“Without dairy for the very first tiiiimeeeee. Like a veee-eee-eee-e-gannnn, no fish or meat will.be.mine.”
Alright the last lyric is lame, but you’re going to have the first part in your head all day.
I went to Dr. Endo (that’s endocrinologist for those of you who don’t speak thyroid) yesterday to learn what I’ll have to have for follow-up treatments. One of them is a common procedure after thyroid cancer – radioactive iodine, more commonly known on the streets as RAI.
Prior to having the RAI (Radical Advantage Initiative?), you have an RAI (Really Awesome Internets) scan. This is basically the appetizer prior to the entrée. Since I did not go to nuclear medical school, I’m not an expert in how the treatment works, but this is the gist of it: Your thyroid cells are the only cells in your body that like iodine. They collect it from our diet and use it for the production of thyroid hormones. As such, you can use the radioactive iodine during the treatment to find out where the leftover thyroid cells are hiding, because the little suckers will find it and eat it up.
The cool part is that no other cells enjoy iodine, so it is ignored by the rest, except for thyroid or other cancer cells. It’s basically a mini form of chemo. After the scan, you have the big Kahuna treatment so that all the little spots that showed up on the scan can be terminated.
Why am I sharing this weird science with you nerds? The FOOD, of course! The scan and treatment require that you follow a strict iodine-less diet, so that you don’t get your system all hopped up on iodine that’s already naturally occurring in your food.
And that’s where the title of my post comes in. Essentially, the diet is very similar to a vegan lifestyle (minus the whole chicken/turkey/beef thing below).
What you CANNOT eat:
No iodized table salt or seat salt. No fish, foods that contain algae, or seaweed. No dairy products. No soy products, No chocolate (gasp!), No red dye foods or medications (I guess my Motrin and M&M’s are out), no canned veggies, dried fruit, cured meats, egg yolks, molasses, marinated anything. No going out to eat because you don’t know what they cook what in with what. Read the labels on ever.y.thing.
What you CAN eat:
Egg whites, fresh chicken, turkey and beef in moderate amounts (preferably organic), black pepper and fresh herbs, homemade bread with non-iodized salt and oil (instead of milk or butter), fresh fruits and vegetables (but no potato skins?), canned peaches, pars and pineapples, unsalted nuts (PHEW), unsalted rice cakes, coffee or tea (DOUBLE PHEW) as long as it’s with distilled water, popcorn (only air popped), and sorbet as long as it doesn’t have red dye in it.
All in all, I need to get some more vegan bloggers on my blog list. This ‘ish starts Monday! I don’t eat red meat at all, and limited chicken and turkey. I was vegetarian for about 7 months last year so I know I can do without a lot of meat. It’s more of the no refined-ness, no carb, no egg/dairy thing that I’m nervous about. I’m kind of excited, though, to try out new recipes and break my cooking funk. Plus kick that carb habit for the time being! I will need to find a delicious chocolate substitute though…
Have a favorite vegan blogger?! Or a favorite vegan recipe?? Hook a sister up! Would you be able to go veegs?
I couldn’t give up chocolate. I just couldn’t. I hope you’re reading choosing raw because Gena will hook you up with the good vegan/soy-free foods.
Honestly, that is the part that I’m most scared of! Good call on Gena’s blog, she would defs have the good stuff.
How long do you have to be on the diet for? I could do it short term, but I just don’t think I could do it permanently. I like too much stuff, like bacon. And sushi.
Sadly, I don’t really have any brilliant suggestions for you. I’ve heard good things about Deborah Madison’s cookbook Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, but I’m not sure how much of that is vegan or adapatable to what you need.
Good luck, and I hope your treatment goes well!
Thanks, Dawn! I’m on the diet for 2-3 weeks prior to the scan, and then 2 weeks prior to the big treament. I’ve heard of Deborah Madison’s cookbook too, I’ll have to check it out!
I hope this works for you and I hope everything with the treatments works out well.
I could easily avoid chocolate, but not dairy. I love yogurt and ice cream. Keep your head up, I’m pulling for you !
Thanks girrrrl. You know what would probably be okay? Gummi worms and vodka!
