Low-Iodine Diet

After the Facebook posted list of some of the things I can not eat during this low-iodine diet, I am sure you are wondering what I am eating.

For some reason I thought the special diet & stopping the thyroid pill was December 5th. At least that is the date that was in my mind, maybe because it is my brother's birthday. I had pills through Saturday. It was just plain luck that I looked at the endocrinologist's info packet Wednesday morning! That was when I realized I would not be able to eat any more Thanksgiving leftovers. Dang.

I had looked at the list of what to eat and what to avoid and had looked through the suggestions and recommendations and the helpful 100 page cookbook. I had checked the local grocery stores for some of the special products and could not find what I wanted. When in Sioux Falls on Thursday we stopped at a larger grocery store thinking I might be able to get the items. NADA. I did get fresh ground peanuts (peanut butter) at the health food store. After years of Jif, and only Jif, I might be a natural PB convert!

There is always ground beef at our house supplied by my birthday brother, the farmer. The beef is nearly organic so I feel very safe using it as one of the meat choices. Paging through the recipe book on Wednesday I noticed a mini meatloaf recipe. AH HA. I can do that! I had no-salt catsup on hand, so whipped up mini-meatloaves for dinner and freezer left-overs. I roasted broccoli, carrots, onions, white potatoes in garlic and EVO, seasoned with fresh ground pepper. That was the first low-iodine meal. Breakfast was oatmeal. I had an acceptable lettuce salad for lunch when I met some friends. (But eating out will be an issue and won't happen often.)

Thursday was the trip to Sioux Falls for Hubby's YAG surgery. A cloudy film had developed (not unusual) and forced the implanted lens 'out of its intended position' after the August cataract surgery. He says he notices a difference and his vision is more clear in that eye. There needs to be another laser (Lasik) surgery on that eye in early January. For now, the right eye is OK but may also need some tweaking later.

The point of that paragraph is we did not get home until almost 5 and I had to leave again around 6:30. No time to cook so I had leftovers and Hubby had more Thanksgiving ham with fried potatoes and a salad. I was a bit worried about lunch yesterday so had made oatmeal that I could heat while I stayed with the g'kids over lunch, but my AWESOME D-I-L made a salad and butternut squash soup for the kids and me. (She had looked at the on-line cookbook and knew what I could and could not have.)

The hostess at cards last night had yummy home-made snacks, peanut frosted cake and ice cream for 'dessert'. I could not and did not eat any of it. I chewed my gum and then munched on two DRY rice cakes. I bring my own water with me as I am supposed to only drink distilled water. But I did enjoy a glass of wine, which is on the allowed list.

So today, Friday, I again went to a local grocery store looking for organic chicken, Matzo crackers and unsalted rice cakes. The grocery store had the chicken on sale and I finally found the aisle for the no-salt crackers. The health-food store had unsalted rice cakes; the grocery store did not. I also found another approved cracker and Basmati rice. The peanut butter made the Matzo crackers acceptable. They will do in a pinch. Yesterday's oatmeal for breakfast. Banana, crackers and PB for snack.

Other snack options include: unsalted almonds, pecans & walnuts, fresh fruit, low-iodine cookies & cakes (from the cookbook), carrots, raisins, and more. (I won't have to worry about Hubby wanting to eat my special foods! Ha ha ha.)

Then I spent two hours cooking.

I cooked white Basmati rice and brown Basmati rice to have on hand and for dinner. Hubby likes rice more than I, so I rarely cook something using rice. Then I peeled apples and made a batch of Poppyseed Dressing (Thank You Sondra!) Here is the result:

Spinach Salad with Pear, Crasins, and Poppyseed Dressing

Sweet Red Pepper Sticks

Lemon Honey Chicken and Basmati Rice

Apple Crunch Dessert

We both agreed the Lemon Honey Chicken & Basmatic Rice was good and can appear on the menu again in the next two weeks. Cooking will take time, more conscious effort, and more frequent trips to the store for fresh foods. My/OUR plan is to have several prepared meals and food options in the freezer because Hubby will still be non-weight bearing once I have the treatment and am in quarantine. Physically, he will not be able to prepare a meal from scratch. He is NOT the kind of guy that would be happy to eat cereal for a meal or a PB sandwich. After almost two months, his appetite and taste for food are returning. 

Muffins are on the agenda this weekend. I need something besides oatmeal for breakfast! The crazy cake recipe I posted on Facebook is also acceptable, so I am going to make the chocolate one. (It has cocoa, which is on the approved list.) I will share the taste results.

Bon Appétit