Low-Iodine Eating: Day 2 (Juicing for Your Health)

This is the second in a 21-day series showing how I kept a low-iodine diet in preparation for radioactive iodine treatment.

The Menu

Breakfast

• Instant oatmeal with chopped pecans and dried cranberries
• Apple-Strawberry-Kiwi Juice (see recipe)
• Coffee, black, no sugar
• Morning meds (see Day 1)

Lunch

• Matzo, apple slice and pecan halves
• Natural peanut butter for dipping (get one with no salt added -- peanuts only!)
• Cranberry-lime seltzer
• Remaining Apple-Strawberry-Kiwi Juice
• Noon meds (see Day 1)

Snacks (2:00)

• Home-popped popcorn, no butter/margarine, non-iodized salt
• Herb tea
• Small apple
• Afternoon meds (see Day 1)

Dinner

• Beef Pot Roast with Potatoes and Carrots (see recipe)
• Water
• Red wine (1 glass)
• Coffee, black, no sugar

Notes: 

1. You can eat unsalted nuts -- go to the baking section to find these most easily. 
2. Butter contains milk, which naturally concentrates iodine from the cow's diet. Margarine and other spreads often contain milk products (my soft spread has whey, which is the solids from milk). Oils of any kind are ok. I substituted vegetable oil for butter and margarine in recipes. 
3. Buy a carton of non-iodized salt and hide your other carton.
4. Wine, beer, coffee and tea are all allowable.

 

The Recipes

Apple-Strawberry-Kiwi Juice

(I invented this recipe, using fruits that I had in the house)

 

• 4 apples, cut into eighths (or size to fit in the chute of your juicer)
• 5 large strawberries, halved
• 1 kiwi fruit, halved 
• 1/2 c. Green Machine juice, by Naked 

Put the fruits through your juicer (I alternate harder and softer fruits, so that I get the most juice out of the softer ones. I don't peel or core them). Save the pulp (see note).

Pour the juice into a quart jar, and add Green Machine to top it off.

Notes: 

The Juicer Pulp: I save the pulp from my juicer in sandwich-sized zip-style baggies, and keep it in the freezer. I use it to make the Spicy Muffins (in Day 3 post). Alternatively, you can put the pulp in your compost pile. I just can't bear to throw it away!

The Green Machine Juice: I like to keep a bottle of one of the "amped up" juices in my refrigerator, to round out my juicer projects. Old standbys have been carrot juice or pomegranate juice, which can be added to almost anything to boost antioxidants. NOTE: If you are undergoing ionizing radiation treatment, check with your doctor. Mine had me stop taking antioxidant supplements during external beam radiation treatment -- kind of makes no sense to take antioxidants during a treatment that is oxidizing, right? Not sure about superfood juices, so best to check with your doctor. ALSO check the labels carefully for banned substances during your low-iodine diet: soy, multivitamins containing iodine, Red Dye #3, and dairy-derived products. I looked up spirulina, chlorella and blue-green algae in Natural News: all are freshwater (so no iodine traces). All have healing qualities for your body after you have had radiation treatment. Good stuff. Follow the links for more interesting information.

Look at how smart you're getting, taking such good care of yourself!

I use my juicer almost daily, here, for fresh grapefruit juice.

 

Beef Pot Roast with Potatoes and Carrots

(My own adaptation...)

Note: Items marked (*) are changes to accommodate a low-iodine diet. See notes at end of recipe for explanation

• 1 1/2 c salt-free beef broth*
• 2 T balsamic vinegar*
• 1/4 c red wine*
• 1 1/2 T garlic powder
• 2 tsp non-iodized salt*
• 2 T onion powder
• 1 5-lb beef pot roast
• 3 T minced garlic
• 1 T balsamic vinegar*
• 1 T red wine*
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes*
• 1 12-oz can of beer*
• 1 onion, sliced thinly in rings
• 1 Italian frying pepper, sliced thinly in rings*
• 5 white potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters*
• 1/2 lb. baby carrots

In a bowl, combine the beef broth, vinegar, wine, garlic powder, salt, and onion powder. Pour all into a gallon-sized zip-style bag. Stab roast all over with a fork, then place in bag, and zip closed. Set bag in a baking pan and marinate in the refrigerator for 24 hours, turning occasionally to make sure all sides are exposed to the marinade.

The next day, preheat oven to 275 degrees. 

In small bowl, combine minced garlic, vinegar, wine and pepper flakes. Pour onto the bottom of a 9" x 13" baking dish. Remove roast from bag, and place in baking dish. Pour beer over the roast in the pan. Cover roast with the onion and pepper slices.

Cover tightly with aluminum foil, and place in center of oven. Bake at 275 degrees for 4 1/2 hrs. Uncover; add potatoes and carrots to pan juices around roast, cover and continue baking for an additional 1/2 hr, or until vegetables are tender.

Notes:

The Beef Broth: You can buy no-salt-added beef broth in a carton in the soup aisle at most grocery stores. Remember, it's not the sodium that's the problem -- it's the iodine that probably was in the salt during production. Since you can't tell from the label, you have to assume they used iodized salt.

The Balsamic Vinegar: Balsamic vinegar will be your go-to condiment when you want to add rich flavor to anything. It doesn't substitute for the other sauce, but has the depth of flavor to take its place. For example, the original recipe called for liquid smoke. I didn't want that flavor, but needed something equally bold for the marinade. This was delicious.

The Red Wine: The original recipe called for Worcestershire sauce -- full of tons of salt, and, potentially, iodine. Red wine worked like a gem to add bite.

The Salt: Remember, you hid your old salt carton, right?

The Red Pepper Flakes: Alternatively, you can keep a bottle of no-salt herb seasoning (like Mrs. Dash) -- even my salt-loving husband will accept this instead of salt, in some things.

The Beer: You can increase this to 2 cans, if you want to drink one while you cook! Beer is allowed on a low-iodine diet.

The Peppers: Just adding tasty vegetables to a dish helps boost the flavor. I bought these peppers at the orchard last week, and they were delicious.

The Potatoes: I almost left the skins on (I like roasted potatoes that way). But potato skins are a no-no on a low-iodine diet (they accumulate iodine). Peel them, and you're good to go.

Salt-free broth (dry and liquid) can be found in the soup aisle, or you can make and freeze your own.

Other Notes...

It took us extra time to shop for this first week, because we read so many labels. Not all grocery stores had natural peanut butter, and many had added salt. Check the natural or organic section of the store, or go to your local natural food store, and grind your own (great fun for kids).