To Soy or not to Soy

Who here with thyroid problems has decided to give up soy and any products containing soy?
Also, please tell me your opinions about soy products.
Thanks!
:) Tamra

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5%

 (1) 

Not within four hours of taking my thyroid meds.

66%

 (12) 

Never, I stay away from soy.

16%

 (3) 

I occasionally eat soy.

11%

 (2) 

I eat soy whenever I want.

18 Members voted

[JayCee7]

Hi TamraW,

I voted:  I eat soy whenever I want.

I am newly dx'd with Hashis' and having a TT due to a hurthle cell nodule next week, so haven't made any decisions about soy yet.

I did notice that my very favorite coffee creamer which is lactose free, has partially hydrogenated soybean oil (or something like that) ~

What is the reason people with thyroid problems stay away from soy?

jaycee7

[stella5349]

I try to limit soy product as much as possible. The factors of soy  just are not right for proper thyroid function.

[Smilerdeb]

I stay away from soy 100%.
I have seen what years of consuming soy can do to a persons health especially with thyroid issues and also the salt content in soy.

[TamraW]

Wow! Thanks for answering the poll so quickly. I have heard mixed reviews about soy, so I'm wondering if I should quit. I was newly diagnosed Hashi's (Wednesday), and I'm trying to fight this disease. I guess it hasn't killed my thyroid yet, and these storms wipe me out. I just want energy to get through the day, and if giving up soy does the trick, well, I guess I have no choice.

:) Tamra

[rad44]

I lost 36 pounds on medifast which is almost 100% soy.  Then I got really sick and found out I had Hashi's.  I  believe the soy contributed to the problem.

[TamraW]

What is a hurthle cell nodule? I ask because I have three nodules on the left side which give me problems. If I touch them, my left side feels numb. They also frequently hurt me. Each nodule is 1cm. Two are stuck together. The third has not been biopsied yet, and my endo doesn't see the need to biopsy it. She never even looked at the ultrasound results on that nodule.

Take care...
:) T.

[Barb135]

I avoid soy in all forms.  

[laura1967]

Soy is bad for anyone with thyroid issues. There are natural types of chemicals in soy that inhibits proper absorption of thyroid hormone.
They are finding in latest studies also that soy negatively affects the over-all health of our bodies.....I completely stay away from it as much as possible.
It is in most processed items you buy though, so beware. Label read everything and you will be shocked at how many things have soy in it. Including soy oil, soy lecithin, soybean oil, etc etc etc. They word it every which way, just like they do with MSG.....also inosolate....disodium, etc. Again play on words to hide what is put in.
Soy became popular because it was a very CHEAP cheap filler for food companies.....that is how the whole ruckess started.

[BabyBlue139]

I'm a vegetarian and always relied a great deal on soy for protein.  Once I had my thyroid removed, I quit soy completely.  I've read/heard too many things about how soy was bad for people w/thyroid problems.    

[mazbarth]

If you have had the thyroid removed completely, how can soy cause problems?  Does it interfere with absorption of meds like Synthroid?  I'm an almost-vegetarian so cutting out all foods with soy could get challenging but I do want to the best results after my TT in March.   thanks!

[TamraW]

Good question. Maybe some of the senior members can answer.

If we get our thyroids removed, can we eat soy as long as we wait four hours after taking our meds???

Thanks,
:) Tamra

[FriscoGirl]

Take a look at
http://thyroid.about.com/cs/soyinfo/a/soy.htm
including the comments.

I know that removing aspartame, soy, msg, high fructose corn syrup, etc. from my diet has made a HUGE difference in how I feel.  Doing that in conjunction with upping Vitamin D, taking Magnesium and Calcium - has made me happy, chipper, energetic and totally pain free (26 years after RAI) - and I was on some very strong pain meds.

Basically, if it is not fermented (most commercial soy sauces are not nowadays - look for Tamari) I do not eat it!

[Rachel4]

I also stay away from aspartame, soy, msg, high frusctose corn syrup for the most part.

[hope4thegoodstuff]

I don't like soy...Not an issue for me, didn't know about the thyroid issues.

Aspartame messes with me big time...I don't do diet pop.  Of course, when I'm drinking a pop, diet is not the idea....LOL

[TamraW]

Where do I buy Tamari soy sauce. I love Chinese and Japanese food. Ugghh.
When I thought I had Celiac disease, I had researched many gluten free websites. Because some Celiacs can't have soy, many gluten free products are soy free as well. These websites have menus, shopping lists, etc... I used to have a grocery list with brand names of gluten/soy free products. Anyone have that list? I can't find mine.

http://celiacdisease.about.com/od/glutenfreefoodshopping/ss/GFgrocerylist_2.htm

http://www.celiac.org/lifestyle/grocery.php

[TamraW]

Here's a gluten free website with grocery items you can buy:

http://gfkitchen.server101.com/GlutenFree_Guide_Shopping_Guide.htm

Here's a gluten free book with current gluten free groceries you can buy at your local store:

http://www.ceceliasmarketplace.com/gluten-free-guide.html?OVRAW=gluten%20shopping%20list&OVKEY=gluten%20free%20shopping&OVMTC=advanced&OVADID=47024062522&OVKWID=233394475022&ysmwa=GP1atWW6f9FISfEoBgUVyoDi_oZTtkfrE3HsLuUEt83KT97yFCjV3v1XNQf5nso9

[ChitChatNine]

Tamra.

