Lid

Okay, a few questions about the LID...I'm sure I will get lots of different info.

I was supposed to start the LID today (Don't worry...even though I procrastinated because I thought it would be easy I still only had a potato and a huge salad (that okay, right?)--but I am still starving!) and thought I had prepared somewhat but never realized it was gonna be so difficult.....fruits/veggies mostly I thought...what's the big deal......then I went to the store hungry....trouble!

I was reading every label--including fine print--completely staying away from prepackaged foods--looking instead at fresh foods. 

It's so confusing because I know the LID is not a low sodium diet, but how can we be sure that things that contain low sodium or salt do not have iodized salt in them?  Should you just avoid them all together?

I ask this because even though I am not much of a meat eater I bought a few kinds just to add a variety.  Plus my husband is going to eat basically what I eat but without all the restrictions--he knows he does not have to starve his body for iodine--but just wants to eat healthier.  Anyway, I checked the labels to see if the meat--which was supposed to be fresh had any broth or salt added to it and I thought it was all okay.  Then I get home and get things ready to put a pork loin in the crockpot and realize underneath the label that says "peel here" it says there is 12% water, salt and sodium phosphate to "enhance flavor" in the pork....is that okay or not?

Plus I have been told that all fruits and veggies are fine, but then come to find out I should not have any beans, should limit brocolli, no spinach, etc!  It is so frustrating! 

I just wanted to have a little filler during the next 3 weeks or so....I love cheese and bread but apparently those are off limits.  I thought b. rice was okay but on some sites it says that no rice is allowed.  What about pasta?  Sigh......

I could go on and on and probably will post again about this stupid diet that I can't find any definitive answers about.  I just want a cut and dried list of what is definately okay...and then I will eat just that.

I know the ThyCa has a cookbook with ideas but there is no way that I am going to be trying a new recipe at this point! 

Any ideas/comments out there?

Hi!  It's been five years since I've done LID and I still remember the frustrations.  Here's my understanding of it.....if it has any type of salt in it, avoid it...you cannot guarantee that it will be non-iodized salt...

The way I was told was fresh fruits and veggies; fresh meats....no seafood, egg yolks (whites are ok), or dairy....salads and baked potatoes are great, but watch the toppings!

My bread machine became my friend...if you are preparing for RAI, the LAST thing you will feel like doing is cooking/baking from scratch, but you can make your own bread in a machine...just be sure to use non-iodized salt....you can convert your favorite recipes in the same way using non-iodized salt and egg whites only (substitute two egg whites for one whole egg).  Avoid dairy and egg yolks and chocolate (darn it!) as ingredients, though!

Meats with "solutions added" are not good for this diet...look for "all natural" pork instead of "self-basting"...

 I lived on fresh veggies and steak or chicken and onion sandwiches cooked in oil on homemade bread, with homemade pumpkin bread for a treat.  Oh, and homemade kettle corn...little oil in the bottom of the pan, add a little bit of sugar and cinnamon, then the popcorn and pop it...it's a fantastic treat and allowed - you don't even miss the butter!

Let me know if this was helpful...or if you have more questions.  :)

Thank you so much for the info!  It does help to have someone put it so simply and tell me exactly what they ate while on the LID.

I tried scrambled egg whites with mushrooms for breakfast this morning...not bad...(never had just egg whites before--different texture)then I ate two bananas!

I guess the philosophy that if it is packaged in anyway and says it has sodium in it--avoid it--is a good one.  I think I read somewhere that most companies use un-iodized salt in production but there's no way to know for sure.

On some foods--like potatoes--for instance I would like some flavor.  I was told table salt was okay, but does anyone know about things like Mrs. Dash (since it has no salt/sodium), or other herbs? 

Thanks! 

Day 2 and already miss my cheese.......................... 

 

 

It's not as hard as you think.  The cookbook is actually a fantastic guide.  I just got done with everything and was on the LID for almost 4 weeks.  It did get tedious by the end.  But it was all manageable.

The first thing I did was buy non-iodized salt, seasoning substitutes that don't have iodine in them, fruits veggies, old fashioned popcorn, unsalted nuts, raisins, and fresh chicken and meat.  With those staples, you can cook alot of your normal recipes.  When I did potatoes, I actually sliced them, seasoned them, added olive oil since I can't use butter and broiled them.  Yum!  For sweet pots I used cinnamon sugar.  I snacked on fruit, popcorn, and unsalted snack mixes.  For breakfast I made scrambled egg whites with veggies, natural oatmeal with honey and raisins, and fruit.  I made the cinnamon bread from the cookbook; it was good.

For lunch I had chicken, salad, fruit salad, egg salad with the whites only and the dressing in the cookbook, or a big sald with homemade dressing. Dinner was pretty normal; just changed out seasoning. 

Once you start with it you'll find it's easier than you think.  Don't be afraid of the recipes in the book.  If you read them, they are probably pretty close to what you normally cook.  I made the salsa to put over brisket.  It was very good.  I made the bbq sauce too.

My advise is to be prepared.  You'll get tired as time goes on and won't want to mess.  Just plan ahead and you'll get through it just fine!

I'm three days away from finally being done with LID. My wife's taking the cullinary challenge and pulled me through it all (although my grand plans of what I want for my "first iodine-containing meal" and her's don't quite mesh. But that's a marital thing Anyway... I am sure that you know that the silver bullet to get you through is MORTONS TABLE SALT. In your grocery you'll see two types of boxes of Morton's salt (When it rains it pours thing). One says IODIZED in outline type right in the title. The other does not say iodized. And it also says that that particular salt does not contained iodine. Very easy to find (as a matter of coincidence, that's what we had in our house already). You can use this to your hearts content. JUST IN CASE you didn't know this. RedStar

I found the recipes in the Thyca cookbook just nonsalt versions of a lot of food I already cooked.

It was hard to keep track of wht to eat and not eat but once that was clear,I really liked the cookbook because I did not have to remember to monitor the ingredients. Stir fry was good and it was filling to eat.

the link to the Cookbook is www.thyca.org/Cookbook.pdf

 

Hope this helps anyone with the LID diet