I actually wanted to start this with the title Carnivore and Your Thyroid… but I didn’t want to put anyone off by the title. Tyrosine is an amino acid that our body needs to make thyroid hormones. While it is considered a non essential amino acid used to make catecholamine neurotransmitters (think dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine).
For those who like to supplement I caution that NAT (N-Acetyl Tyrosine) is water soluble but that doesn’t mean it is better, because it’s not. In fact it is actually going to be LESS bioavailable – not more. So when grabbing a supplement for go for the standard L-Tyrosine. If taking a dose of 100mg/kg you will see an increase in plasma tyrosine anywhere from 130%-276% (that’s impressive). But you really need to be testing to see if you NEED to be supplementing.
Ok back to the thyroid, did you know it combines both tyrosine and iodine to make thyroid hormones? That means T4 and T3 – which we need. Our thyroid hormones contribute to a lot that is going on within the body (like our metabolism, helping organs function properly (did you see my post about thyroid and digestion?) It also has a role in helping the liver, brain, heart, muscles, weight. You really don’t want to be deficient in this amino acid. Lucky for us carnivores we are likely getting enough and in a bioavailable format!
Pastured meats are key, like beef, chicken, lamb and pork (if you choose to eat it.) Egg whites as well but we don’t want to separate those cause they are a complete protein when they are…well… complete! So pastured eggs, raw dairy for those who can get their hands on it and of course wild caught fish.
It’s worth a mention that getting this from food is always best, if you do choose to supplement you want to be tested first to ensure you actually are deficient, having to much is a bad thing especially if you have Hashimotos. Not sure how your thyroid is doing? Why don’t we run a comprehensive thyroid panel and see what’s up (we can even add tyrosine to the test if you would like!)
