Low-iodine diet

[Menolly]

Day 3:

As noted earlier, breakfast was steel cut oats cooked in almond milk. Tasty, but will adjust so I can make them more "soupy." I started with half a ruby red grapefruit. Nice meal.

Coffee with the almond milk throughout the day, as well was spring water as needed.

Lunch was the banana and peanut butter. I didn't skimp on the PB either, SD, so got plenty of protein.

About 3:00 I had an applesauce cup, and I am enjoying dinner as I type this. I can't use canned vegetables at all, so I experimented with what I guess would be a "salsa fresca," since my sauce usually starts with canned tomatoes and paste: sauce made of fresh chopped tomatoes with their juices, salted and simmered in extra virgin olive oil and about a third of a cup of cabernet. I added some julienne basil from my twiggy plant, and pressed garlic cloves along with cracked mixed peppercorn, granulated garlic, and ceylon cinnamon. A handful of fresh sliced mushrooms tossed in to simmer as well while the pasta came to a boil and cooked, then finished with a sprinkle of pasta water to pull it together.

Some bay leaves and Italian seasoning would have been a nice addition, but I appear to be out. And while I have grated romano, that is off limits. Still, not bad for an experiment.

[Menolly]

Just made the second batch of almond milk and decided to go with the "rustic whole milk" texture. In other words, I decided to not strain this batch. I also added a teaspoonful of ceylon cinnamon to it, as I tend to put cinnamon in to everything as it is supposed to help regulate blood sugar. Will see how it works in my coffee tomorrow...

[Savor Dam]

Lunch was the banana and peanut butter. I didn't skimp on the PB either, SD, so got plenty of protein.

OK...while PB has a pretty high fat-to protein ratio, I know that you have no compunction about fats. At least you are using a pure and natural PB without the salt, sugar and other additives of the commercial brands.

As long as your blood glucose levels are staying pretty stable, I figure you can substitute PB as a go-to protein for breakfasts and lunches since dairy is verboten. Some meat at dinner...or balanced vegetable proteins (if you can get Hyperception and Beorn to eat such) would be good. Mix it up, both to stave off monotony and to make sure you are getting dietary diversity.

[Menolly]

Beans are out, so very little vegetable protein availability.

My almond milk adds protein, as does the egg whites when I eat them as well, though.

[Menolly]

Day 4:

The unstrained almond milk whitens the coffee just fine. However, the last few ounces of coffee in the cup is "sludge." Not very appealing in texture. However, if I pour it out separately when I come to it, it stirs in nicely with my steel cut oats.

Started off with half a Florida ruby red grapefruit again. These are so sweet at this time of year. For grapefruit, anyway.

Lunch was hard boiled egg whites. I am getting to where I am really missing egg salad, but discovered I can have premade corn tortillas, as long as they don't have salt or other disallowed additives. And mashed avocado is suggested as a spread in place of butter or mayonnaise, so I am going to attempt a mashed avocado egg white roll up tomorrow for lunch.

Dinner tonight was a leg of lamb I boned and cubed, then marinated in fresh squeezed lemon juice, fresh rosemary, and chopped fresh garlic. Threaded the cubes on to rosemary sprigs, then grilled them on the George Foreman grill. Used my rice steamer to make basmati rice with real saffron threads added and some slivered almonds.

Served by spreading some mint jelly on a corn tortilla, topping with field greens and grape tomatoes, a spoonful of the saffron rice, and then the grilled lamb. A little greek yogurt would have been welcome as well, but since dairy is still off limits, we went without. We each had two tortillas worth, plus a bit more saffron rice on the side.

For once, I think a glass of pinot grigio would have been welcome. But I rarely think of having wine at home.

[aliantha]

If you can have mashed avocado, can you have homemade guacamole? Because if you cut up your pre-made corn tortillas and bake them with your kosher salt on top, you could then have chips & guac.

[Savor Dam]

Pinot grigio? With lamb?

