Low Iodine Diet (LID)
A LID is prescribed for thyca patients for a short period of time before, approximately 14 days, and 2 days after receiving RAI. The reason is that thyroid cells (both healthy and cancerous) uniquely "crave" iodine. A LID starves the body of iodine, causing increased RAI uptake, thus increasing effectiveness of the treatment.
Iodine occurs naturally in many foods - especially in foods originating from the sea. It is also added (by regulation) to all table salt sold in Canada. Iodine is present in dairy products, soy, egg yolks, as well as commercial bakery products and food prepared in restaurants. The diet requires you to make your best effort to limit or exclude foods with naturally occurring or added iodine.
A LID is generally defined as a diet providing less than 50 micrograms of iodine per day. With the help and advice of Canadian physicians and Registered Dietitians, Thry'vors has developed resources to help patients to prepare for and follow a low iodine diet, including a full-colour patient pamphlet that can be used at home and a print-ready version that can be downloaded in PDF format from the Thry'vors website. Copies of the full-colour LID pamphlet are available upon request (see first page of this booklet for contact information).
To summarize, the following foods are EXCLUDED on a LID:
- Table salt (although salt/sodium in itself is not a problem, all table salt in Canada is iodized). Also excluded are all products containing salt since you cannot be sure if the salt is non-iodized.
- Milk and all dairy products including butter, ice cream, cheese, yogurt, etc.
- Most soy products
- Egg yolks
- Fish and all products from the sea including seaweed
- Cured meats such as ham, bacon, hot dogs and luncheon meat
- Any food, vitamin or medication containing red food dye #3 or red dye erythrosine (check with your pharmacist).
- Pre-packaged, fast food and restaurant-cooked meals
As a general rule of thumb, it is best to cook all foods yourself from scratch - avoiding take-out, restaurant and pre-packaged foods. Choose fresh fruits, vegetables and meats. You may want to prepare and freeze stews, soups, and roasted dinners a few weeks in advance, so that they will be on hand when you are feeling "hypo".
For the full diet details and recipes visit www.thryvors.org
Disclaimer: The information contained on this website does not constitute medical advice. Visitors are encouraged to work closely with their doctors to make sure that their individual medical needs are met. The Canadian Thyroid Cancer Support Group (Thry'vors) Inc. does not endorse any product, treatment, service or practitioner and is not responsible for the quality of the information or services offered by other organizations or websites.
© Canadian Thyroid Cancer Support Group (Thry'vors) Inc.