Low-Iodine Eating: Day 6 (Life Beyond Salt)

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

The Menus

Breakfast

Scrambled egg whites (see note)
Apple slices
Coffee, black, no sugar
Orange juice (no pulp, with extra calcium)
Morning meds (see Day 1)  

Lunch

Nordic Winter Vegetable Soup (see recipe) 
Matzo
Apple
Cranberry-Lime Seltzer
Afternoon meds (2:00) (see Day 1)

Dinner

Stir-fried Vegetables (see note)
White rice
Water
Evening meds (see Day 1)

Snacks

Pecan halves, dried cranberries 
Popcorn, no butter, non-iodized salt
Coffee, black, no sugar

The Recipes

Nordic Winter Vegetable

(Adapted from Food & Wine Annual Cookbook 2012)

This recipe, as written, is perfect for a low-iodine diet, with the substitution of non-iodized salt in the seasoning. I used my own homemade chicken broth, and substituted white rice for the barley, because that's what I had, and used 2 stalks of celery in place of the celery root. It made the soup very stew-like.

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 2 leeks, white and tender green parts only, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup uncooked white rice
• 8 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 4 cups water
• 10 thyme sprigs
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 stalks of celery, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 pound parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• Non-iodized salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 pound baby spinach
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1. In a large pot, heat the oil. Add the onion, leeks and garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the rice. Add the vegetable broth, water, thyme and bay leaves and bring to a boil. Add the celery and parsnips and season with salt and pepper. Simmer over moderately low heat until the rice and root vegetables are tender, about 40 minutes.
2. Stir in the spinach and nutmeg and simmer for 5 minutes. Season the soup with salt and pepper and serve in deep bowls.

My family substituted the matzo with buttermilk biscuits...

Notes on Other Menu Items

The Scrambled Egg Whites: Scrambled egg whites are not as bad as they sound. I scrambled two egg whites with about 1 T homemade chicken stock, and seasoned the mixture with a little curry powder, non-iodized salt and black pepper. I cooked them in a bit of olive oil. They were very tasty.

The Stir-fried Vegetables: Use whatever veggies you like for the stir-fry. I used my rainbow peppers from the farmer's market (see Day 3), plus onions, garlic, and a handful of frozen corn. I seasoned the vegetables with about 1 tsp of lemon-grass paste (I found it in the produce section), a splash of balsamic vinegar and a dusting of ground ginger.

 

Alternatives to Salt for Seasoning

Eating a low-iodine diet means avoiding anything that contains salt, as you can't be certain that the salt is non-iodized. But that doesn't mean your food should be tasteless. Here are some options that I found helpful for replacing salt and sauces that contain them:

• non-iodized salt (an easy switch you can make in your own kitchen)
• balsamic vinegar (substitutes well for Worcestershire, soy sauce and teriyaki sauce)
• hot sauce (check the label to make sure it doesn't contain salt)
• commercial salt-free seasoning mixtures, like Mrs. Dash
• garlic, lemon-grass or ginger pastes (find them in the produce section)
• lots of fresh vegetables
• all those herbs and spices in your cabinet -- now's the time to experiment (I like garam masala - a spicy herb and spice mix used in many Indian dishes)
• a splash of lemon or lime juice (or, for something really different, try grapefruit juice)
• beer and wine as part of the cooking liquid
• seasoned oils (I have sesame oil and a spicy cayenne olive oil that I use)

I think my new favorite seasoning has become balsamic vinegar. It's color and rich flavor are something I never took advantage of until I started preparing the recipes from the free Low-Iodine Cookbook, from ThyCA (Thyroid Cancer Survivors Association).