Is almond milk okay for hypothyroidism?

[EmL08]

Hi all,

I have one more question (sorry for so many the past few days).

I'm going for RAI on Friday morning, so I'll eventually have hypothyroidism. I know there's a whole laundry list of foods we're supposed to avoid, but I spoke with my PCP last night and he said that he (and my endocrinologist) can tailor my medication dosage to suit my lifestyle. I LOVE eating things like broccoli (lightly steamed) spinach (sometimes raw, but mostly cooked in spinach bread), brussel sprouts (cooked), and the like, and I'd have to eliminate almost 75% of my diet if I actually followed that list. So, I'll just take my Synthroid (once I'm on it) one hour before eating and we'll be good. I know I'm supposed to avoid soy products, which is fine with me since I don't like the taste. I've been trying to make appointments with nutritionists all day, but literally every single one is booked out until at least late March.

However, I've been concerned lately with my calcium intake: I know I'm not getting enough since I've recently switched to a dairy-free diet (I have IBS, plus I'm on an anti-cancer diet just because I've had a lot of x-rays and CT scans as a kid, so I'm being proactive. Plus, it's a lot healthier, too). I know they have calcium-fortified juices and things like that, so I can have a serving of that per day. Plus lots of fruits and veggies have calcium too, but I'm worried that still may not be enough (I also have an unstable ankle and very, very slight arthritis, so I don't want any of my bone issues to get any worse). I've read that Total cereal is a great source of calcium though, so I was thinking of having that for breakfast with some almond milk and maybe a small fruit salad -- raspberries, blueberries, kiwis, etc. -- for breakfast. Is almond milk okay for hypothyroidism? It should be fine as long as it doesn't contain soy, correct? I'm not familiar with it enough to know, so anyone that's had experience with this, I'd love to hear from you! Once this low-iodine diet is over, I want to start eating what I'd normally eat every day so I can see how that reflects in my thyroid tests (and yes, I know to ask for Free T3 and Free T4, as well).

Thanks :)

[goolarra]

"Is drinking almond milk in large quantities something can could pose a problem? No. Almonds are not known to be a significant goitrogen, but I suspect what you heard (or what someone else heard and misinterpreted to you) was that drinking a lot of soy milk can interfere with thyroid function, possibly leading to goiter. This is true."

As FTB4 said, goitrogens inhibit thyroid function.  Yours will already be as inhibited as it can get, so no worries on the goitrogens.  All you have to be concerned with is foods that impact meds absorption, and those are only a factor for 0.5-1.0 hour after taking meds.    

[FTB4]

Almond Milk is what is called a goitrogen, along with cruciferous vegitables can inhibit thyroid function, but since you are having your thyroid essentially made unproductive anyway, I don't see an issue, if it is just the thyroid they affect, and not the absorption of the medication, that should not be a problems for you, However, if you want to be on the safe side of the issue, heating the Almond milk prior to using or drinking eliminates this risk, and as anything else, including the vegitables you enjoy, if it disrupts any absorption of your medication your labs will indicate it. I would not be concerned about it. Best Wishes FTB4