Have I not seen you prefer reds with lamb? Or was that just deferring to what I either served with the meal or ordered for the table?
What I know beyond question is that both you and Dam-sel really like that green jelly stuff to be served with lamb...and that substituting jalapeño jelly for mint jelly tends to get me in trouble

Or is this another of the restrictions of this diet, not allowing the tannins or some other aspect of red wine?

As for beans not being allowed, is it that beans are entirely out, or just that tinned beans are obviously going to be tained with salt and other additives? One might always brine (with good ol' kosher salt) and cook dried beans to avoid that issue. "Might", not "will"...

[Menolly]

Pinot grigio? With lamb?

Have I not seen you prefer reds with lamb? Or was that just deferring to what I either served with the meal or ordered for the table?

I do usually prefer reds with lamb, but I usually do a roasted lamb, served sliced with a gravy made from the juices over mashed potatoes.

This was more like a souvlaki, minus the tzatziki. It just struck me that a pinot grigio would be nice with it.

What I know beyond question is that both you and Dam-sel really like that green jelly stuff to be served with lamb...and that substituting jalapeño jelly for mint jelly tends to get me in trouble

Oh, I dunno. If it is sweet enough, a jalapeño would work in certain applications for lamb I bet.
...perhaps instead of a chutney in vindaloo?

Or is this another of the restrictions of this diet, not allowing the tannins or some other aspect of red wine?

No, according to the thyca cookbook, all alcoholic beverages are allowed. Surprising to me, especially since grains are limited to four servings a day due to potential iodine uptake in the growing regions of the grain, but that's what it says.

As for beans not being allowed, is it that beans are entirely out, or just that tinned beans are obviously going to be tained with salt and other additives? One might always brine (with good ol' kosher salt) and cook dried beans to avoid that issue. "Might", not "will"...

First, I'm not a huge fan of the results I've gotten when I've tried soaking and cooking dried beans, except for some lentil recipes.

Second, I'm the only one here who would eat anything made from it. Really not worth the effort.

Third, these are the beans completely off limits, not just canned:

soybeans and soybean products
red kidney beans
lima beans
navy beans
pinto beans
cowpeas

I could make home made hummus from chickpeas, but again, I have not found any recipe to compare with Sabra brand, even using canned chickpeas. So, I'll go without.

As for other beans, I'm a lima/navy/pinto with ham bean eater pretty much. Either as a side dish or bean and "bacon" soup. I see canellini aren't listed, but those are so similar to lima and navy beans, and I was told to err on the side of caution, so I'm avoiding them. I also do like refried beans from kidney beans. I'm not a huge fan of refried beans from black beans nor moros y cr-stianos, nor any black bean recipe, really.

If you can have mashed avocado, can you have homemade guacamole? Because if you cut up your pre-made corn tortillas and bake them with your kosher salt on top, you could then have chips & guac.

I could, but I'm thinking since I'm going to use it as a spread I won't want to snack on guacamole, kwim?

[aliantha]

I suppose that's true, yeah. Just thinking in terms of variety.

[Menolly]

True dat.

However, I'm not a big guacamole fan anyway; I much prefer avocado slices on my fajitas rather than guacamole. I don't mind cilantro, but maybe that has something to do with it.

The egg white salad with mashed avocado worked pretty well. The whites of two extra large hard boiled eggs, with some diced sweet onion and celery, mixed with the mashed avocado (which I made yesterday with lime juice and diced onion, as well as some seasonings other than cilantro and then put the avocado pit in to it to keep it green for as long as I can) and additional seasonings (kosher salt, mixed peppercorn, granulated garlic, and paprika) worked pretty well on the corn tortillas with field greens and grape tomatoes. Some bacon would have helped offset the lack of richness from no yolks or mayonnaise, but that is also off limits for now.

Still, a pretty successful experiment.

[Menolly]

Well, other than the egg white salad, Day 5 was pretty much a repeat of other days, with grapefruit for breakfast, banana and peanut butter and applesauce for snacks, and pasta with "salsa fresca" for dinner. Kept me satisfied, but nothing to really write a post about.

