My Food Diary is Weirder than Your Food Diary.

[kyra_ojosverdes]

Breakfast:
Breakfast? Whazzat?
Where's my chai?

Lunch:
2 granny smith apples
1 nectarine
3 strawberries
lots of water
Gee, why am I tired and light-headed?


Post-lunch desperation:
can of salt-free vegetarian chili from the cupboard
can of fruit-juice spritzer
Must find filling, edible foods and keep them on hand. Chancing it with canned stuff just isn't a good idea... I want to do this radiation thing once, and only once.


Dinner:
bottle of Reed's Original Ginger Brew
salt-free almond butter on salt-free rice cakes (3 cakes)
Not bad, if your idea of an appetizing and satisfying meal resembles baby shit on a chunk of drywall.


The Good Food Store is our local, very cool health food store. I've never really shopped there, because they were packed into too small a building with tiny aisles.. NOT kid-friendly. They've moved though, so I may buy more stuff there.

Plusses:

• They have a variety of good produce.


• Pine nuts.


• A jar of pesto with no 'banned' ingredients


• I found a drink that may resemble milk, made with rice. (Most of the rice-milk drinks contain sea salt, which has enough iodine that I'm not allowed it. The nut-milk and grain-milk drinks have sea salt, too. Damn them.)


• Unsalted nut butters.


• Unsalted rice cakes.


• Everything has the ingredients spelled out clearly.

Minuses:

• I couldn't find any Matzohs. I'm sure they have them, but there were some empty holes in the cracker shelf, so they may have been out. Must keep looking for them, as they're the only cracker-like thing I can have, unless I make my own. I realized today that I've got to find something in the 'cereals and grains' group that I can eat.


• EVERYTHING is made with sea salt. Sea salt! It's the neatest thing since wheat grass! Let's put sea salt in all our products, because who could object to the wholesome oceanic goodness of sea salt?


• Explaining to the staff why I needed non-iodized salt that was NOT sea salt was an exercise in futility and frustration. (I finally accepted the container of sea salt being thrust at me by the nice woman, so she'd give up and leave me alone.) "But look! It says on the label 'does not contain iodine, a necessary nutrient!'" (That's because it doesn't have as much iodine as iodized salt, and if a person were to use only sea salt, they mightn't get enough iodine.. but it does contain too much iodine for the diet I'm on right now.) They didn't get it. sigh.

I can get uniodized salt at a regular grocery store, and I may be able to find Matzohs there too. Tomorrow I'll call the local uber-yummy bakery and ask what goes into their dough (iodized salt, dough conditioners, yeast enhancers)... pretty sure they skip the latter, and whether they accept food stamps. Whee. Once I get some uniodized salt, I can start baking my own bread. MUST have bread.

Comments

Re: Matzoh

[shmuelisms.livejournal.com]

It being less than two months after Passover, which is Matzoh-fest of the year, I would bet that any stores that specifically serve the Jewish community might still have some in stock.

While I doubt there is much of a Jewish community in your neck of the woods, they would know for certain where to get Matzoh, and would be happy to unload it on you, especially if you explain why.

Re: Matzoh

[kyra-ojosverdes.livejournal.com]

My regular grocery store had a little display case full of stuff for Passover... and I know it had Matzoh. I'll call them and see if they have any left. Thanks!

Bread is Key

[luminousx.livejournal.com]

That'll help fill you up. What about eggs? Are they on the bad list? I know the region may have something to do with it. The Great Lakes area doesn't have iodine in the soil so all the crops grown here lack it. Illinois corn - no iodine, California corn - iodine.

Also focus on fats. Fats make you full. One of the reason why that Atkins diet works is when you eat only protein and fat you eat a lot fewer calories overall. I know this isn't a diet of weight loss but a 'purging your system of iodine so your thyroid absorbs the radioation' diet - but I figure you shouldn't be miserable. If you tummy is growling, you are going to be miserable.

Re: Bread is Key

[kyra-ojosverdes.livejournal.com]

I can have egg whites, but not yolks. I'm in the process of calling local bakeries now, to see if 1) they accept food stamps (not likely, due to food stamp rules), 2) use iodized salt, dough conditioners, or yeast enhancers, and 3) give their day-old bread to needy families.

I'm striking out on #1 and #2... and #2 renders #3 a moot point.

If you want to see the diet and appreciate the range of foods you're allwed to eat, go to www.thyca.org and click 'low-iodine diet.'

Re: Bread is Key

[luminousx.livejournal.com]

Actually you have a lot more options than I thought you would. I was thinking all meat might be out.

Egg salad on unsalted rice cake
garlic mashed potatoes w/ the skin removed (gotta appreciate stick to your rib starches)
Pasta is out due to the egg yolk and salt used in making it but Spaghetti Squash is in and a semi-decent substitute available at most grocery stores.

What really sucks is the lack of cheese. You can't even do soy cheese.

I think, if I'm reading this right you can have green peppers, onions, rice and tomatoes, which means you can do a rice, crushed tomotoe, green pepper, onion mish-mash.

How long do you have to be on this diet? If it was me and it was longer than a month, I know in a week I'd be sitting naked in the middle of the kitching languidly attempting to eat a raw carrot muttering things like "kill me now" and "my kingdom for ketchup"

Re: Bread is Key

[kyra-ojosverdes.livejournal.com]

I have to do this for about three weeks, I think. Two weeks before I take The Pill of Doom, and then about a week afterward, until my scan (they take a picture using the radiation I emit... neat) is done.

Yeah, I can have up to 4oz of meat a day. I'm going to be eating a lot of garlic, lemon juice, etc. I can use olive oil to cook, but it just ain't the same as butter. I hadn't thought of Spaghetti Squash. I'm not sure it's in season just yet, but maybe.

I can have limited amounts of rice.. I guess basmati is lowest in iodine.

The problem is that most of the appetizing foods require prep-time... let's just say I'm not a cook. If I were used to spending lots of time in the kitchen, making stuff from scratch, this wouldn't be a huge deal. I'm not. (I'll learn.) Once I'm not working, and can be home all day, reading or sleeping while things simmer in the Crock Pot, it'll be easier. My appetite will have decreased by then, too.

The kids were funny yesterday while shopping.
James: "Mom, LOOK!! Salt-free ketchup! You can have that! Mom, you HAVE to have ketchup!"
Mark: (while passing the dairy-and-soy refrigerator) "Don't look at the milk, Mom! Looking at it will just make you want to drink some!"

Re: Bread is Key

[gryphonwing.livejournal.com]

Wish I were there to cook for you. :)

Can you have legumes? Beans, lentils?

Re: Bread is Key

[kyra-ojosverdes.livejournal.com]

from thyca.org:

Some beans – The National Institutes of Health diet says to avoid these beans: red kidney beans, lima beans, navy beans, pinto beans, and cowpeas.

I can have other beans, but I have to soak and cook them myself, unless I can find some that were prepared without any salt.