Low Iodine Diet - What to Do
I will be transitioning to a low iodine diet starting today. This means that I have to avoid eating foods that are rich in iodine. It is quite a challenge to eliminate iodine since it could be found as trace minerals in some food. Not to mention, it is mostly found in foods I love to eat.
Low Iodine Diet (LID) is typically prescribed to patients like me with Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma who will undergo Radioactive Iodine therapy or scan. This is to starve any remaining thyroid cells of dietary iodine so that they will effectively absorb the radioactive iodine instead. Depends on the doctor's orders, diets usually last for one week or even a month before the actual intake of radioactive iodine. The goal is to simply reduce iodine intake to less than 50 mcg per day.
Low Iodine Diet (LID) is typically prescribed to patients like me with Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma who will undergo Radioactive Iodine therapy or scan. This is to starve any remaining thyroid cells of dietary iodine so that they will effectively absorb the radioactive iodine instead. Depends on the doctor's orders, diets usually last for one week or even a month before the actual intake of radioactive iodine. The goal is to simply reduce iodine intake to less than 50 mcg per day.
I'm no expert when it comes to this as I'm only relaying whatever experience and medical research I've had so far. But since I'm having an upcoming scan this end-August, I wanted to consolidate all of my research and preparations for my LID. Last time, I wasn't able to do so as I was still recovering from surgery. I hope this will also serve as guide or reference for people like me.
What to Avoid:
1. Iodized Salt (of course)
2. All dairy products (milk, butter, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, etc)
3. All soy products (tofu, soy milk, etc)
4. Egg yolk, so yes, egg whites are acceptable
5. Seafood (fish, crustaceans, seaweed, etc)
6. Processed meat/food since they usually use iodized salt. If it doesn't say sea salt in the ingredients, best to avoid it
7. Foods with red dye #3 such as Maraschino Cherries
8. Commercial bread as some may contain iodate dough conditioners and iodized salt
9. Red kidney beans, lima beans, navy beans, pinto beans, and cowpeas
10. Fast food
What is Okay:
1. Non-iodized salt (unfortified sea salt and kosher salt)
2. Black pepper and Herbs such as rosemary, basil, etc
3. Egg whites, as mentioned earlier
4. Fresh fruits
5. Vegetables, preferably fresh rather than the frozen packaged ones
6. Fresh meat
7. Cocoa without any mix of milk
8. Oils, preferrably olive and coconut
9. Non-dairy milk except soy milk such as almond, coconut, cashew etc
10. Non-instant coffee, tea, sodas (preferably clear or no red dye)
11. Unsalted nuts
12. Pasta with no iodized salt or egg
13. White and balsamic vinegar
14. Honey and maple syrup
What to Prepare/Do
1. It is best to do a meal plan first. With this, you can identify if all ingredients are allowed in your diet. Then you can check out the items you have on hand and buy ahead the ingredients you don't have yet.
2. If you are a foodie like me, be prepared to make your own food. Low iodine diet does not mean that your food should be bland nor you should cut some calories. You just need to make sure that you use the allowable ingredients such as non iodized salt. The key is to prepare everything you need for a smooth sailing food prep and cooking.
3. When shopping for food, always check the labels. Some snacks may have traces of milk or iodized salt. Also, not all vegan food are okay since soy is not allowed in LID. Read all the ingredients and do some research on your phone when in doubt.
Well, for me I have some last minute shopping to do for my fresh fruits and vegetables. But most of my staple LID ingredients have been purchased ahead which I would like to share in my next blog.
I can't wait to eat cheese and seafood again. But until then, I'll have to stick to my low iodine diet plan.
1. Iodized Salt (of course)
2. All dairy products (milk, butter, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, etc)
3. All soy products (tofu, soy milk, etc)
4. Egg yolk, so yes, egg whites are acceptable
5. Seafood (fish, crustaceans, seaweed, etc)
6. Processed meat/food since they usually use iodized salt. If it doesn't say sea salt in the ingredients, best to avoid it
7. Foods with red dye #3 such as Maraschino Cherries
8. Commercial bread as some may contain iodate dough conditioners and iodized salt
9. Red kidney beans, lima beans, navy beans, pinto beans, and cowpeas
10. Fast food
What is Okay:
1. Non-iodized salt (unfortified sea salt and kosher salt)
2. Black pepper and Herbs such as rosemary, basil, etc
3. Egg whites, as mentioned earlier
4. Fresh fruits
5. Vegetables, preferably fresh rather than the frozen packaged ones
6. Fresh meat
7. Cocoa without any mix of milk
8. Oils, preferrably olive and coconut
9. Non-dairy milk except soy milk such as almond, coconut, cashew etc
10. Non-instant coffee, tea, sodas (preferably clear or no red dye)
11. Unsalted nuts
12. Pasta with no iodized salt or egg
13. White and balsamic vinegar
14. Honey and maple syrup
What to Prepare/Do
1. It is best to do a meal plan first. With this, you can identify if all ingredients are allowed in your diet. Then you can check out the items you have on hand and buy ahead the ingredients you don't have yet.
2. If you are a foodie like me, be prepared to make your own food. Low iodine diet does not mean that your food should be bland nor you should cut some calories. You just need to make sure that you use the allowable ingredients such as non iodized salt. The key is to prepare everything you need for a smooth sailing food prep and cooking.
3. When shopping for food, always check the labels. Some snacks may have traces of milk or iodized salt. Also, not all vegan food are okay since soy is not allowed in LID. Read all the ingredients and do some research on your phone when in doubt.
Well, for me I have some last minute shopping to do for my fresh fruits and vegetables. But most of my staple LID ingredients have been purchased ahead which I would like to share in my next blog.
I can't wait to eat cheese and seafood again. But until then, I'll have to stick to my low iodine diet plan.
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