Day 6's only difference was dinner:

New York strip steak rubbed with olive oil and then seasoned with kosher salt, barely cracked peppercorn, granulated garlic, cinnamon and paprika. Cooked Pittsburgh rare in the cast iron skillet.
Steamed cabbage with extra virgin olive oil, granulated garlic, and kosher salt.
Added some sauteed "trinity" plus sauteed sliced fresh mushrooms to what was left of the saffron rice, then heated in in the steak drippings in the cast iron skillet.

A nice meal, with unexpected planned overs for tomorrow. Turns out my guys cut back on the amount of steak they ate as well.

[Linna Heartbooger]

Well, other than the egg white salad, Day 5 was pretty much a repeat of other days, with grapefruit for breakfast, banana and peanut butter and applesauce for snacks, and pasta with "salsa fresca" for dinner. Kept me satisfied, but nothing to really write a post about.

Day 6's only difference was dinner:

New York strip steak rubbed with olive oil and then seasoned with kosher salt, barely cracked peppercorn, granulated garlic, cinnamon and paprika. Cooked Pittsburgh rare in the cast iron skillet.
Steamed cabbage with extra virgin olive oil, granulated garlic, and kosher salt.
Added some sauteed "trinity" plus sauteed sliced fresh mushrooms to what was left of the saffron rice, then heated in in the steak drippings in the cast iron skillet.

That sure sounds splendid!

A nice meal, with unexpected planned overs for tomorrow. Turns out my guys cut back on the amount of steak they ate as well.

Awww, this is precious.

[Menolly]

Day 7's dinner, as all else has been repeats:

Took 6 ounces of planned over NY Strip and sliced it thinly. Made a batch of my saffron basmati rice pilaf (toasted slivered almonds, sauteed onion, garlic, celery, green pepper, and sliced mushrooms stirred in). Placed a teaspoonful each on four corn tortillas which were warmed in the cast iron skillet. Put a couple of grape tomatoes on the hot rice, about an ounce of cold sliced strip, and some field greens, then rolled and enjoyed.

Had another two ounces of strip I was allowed to eat after the four ounces on the tortillas, as well as a half of a cup of rice pilaf I was entitled to. Put that on my plate, warmed some planned over steamed cabbage, and layered that over all. Sprinkled kosher salt, cracked mixed peppercorn, granulated garlic, dried dill weed, and cinnamon over the cabbage.

[Menolly]

Dinner Day 8:

Had blood drawn today to see where my thyroid hormone levels are at. Hoping all is a "go" for next week, but have not heard back yet.

Tonight I played around with "chicken piccata."

I had neither lemons nor chicken stock I could use (the packaged stock I have has salt in it), but I do have white wine and limes, so I improvised with that, along with fresh mushrooms and capers. b/s chicken breasts were on sale for $1.99/lb. I still prefer b/s thighs, but the breasts were actually cheaper without me buying leg quarters and boning and skinning them myself. Not to mention the leg quarters sometimes are "enhanced" with a salt solution, which is also off limits right now.

Reheated the last of the saffron rice, steamed some broccoli florets, and had field green and grape tomato salad.

But ack!

Just realized I didn't check the capers before using them, and they do have salt.



I only used about a teaspoonful, and didn't eat any myself. I just flavored the sauce with them. Here's hoping I didn't undo a week's worth of no iodine.

I am stuffed!

[Menolly]

I followed up with the oncologist liaison this morning, and she basically said: "it shouldn't be of any concern."

*whew*

Dinner Day 9:

Seasoned grilled pork steaks. The guys had them with canned green beans, seasoned with italian seasoning and a bay leaf. I made pasta with salsa fresca again, and then added my portion of grilled pork steak cubed to the sauce and let it simmer while I brought the pasta water to the boil and then cooked the pasta.

Quite yummy tonight.

[Savor Dam]

I followed up with the oncologist liaison this morning, and she basically said: "it shouldn't be of any concern."