To answer your ? way up top ----- you could be pushing the nodule into a nerve; thus the numbing.  I'd get a 2nd opinion.

C~

[Roxanne862]

To Not Spoy! Soy is a GMO food. Genetically Modified.  99.9% of all soybeans are now genetically modified.  I love Chinese and Japanese foods but NOT the Soy.  I have found when I eat soy I swell up big time.  Never to the Soy.

[laura1967]

Whether you still have your thyroid or not, soy can cause problems with the absorption of your meds.

[Tamara300]

Is Almond milk OK?  I like it better anyway.

[TamraW]

Rachel, why not high fructose corn syrup?

:) Tamra

[TamraW]

Tamara, I don't know how I missed your question. I haven't heard anything about almond milk. Just make sure it doesn't list any soy products on the back.
:) Tamra

[TamraW]

New development:

After conducting this poll, I went soy free for nine days. I also was gluten free (but I cheated yesterday). I felt tired and bloated after the gluten yesterday, but not too bad.

Today I had soy for the first time. My mom made ribs. I'm a sucker for barbeque! MY GERD, which has been absent for nine days, came back!

Coincidence?

Tamra

[Slowlylearning]

Im have been on synthroid over 2 years and was still having pain in the legs... was still tired.. and still had many hypo symptoms.  Our favorite food was fried rice and chicken from a local hibachi restaurant  ... soy heaven... I gave it up and switched to corn oil since Vegetable oil is soy... YEA ... no pain or symptoms in 3 months

[dawnangela]

Huh? so i cant have soy sauce on my steamed dim sims:( Lol not that i should eat them either..

[Matthew007]

I just wanted to add I did a elimination food diet and Soy is a major problem with me (severe nausea/anxiety/constipation) and i'm in the process of finding food to eat without soy in it.. I've found that companies list soy under natural flavors or vitamin E so it's near impossible to make sure it's soy free.  Also things you'd expect to be soy free are not...

I wrote kellogs this morning because one website listed rice krispies as not soy free, yet cheerios at general mills are - I wrote both companies an e-mail asking to confirm this.  Anyway good luck to all those who are avoiding it.  Hopefully this is the only thing i'm intolerant too because I hear it takes weeks to get out of your system :(

(real close to biting the bullet and paying for RAST test.. I did the skin ***** test, and had a minor reaction to oats..but the allergist said the majority of people react that way to oats...but I'm worn out, been doing elimination testing for months now *sigh* but the allergist said RAST testing is pretty unreliable...and since I don't have insurance or the $$$ for the test..I've been trying to do the cheap route but man I'm tempted to blow the $500+ for the test sadly...)

[TamraW]

Have you tried eliminating gluten?

Rice Krispies!!! I've been eating that almost every morning!

Crud.

:) Tamra

[Lori707]

I do not have thyroid problems but I do have auto-immune issues such as Rhuematoid Arthritis, etc. So I put myself on a special anti-inflammatory diet and went off of all red meats and dairy. My doctor told me to take Ensure and I was feeling worse. Then I noticed that Ensure is soy. My allergest tested me for Soy and low and behold, I was very allergic to it. So of course I took myself off of any soy products. BUT..it's almost impossible to get many one a day vitamins that don't have soy in it unless I take vitamins for men. I'm trying to find Vit.E but 400IU but they all have soy. READ THE LABELS! There's SO many items with soy.

I'm curious as to why soy is considered to be very healthy but yet it isn't. Am very confused about it.

[redheadaussie]

Hurthle Cell nodule is the type of cells found inside. There are many types of nodules. Hurthles though can be cancerous though generally speaking are not. You can only tell if they are Hurthle cells via a FNA.

As for soy...I used to be vegetarian eating soy all the time. Since I now take meds I find the soy interferes with the binding of the thyroxine, causing me to become hypo.  my family find that if they have ANY soy in their diets (they are on thyroid meds too) it causes quite a few tummy upsets and rashes etc. I now limit my soy intake but still prefer not to eat any red meat.
My man eats soy till it comes out of his ears. and he has man-boobs! Too much oestrogen in it for males. Can be good for menopausal women though.
I am gluten intolerant too, as many thyroid patients are. It is a very difficult lifestyle change to go totally wheat free, but for me, it is a good choice. If I have a small amount of gluten in my food I get terrible pains and then diahorrea, my brain goes all foggy and I can't retain information for more than a few seconds.
Cheers!

[Lori707]

I forgot to mention in my last comment that I am menopausal. TWO GYN's told me to stay off the soy because it has estrogen and they don't want me to stroke out. Interesting that I have never heard of this in magazines, t.v. or other docs. I should ask my internest.

[LazyMoose]

Its near impossible to eliminate it, so I just try to stay away from the lager amounts. I drank soy milk a few years ago and stopped when I read its bad for the thyroid. I drink Almond milk now (from the almond company, Blue Diamond?), its great!