Low Iodine Cooking on a 'school' night

Because of my busy schedule this weekend, I had to cook last night (on a "school" night!). Unfortunately on a low iodine diet, you cannot really eat out since every place cooks with salt, and who knows if it's iodized or not!

So I took my Monday to make:

• Greek grilled chicken (good)
• Sesame chicken fingers (salty, but decent)
• Roasted root vegetables (tons of chopping, haven't even tasted it yet)

All fo the recipes were taken from/adapted from ThyCa's (Thyroid Cancer Survivors' Association) Low Iodine Cookbook. You can find it on their website (http://www.thyca.org/) or directly through this link (PDF). I will try to post one of the altered recipes each day.

For all its restrictions, the diet is not vastly different from the anti-candida diet I'm supposed to be on. There was even one recipe from the cookbook that I really didn't have to alter and that never happens! I'm holding out hope that I'll be able to continue with some semblance of the diet past the end of the month and then maybe the yeasties will die.

You know what's sad? I barely remember when being on a diet just meant eating fruit for dessert instead of cookies; and if you cheated on the diet, all that happened was guilt. Ah, for the good old days.

Low Iodine Diet to add to the mix

In September 2008, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and had my thyroid removed. Luckily, we caught it incredibly early in the process. Because of that, I take replacement hormones each morning and have a very nice-looking scar, but otherwise it's not on the forefront of mind usually.

However, as part of the process, I have to go through a series of scans/tests and some radioactive iodine annually for the first three years. February 2010 is my thyroid month this year.

Starting tomorrow, I will be on a low iodine diet. The last week of the month, I will do lots of scans & tests...and become radioactive. I'll be given a low dose of radioactive iodine. The low iodine diet is to limit my body's iodine level so that it uptakes the radioactive version wholeheartedly come Feb.24th. If there are any remaining cancer cells, the radioactivity will pool there and show up on the subsequent scans. Here's hopin' for nothing on the scans!

I don't really diet any more dietary restrictions, but the advantage of this diet is (at least, psychologically) that I don't have to stay on it. It's only for a few weeks. We can do anything for only a few weeks, right? So here I go!!!