Fructose and Lactose Intolerance

Well, I have lowered my Synthroid dosage...I've been on 0.137 just two days per week and 0.125 five days per week.  My TSH still tests at 0.14.  I'm still very hyperthyroid.  Ugh.  I have worked with a local gastro nurse practioner who has helped me a lot with the digestive issues that are aggravated by being hyperthyroid.  We did discover, through some testing, that I am lactose and fructose intolerant.  I've always been lactose intolerant - GNC sells milk digestant pills that solve that problem.  As for the fructose intolerance - well, that's a challenge.  I've given up agave syrup, honey, apples, grapes, dried fruit, pears, most fruit juice, lettuce and anything with High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) - and I feel SO MUCH better.  The most difficult item is bread.  HFCS is in just about every brand of bread.  When you find something that says "contains no HFCS" it typically has another sweetener in it such as stevia or sucralose.  Both of which I don't consume.  So, a bread machine was delivered from Santa!!  A rice cooker came too which is great because whole grain rice is such a wonderful food!  I've also learned a lot about sugars in general.  I did not not know that table sugar is half fructose and half glucose.  I now have some glucose in the house (sold at dextrose) for decaf, tea, etc.  Syrups are mostly commercially made with HFCS, but Karo syrup is glucose syrup and is safe for those of us who can't digest fructose.  Also, at Trader Joe's you can find cereals with no HFCS and they also have "golden syrup" which is sugar cane based.  I use sweeteners like this so sparingly that I'll probably have to toss the Karo due to shelf life before I consume it all.  Although I did indulge in making a pecan pie for Christmas - it was yummy!

Dr. Chahal is on my case to get my neck ultrasound done.  Pooh.  I am stalling.  I'll schedule it soon.  My neck feels fine and I just didn't want anything to interfere with the Holidays.

I'm reading "YOU: On a Diet" by Dr. Oz.  It's great!  It's a thick text book.  There is a lot about HFCS and how bad it is.  Why one would take perfectly good corn syrup and process it with an enzyme to morph it into HFCS is beyond me.  But, it's sweet and cheap.  I guess it's kind of like partially hydrogenated oil...invented to replace candle wax due to it's ability to not rot and repel insects...then along came the light bulb and they needed something to do with the partially hydrogenated oils.  So let's put it in our food so that our food is shelf stable for a looooooong time and our arteries clog with the stuff too.  Frankenfoods.

Another coping mechanism for the lactose intolerance is almond milk.  I can't hardly stand regular milk anymore now that use almond milk on cereal and in cooking.  Great stuff!  Only 40 calories for 8 oz.

Well, more when I get my neck ultrasound done.