At last, a chance to use a phrase that is so very unwelcome in other contexts:

I told you so!

To be fair, so did Hyperception.
Glad you are still on-track. Let's get it done, health restored, and move on!

[Menolly]

Dinner Day 10:

Made us a Shabbes meal of home made chicken matzah ball soup, although I had to make two batches of matzah balls as I forgot to leave out the egg yolks from the first batch. d'oh!

Then soaked and salted a Publix whole fryer, seasoned it up and cooked it on the Showtime. Field green salad to accompany.

Was a nice start to Shabbes.

[Menolly]

Dinner Day 11:

Last night I took planned overs of the Erev Shabbes chicken, added some to the home made chicken stock, and with it hovering in the 30s outside and us doing our best to keep the heater off, took the chill out by serving matzah ball soup again to the guys.

I, on the other hand, made some basmati rice with the stock and lightly sauteed vegetables, and filled a couple of corn tortillas with rice, chicken, salad fixings, and mashed avocado. Steamed fresh broccoli on the side for all.

Anyway, if I am "hypothyroid" at this point, it is weird. I really was led to believe by now I would be dragging and exhausted. Lying in bed and being a drain on hyperception (before we knew Beorn would be back home). Instead, when I am up and about I feel fine. Mostly more forgetful than normal, and ready for a good night sleep by 9:15 or so instead of 10:30.

However, motivation to get up and "do," or lack of energy to motivate me to get up and do, seems to be more the issue. It feels what I imagine those who suffer depression go through. I don't see a need to get up, so have to push myself to do so and at least get my walk in. That's unusual for me. But I don't feel tired "physically."

Ah, I just read that to hyperception. He said instead of depression, to describe it as "apathy." That's unusual for me as well though, I believe.

Here's hoping once the scan is finished and I return to taking the synthroid, this feeling passes...

[MsMary]

It takes along time to actually feel the effect of low thyroid hormones. It's something that can really creep up on a person who is not expecting it (unlike your situation, where you know it's happening).

[Menolly]

Yes, that I understand. I stopped taking the synthroid back on, uhm, December 12th, I think. I hope that is long enough to get the thyroid hormone to the levels it needs to be before I am admitted for the uptake on Wednesday.

Dinner Day 12:
Crockpot Lamb Curry, using a mash up of recipes. I made homemade cream of coconut and homemade coconut milk, which I feel was not successful. Supposedly the "first pressing" produces cream of coconut and the second coconut milk, but when I try again, I will take the first pressing and run it through again, most likely on a one to one basis instead of the suggested measurements, to get a coconut milk I am happy with. However, since I currently can't use canned products, I am going with the first pressing anyway and tossing the second. I had hoped the cream would work for coffee tomorrow, but I'll make another batch of almond milk for that instead.

The curry lamb recipes calls for madras curry paste, but again, I can't use premade products, so I mixed together my own curry seasoning based on suggestions for using various spices online.

I used an Australian lamb shoulder roast I deboned myself. It was a 3 and a quarter pound roast at $4.69/lb. Not a great price, but far better than the $5.99/lb for the leg of lamb the Publix butcher talked me in to last week when I was going to get the shoulder roast then. He claimed I would get more meat from the leg per dollar cost, but I wound up with two and a half pounds of meat and 3/4 of a pound of nice bones for stock. From what I recall of the leg, I did better cost wise with the shoulder. And it is beautifully marbled, whereas the leg was pretty lean. I prefer marbling for crocking.

To the curry I added peeled and diced sweet potato, sliced carrots, onion, fresh ginger, fresh garlic, and diced celery. If I could, I would toss in bamboo shoots, as I love them, but again, I have only ever seen those canned.

Will add frozen peas and a handful of fresh cilantro towards the end of cooking, and serve over basmati rice. Can't have any naan or papadam, so corn tortillas will have to do.

Hoping it turns out, and that Beorn won't complain too much regarding the seasoning. Other than the curry, I didn't put any chili heat in and kept it mild.