September 04, 2005, 04:37 PM: Message edited by: DJ ]

Thanks DJ. I guess my problem is that I'm too lazy to make these changes. Sad, isn't it? I'd have to shp differently, get all new cook books and gain a taste for some foods I don't currently eat.

Our diet is fairly healthy due to having two diabetics in the family, but I know it could be healthier.

I also have a thyroid problem & take synthroid. I can't remember which one it is.......I do get my bloodwork done every 3 months now.

Everything seems to check out allright concerning my thyroid everytime it's tested, so nothing more is said about it. I have had a sonogram once for it & checked out ok.

My problem is I use food for comfort--and even tho I know I should be eating correctly--and no matter how hard I try to do so....I still reach for my comfort foods.....which happen to be cereal or any type of bread!!! Not easy NOT to have in the house!!!

One of the biggest problems for women is yeast -- if you can get sour dough bread or bread made from a non-yeast starter, it'd be better. If you ever have that sick-all-over feeling, headaches, PMS -- they're often yeast-induced. If you take medications that kill the friendly flora, then yeast will flourish because antibiotics usually don't kill it.

I shop at Whole Foods and get their "rustic" bread, and have them slice it. mmmmm. They also have a fresh non-yeast raisin nut bread.

Wow...this is all very interesting. I'm thinking I need to talk to my doc and see. I would be interested in knowing what kinds of test they do for your thyroid as well.

I've really tried to eat mostly organic foods but I'm wondering now if the local grocery stores aren't just putting up the sign "organic" in front of fruits and veggies. I'm serious.

We don't have a Farmer's market close enough to me so that I could run get fresh things, so I may just have to make a special trip to Huntsville to get them. Eating processed foods scares the beejeebees out of me after some of the articles I have read. I completely cut out fast food places, and try to only eat veggies when I DO go out.

I miss Taco Bell though. I gotta confess. And a quarter-pounder with cheese...to die for. Sadly enough, it probably is!

JJ

jj
I used to live on potato chips, oreos and coffee with half and half and lots of sugar. For _years_. Also, my world famous brownies. Not to mention chocolate chip cookies.
I still make a killer chocolate pie -- using chocolate chips that are grain sweetened. Don't know how they make the sugar out of barley, but they do. Buy a bag of semi sweet chips and melt it with a half pint of organic cream and put in a baked pie shell. Only now and then, of course.
I didn't think I could survive without caffeine and sugar. I got off caffeine after a car accident where I bumped my head and was so dizzy I needed tests, and to do the tests you have to go off caffeine for 24 hours. What withdrawal symptoms I had -- I was so nauseated and had a killer headache. But afterwards, I was free! seriously! I had to travel with caffeinated tea bags in my purse for that emergency jolt.
Speaking of taco bell, have you seen the movie SuperSize Me?

DJ, your story about your caffeine withdrawal reminds me of a story about my Dad. Please can I butt in here and share it? I love telling Dad-stories.

My Dad was a physics teacher at a local college. A very quiet, unassuming genius of a man (a genuine rocket scientist). He'd been drinking coffee since he was a young boy working on the farm. But his doctor ordered him to give up coffee because of his high blood pressure, diabetes and heart palpitations. So Dad did. He lasted a few weeks. But one day, he just couldn't stand it anymore and went to the vending machine at school and bought himself a large coffee.

WELL, apparently, he became so giddy and "bouncy", gabbing and joking on in class, that his students thought he was drunk. They called someone else in to check him out, and Dad was so high, they had to send him home. He couldn't even drive, my brother had to go and get him.

Everyone thought it was hilarious (even my Dad) because of how very quiet and staid my Dad usually was.

that's hilarious! It's so funny that the kids were concerned about him. Maybe that's one of the differences between the US and Canada. Probably here the students would have a field day with a giddy and joking prof.

Guess it just underscores what a powerful drug caffeine really is.

Hi Ellie: Regarding hypothyroidism, any other symptoms besides being so tired?

DJ-I agree with you, regarding diet and health problems.
I was diagnosed with HYPERthyroidism-the opposite- 10 yrs. ago. I was in totally bad shape, back then (long story). But, in my case, the doctor insisted it was not diet related. I believe it was more stress-related (in my case).

I've been a vegeterian since I was a child. Hardly eat out and always eat home-cooked meals, even the desserts are homemade(were, cause I don't have 'em any more) . I don't drink sodas. Juice, rarely. Use whole grain breads, etc.