Bloodwork results from lab Summer 2014

[VitaminB12]

July 24, 2014 8 am (bus to lab)

TSH 5.95
Reference range 0.35 – 5.00 miU/L


Free T4 13
Reference range 12 – 22 pmol/L


Free T3 4
Reference range 2.6 – 5.7 pmol/L


Vitamin B12 746
Reference range >220 pmol/L


Ferretin/iron 37
Reference ranges 31 – 79  ug/L reduced iron stores, 80 – 300 ug/L normal iron stores

I found out recently that I having been drinking too much water given the high water content in my diet (plenty of vegetables and fruit). The symptoms I attribute to hypothyroidism are also symptoms of too much water. See my other post entitled Drinking too much water? I wonder if too much water is the reason I don't have enough iron in my system or if I have an absorption issue. I went to a talk about water by a medical professional at my local natural health store a while ago.  

[Barb135]

You're right, margarine isn't real food... it's one molecule from being plastic.  I do buy butter and because I'm struggling to keep type II diabetes at bay, I'm very careful about the amount of sugar in anything I buy, including my yogurt.

While most of the yogurt in my local grocery store is nonfat, we do have cottage cheese that's labeled like you say - nonfat, 2% and 4%, which is full fat.

[VitaminB12]

Thank you for your post. Please see my reply to Barb135 about yogurt and butter. The Kefir is 2% not full fat. One brand of yogurt I sometimes buy comes in "no fat", 2% and 3.8% or something like that. I eat plain not flavoured yogurt and Kefir because I don't want the added sugar ...

[VitaminB12]

Thanks for your post. Margarine isn't real food, butter is. While I don't buy butter I do enjoy it as a treat occasionally when I'm out. I eat yogurt that is plain.The sugar in it is milk sugar not added sugar. I'll post more later.

[Barb135]

Yes, avocados, nuts seeds, olive oil and seed butters are good fats... there's a difference between that and "no fat".

I agree with Red_Star about the fat in dairy, but it's hard to find full fat yogurt in my local grocery store.   I also eat "real butter" as opposed to margarine or other "spreads" that are supposed to be better for you.  

[Red_Star]

Here is some info from Authority Nutrition's article: Top 11 “Diet” Foods That Make You Fat Instead of Thin...

"5. Low Fat Yogurt

Yogurt is often considered to be a healthy food… and it is.

But the problem is that most yogurt found in stores is low-fat yogurt… which is highly processed garbage.

When food manufacturers remove the fat from foods, they taste terrible. That’s why they add a whole bunch of other stuff to compensate for the lack of fat.

In the case of yogurt, they usually add sugar, high fructose corn syrup or some kind of artificial sweetener.

But new studies are showing that saturated fat is actually harmless… so low-fat yogurt has had the good stuff removed, only to be replaced with something that is much, much worse (12, 13).

There is also no evidence that dairy fat contributes to obesity. In fact, one study showed that people who ate the most high-fat dairy products were the least likely to become obese (14)!

So… eat real, full-fat yogurt, but avoid low-fat yogurt like the plague.

Bottom Line: Low-fat yogurt is yogurt that has had the good stuff (saturated fat) removed, only to be replaced with something much worse, like sugar."

[VitaminB12]

So you think even though I eat a fair amount of avocados, nuts and seeds and seed butter as well as cold pressed extra virgin olive oil that I ought to consider 2% over no fat yogurt/Greek yogurt/Kefir as a staple? I was alternating because of my other healthy fat intake.