Not a bad diet after all…

I'm on day 14 of the low iodine diet (L.I.D)...On my dinner menu: roasted chicken, orzo with parsley and garlic, and a salad of tomatoes and cucumbers. I can’t tell you how much easier this diet is during the harvest season since its main staples are fruit and vegetables with a moderate amount of grains and even smaller amount of meat. Banned items include dairy, seafood, iodized salt, commercial baked goods, soy, canned food (due to possible iodine used in processing) and red dye. But, I take great pleasure in eating all the sugar and wine that my heart desires on this diet. Given the circumstance—we all need a vice or two.

Last year, I was fortunate enough to also be on the LID during harvest season. I also remember that after week two, the diet gets HARD. There is no sense in complaining about the diet, but this is where I find myself dreaming of…


HoT DOGS (Normally, I don’t even like them that much)

Cheese (I think last year I had an international cheese fest after the diet that lasted for months, ha!)
Anything with real marinara sauce, not the stuff that I’ve had to create myself—which is a very watery tomato sauce made with fresh tomatoes.
A Thanksgiving Meal (not LID style). I guess it’s the hint of fall in the air.

The low iodine diet is used for three weeks in preparation for either testing and/or treatment with I-131 (radioactive iodine) which either detects (testing phase) or destroys (therapy phase) thyroid cancer cells. The 1-131 is administered orally, and along with surgery it is one of the only treatments available for the particular type of cancer that I have. It also happens to be a very effective therapy which is avidly consumed by thyroid cells with few side effects.

This blog is created to share my re-birth—spiritually, physically and emotionally since my diagnosis one year ago. Currently, I am gearing up for my annual tests.