Miss Lizzy's Hypothyroid Diet™
(Please note: this page is a work in progress so please keep coming back!).
Being Hypothyroid means I have trouble eating carbs and sugar (tragic, I know). For years I would eat a bowl of cereal and a banana for breakfast, or a muffin or a bagel thinking the carbs were "healthy". But within hours of breakfast I felt terrible or would have a hypoglycemic "crash" which meant I would get extremely hungry, shaky, foggy brain, lightheaded and lose my strength. Or I would have pasta or a sandwich for lunch and then fight off the terrible need for a nap all afternoon.
As it turned out I might as well have been poisoning myself with food because my body really doesn't like carbs. This includes sugar, sweetener, all grain, oatmeal, alcohol, rice, potatoes and many fruits. Its not a wheat allergy, its a carb sensitivity which I hear is common with Hypothyroidism. Once I removed carbs, and began snacking throughout the day my energy levels improved, there were fewer hypoglycemic crashes, and I lost weight. It's not the kind of diet you may know about like Weight Watchers, Atkins or the Zone. Its Miss Lizzy's diet and it may not work for everyone. But if you are Hypothyroid like me I figure you may want to know what I eat.
So you're probably wondering how does someone enjoy meals and feel full without carbs! Well the first thing I found is that in place of a carb-based meal I have to eat lots of (mostly good) fat and protein. This means I eat butter (yeah, baby!), olive oil, whole raw milk, cream, full fat yogurt and sour cream, eggs, meat, nuts, and cheese (OMG, really, I eat tons of cheese!). Again it's not the Atkins or the Zone diet. It's much more flexible. And it's not a no-carb diet. I do eat carbs, but naturally occurring in other foods. For example, carbs are in Peanut Butter, Milk, Beans, Lentils, etc... So I get enough carbs just through eating other healthy foods.
#1. For breakfast I eat savory/salty foods rather than sweet foods. Starting the day savory/salty breaks the carb/sugar craving cycle (which happens if I start the day with sweets or carbs). So for example, I will have last night's dinner for breakfast; basically vegetables with lots of protein. Or I might just have some cheese or peanut butter. This keeps my energy level up and keeps my brain clear thinking far better than a grain based.
#2. I eat lots of fats and protein, like cheese, nuts, butter, peanut butter, and eggs.
#3. I limit fruit to apples, pears, peaches, berries or what's in season. Tropical fruits make me feel terrible (like bananas, mangos, pineapple) so I eat these very sparingly.
#4. Basically, at every meal have a vegetable and a protein. Yeah, it's really simple. But takes some experimentation to find what works. Seriously though, protein and vegetables makes tons of sense, right?
#5. No need for measuring, counting points or calories.
#6 I eat before I get hungry, and have small snacks throughout the day which include healthy fats like nuts or cheese. The snack is especially important before exercise because otherwise I get Hypoglycemic during the workout and have to stop.
I totally have a sweet tooth so when I want something sweet I have natural sugars including honey, dates, raisins, and occassionally have a drink (seriously, a girl have to have some fun). For sweetener I use Truvia (a Stevia based product) and Liquid Stevia (according to Wikipedia and other sources, Stevia has a negligible effect on blood glucose).
I snack all day long, about every hour or so, which keeps me from craving sugar. Snack are protein and fat based, I ALWAYS eat before I feel hunger otherwise I get Hypoglycemic. After breaking the carb craving I can totally tell the difference between hunger and carb cravings. Hunger I find can be easily solved, whereas carb craving is an endless insatiable pursuit. (One cookie isn't enough, I would eat the whole box of cookies and want more an hour later!). So I snack before the cravings take over...
Cashews
Almonds
Cheese
Apple with Peanut Butter
Plain Full Fat Yogurt with nuts (sweeten with Truvia or Liquid Stevia)
