Almond milk and hypothyroidism

[MP77]

My daughter is 18 months old and recently taken off cow's milk due to allergy. Her gastroenterologist told us to give her almond milk. I have read various articles-none very specific- about risks of drinking "large amounts" of almond milk if at risk for hypothyroidism. I suspect my daughter has a risk for HT as all the women on one side of the family have been diagnosed(including myself). My pediatrician did not know if drinking 24-32 ounces of almond milk a day would be harmful to my daughter's thyroid functioning. I would like to know if this is something I should be concerned about and if I should find a different milk alternative to give her instead. Thank you.

[VitaminB12]

Here's my experience.
I have hypothryoidism and I'm vegetarian. I was including almonds in my diet then added almond butter and almond milk. Since increasing my intake of almond products significantly my thyroid function has slipped. Then I read that according to some sources almonds are considered goitrogenic! I've read the same about soy which I don't care for. So I am now having almonds and almond products sparingly to see if that makes a positive difference. I go for bloodwork on Monday (TSH, Free T4, and Free T3).

[Cinnamons]

I have read that when baby goats are nursing they always get goiters due to the content of the milk but that the goiters go away later after they stop nursing.

[Cinnamons]

Eating a large amount of almonds on a regular basis or drinking a lot of almond mild regularly can bring on or worsen hypothyroidism. I know because it happened to me.

[Barb135]

Food lose their goitrogenic properties when they are cooked, so there's usually no need to avoid them, if you have thyroid issues, except for soy products, which should certainly be avoided.

[catiness]

found this on ehow website

Almonds are a goitrogenic food, meaning they contain chemicals that can harm your thyroid. Goitrogenic foods such as soy, cabbage, kale, flax, broccoli, and almonds, cause the thyroid to expand, and when consumed on a large level, cause goiters to form because one of the prevalent chemicals found in goitrogens blocks the intake of iodine. While goitrogenic foods can be harmful in large consumption, they are at the same time healthy and beneficial to the human immune system. However, for those with low thyroid functions, restraint from consuming high quantities of goitrogenic foods is critical. Almond milk contains levels of goitrogenic toxins produced from almonds, and should be avoided by those at risk of low thyroid function. For people who have healthy thyroid function, consuming a moderate amount of almond milk daily will have no negative side effects to the thyroid.

[youvegottobekidding]

"Just like honey should always be raw, so should dairy"

It's true you lose health giving qualities, but you can get botulism from unpasteurised honey, and I have met 2 people who got brucellosis from unpasteurised dairy foods. Where I live, in Italy, there is no law about having to pasteurise anything, and there is a very high number of brucellosis cases every year. So I really think it is better to play safe.

Hi CodyC,
It's good that you're OK with goat's milk. According to my son's immunologist, most people are allergic to all types of casein (he said something close to 90 percent of people) and most are also allergic to at least one of the other two protein groups in milk. I guess it's just a question of trying it to see.

[FurballsMom]

One of the main reasons why dairy allergies and sensitivities are on the rise is because pasteurization destroys beneficial enzymes in the milk.  Just like honey should always be raw, so should dairy.  If dairy practices were cleaner than they are now, there wouldn't be a "need" for this pasteurization that is mandated for the large dairies to sell their dairy products in grocery stores.

[codyc]

I drink raw goat's milk from a certified dairy in our area. It is great tasting IMO. It is more naturally homogenized.  The dairy we get it from is great and they use a natural approach with their goats so no hormones etc.

You can buy pasteurized goat's milk in stores and it tastes ok, but not as good as the raw stuff.

[FurballsMom]

The ultimate solution is to make your own almond milk.  There are several sites with instructions on how to do this, including several videos on YouTube.  This way you can make some without any sweetener of any kind whatsoever.  Almonds taste naturally sweet.  Plus, if you make it yourself, you at least know what is in the end product and won't be wondering what some of those additives are.

[alfonsina]

How does goat milk taste? isn't it too watery? I tried coconut milk and it was too white and sweet and watery, did not like it.

Is goat milk fortified also? I need my calcium....

[codyc]

So.. the upshot is, all milk has lots of casein in it.. otherwise it
wouldn't BE milk... but there are different types of casein and for
someone who has a casein sensitivity, goat milk may provide an alternative
to which they don't react. "Apha-s1 is the major casein protein present in cow milk and has been identified as one of the major cow milk senstivities. By contrast the major casein in goat milk is ß-casein, and alpha-s2 casein is the main alpha casein present."

I personally can not drink cow's milk as I am sensitive to it's casein, but goat's milk does not cause me any problems.

[sunrock]

There is also Organic Oat Milk.

Sweeten or unsweetened or vanilla.
TJ has this as well and so do some grocery stores.

Mia

[alfonsina]

I have not heard of dangers either. I switched to almond milk a couple of years ago and I bought the unsweetened one which is only 40 calories per serving! that is half of calories of  a regular fat free milk. My favorite brand and the tastier one for me was the Trader Joe's one.

I was tested for allergies earlier this year and I came out positive for almonds and I had to quit it. I loved it and I love almonds, but at this point I have no choice.

[LazyMoose]

And coconut / almond combination milk.........mmmmm yummy.

[sunrock]

And now there is a Coconut milk....
Mia

[LazyMoose]

Dangers of almond milk with hypothyroid? really, what dangers?

I have not googled it, but as far as I know almond milk is very healthy.

You can get it non-sweetend (Diamond brand). I've been drinking it for 3 years.

[tifereth]

i just wanted to add that after drinking goat's milk for a short time, my son was soon able to switch back to cow's milk and he had no more problems.

[youvegottobekidding]

I don't know much about thyroid but I can tell you about every kind of milk substitute.
Almond milk is one of the more mutritious options but very sugary and will make you get fatter..
Rice milk is the healthiest option generally but not very nutrient rich.
Soya milk has a little more nutritional value than rice milk but the protein molucule is similar to one of the three protein molecules in milk and over half of people who switch to soya from cows' milk develop an allergy to it within 2 years.
They seel potato milk in powder form for babies which is decent stuff.
Goat and sheep milk contain the same proteins as cows' milk and people who think they are alright with these milks are just benefitting from the psychological effect of thinking they are OK. They did a double blind study and found it gives the same effect as cows' milk (one of the doctors in this study was my son's allergist).
The only animal alternative which is truly good for you and different from cows' milk is ***** milk (yes I know!) -we found a supplier for this and it is really nice but it was too expensive.

[Barb135]

We've had members on the forum who have switched to Almond milk, but I don't know how much they actually drank. I've heard of switching to goat's milk, also.

You should do more research on the almond milk to be sure.  Maybe both almond and goat's milk?  

[tifereth]

my child, when an infant, also developed an allergy to cow's milk.  his pediatrician switched him to goat's milk which worked out well.
i have no experience with almond milk.
hope your daughter gets better soon.