If you’re looking for great Vegan recipes, you should Check out http://www.neverhomemaker.com. Their recipes page (http://www.neverhomemaker.com/2010/08/never-homemaker-our-recipes.html) has some great ideas!
Good luck
Also, The Gluten Free Vegan cookbook (http://www.amazon.com/Gluten-Free-Vegan-Delicious-Animal-Free-Recipes/dp/1600940323/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1295008040&sr=8-1) has some great recipes. I received this book as a graduation gift, and the recipes have been really tasty. It also offers good tips for your transition to a vegan diet.
Ok, I’m done giving tips
Awesome links! Thanks Jessamyn
And thanks for following along!
I love the fat free vegan kitchen blog! I went vegan for a month last January, and it was actually easier than I thought it would be. You can do it!!
I think you will get into a pattern and find it easier, Clean Food is a good cookbook to use as well.
I’ve really been wanting to read that one! I’ll have to check it out – the author is from my home state
I am a vegan blogger and have a few recipes in my “food” category, although I am not sure if they meet your criteria. How long do you have to follow this diet?
I highly recommend vegweb.com for recipes!
Wha! Why did I never realize you were a vegan bloggie! Awesome – and yes, vegweb is so great!
I’m following the diet for 2-3 weeks, 2 times either this month or this/next month.
I like these 2 vegan-only haunts…! Among the most inspiring when I dabbled in a vegan diet last yr?!
http://www.theppk.com/ (all vegan, all the time)
http://veganjoy.blogspot.com/
I actually think the SALT would be the hardest for me! I don’t read a whole lot of vegan blogs, but it’s great that you have a whole wealth of knowledge at your fingertips!
veganyumyum.com
every recipe is amazing, though the name is kind of silly.
Thanks for visiting my blog, Molle! Veganyumyum is awesome!
Now I am going to have that song stuck in my head all day.
eeeks.
I could be vegan for a little while, but I start to crave beef and eggs. Weird.
the rest is just my nasty sugar addiction that I must get rid of again.
that scan sounds crazy scary.
xoxoxo
Wow, that is tough, but I am sure you will get creative and do what you need to do. I am not a vegan, but we do eat vegan meals. I will search my blog to see if anything will work.
I am sure you already have been there, but thyca.org has a great online cookbook for the LID. I remember eating pretty well while on the LID but I remember the stress of trying to make sure I didn’t accidentally mess up was rough. On top of that, your mind is getting more and more fuzzy because of the lack of thyroid hormone so it’s like some really mean video game of trying to keep LID while your mind fades for a while. Good luck! I’d be happy to help in any way I can, so don’t hesitate to ask me anything. I am an oversharer, so nothing is off limits to ask me.
I didn’t see you mention it, but soy is off limits too. I did really miss chesse and things, but I felt like if it would help get rid of the cancer I could do anything for the short time if it was better in the long run. If you read labels, there are actually some brands of chocolate chips that are fine. I found some generic that had no milk or milkfats in it and for a treat would sometimes eat peanut butter (natural no salt added) with chocolate chips. Yum!
I don’t know if you already read it, but ohsheglows.com is my favorite blog and she’s vegan
I love reading ohsheglows.com and peasandthankyou.com for yummy vegan recipes. They are my favorite and seem like really awesome ladies!
Thanks for visiting my blog Nat, and for the suggestions!
If you like Indian Food, try the Indian Slow Cooker book. It uses dried beans, veggies, and LOTS of healling spices. You can adjust the spiciness to taste but it is by far the EASIEST and CHEAPEST and super authentic Indian Food. You dump stuff in a pot (the beans are even unsoaked) and you push a button. So ultra cheap and super healthy!
Being Vegan is so trendy these days, that’s it’s almost simple. When we went vegan a decade ago, there was maybe one vegan cheeze. Now Whole Foods has what seems like a gazillion. Thee is just so much vegan junk food now! Right at the point where I am trying to juice and eat foods at their most natural state, they come out with vegan chicken wings, daiya cheese, amy’s everything (even gluten free and vegan pound cakes). I am loving Kris Carr’s approach and a high raw and basic cooked food approach in general. I also ditched gluten and sugar (I do eat fruits).
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