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Soooo I REALLY need some help here.

Okay. Where to begin.... I've been MIA for a while. I kind of fell of the vegan/vegetarian bandwagon a while back because I was just not feeling well on a vegan diet, despite doing everything right and paying painstaking attention to what I ate. I reverted back to omni, but still felt sick all the time...

To make a long story short I found out that I've had thyroid cancer for about 5 years.  Go figure.  So I've already had my surgery, and will have my radioactive iodine treatment within the next month or so. To prep for that, I have to be on a low-iodine diet for a few weeks.

I am wanting to try to use these couple of weeks to get a little more veganism and healthiness back into my life, so I decided to come here for ideas!

There are 2 things I need help with:

1. I need ideas for veggies/fruits that are touted for their cancer-fighting abilities

2. I need meal ideas for my low iodide diet.

Here are the rules for the low-iodide diet (I'll leave out the meaty eggy parts)

-It has to be gluten free, because I'm gluten free.
-No commercial milk substitutes
-Nothing from the ocean (sea salt, seaweed, nothing.)
-No soy
-Nothing cured (like sauerkraut)
-No store bought bread
-No molasses
-No red kidney beans, lima beans, navy beans, pinto beans, and cowpeas.
-No canned/packaged food that has salt or carageenen/ agar-agar in it

These foods need to be limited

Potatoes
grains
Rice

There is also a chance I may be taken off my medication for these few weeks, so I need things that can be made ahead and frozen, or that are easy to whip up.

Thanks in advance for all the help! :)>>>

fruit! it meets ever single thing you want and you don't have to cook anything at all. since you have to limit grains, and you don't want to get all of your calories from fruit fruit would be especially imperative.

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mmmmmm yessss. I see lots of bananas and strawberries in my future.

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They say that cooked tomatoes contain a lot of the cancer-fighting element lycopene; much more than raw tomatoes. So, variations on tomato sauces to put over grilled veggies, or casserole stuff, or like on a microwaved potato.

Are cowpeas garbanzos? No, wait, that's chickpeas. If you can put a basil tomato sauce over chickpeas with some sauteed onions and mushrooms and bake it, it's delicious.

ETA: OH! Cowpeas are blackeyed peas. I had to Google. Silly me.

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I like where you're headed with the chickpea bake...mmm....OHHH and homemade hummus, I can eat that.....

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Fisrt, fufu, I'm so sorry but so glad they figured out why you were feeling bad. I would say grilled veggie salads, with a few raw nuts/seeds, over greens. Or lasagna w/ zucchini noodles. I second the fruit, I know grapefruit is good for detox after your treatment. Smoothies! If you use a frozen banana you can skip the milk and use juice or water and still have a creamy smoothie. Lots of love and support from all of us, you know.

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If you skip the couscous (or maybe sub grits?) try this Tagine recipe, it looks gorgeous:
http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=12835.0

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Wow, I'm sorry to hear about that but definitely glad there's an answer to why you're feeling lousy! Blueberries of course are high in antioxidants, pomegranate too, you can put those in a salad and it's super yummy. Also, I found on here the recipe for "carrot spaghetti" or a similar name which subs carrots for spaghetti noodles and uses tomato sauce on top, which is good for you too. I work in a medical office but I'm not too familiar with a low iodide diet. Best of luck to you!

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So sorry to hear about the cancer!!!  I can't vouch for it, personally, but the book Crazy Sexy Diet is all about an anti-cancer vegan diet.  I don't know how well it will jibe with your other restrictions, but it might be worth taking a look.

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kinda sounds like raw vegan would fit the mold... and shit, we all know that is good for us... just a lil more prep time for fancy stuffs

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oh goodness, fufu! I'm so sorry to hear about this... HUGS and a big *highfive* to You for sharing with Us and being pro-active with Your situation.

I've read that tomatoes, dark leafy greens (excluding the sea varieties for You), blueberries, and grapes all have various cancer-fighting properties. Eat those every day (in whole, raw forms as much as possible) and You'll likely feel pretty darn good.

Are lentils okay? ...I find it's really easy to make a big batch of lentils, mash 'em up a bit, then add various chopped/maybe sautee'd veggies, some oats, spices, and some kind of binder (like flaxseed + water), and make lentil burgers. Just mash everything together, form into balls, and fry in a skillet or bake on a well-oiled sheet, turning over halfway through baking. It's easy to make a LOT at a time, and the lightly fried/baked patties can be frozen for future use.

Oh, and what about kombucha? ...I don't know if the claims about fighting off cancer are really true, but that stuff is pretty magical. I'd recommend finding a SCOBY and brewing it Yourself, because it's freaking cheap (and fun!) that way, instead of paying $4 for a single bottle.
If You're really interested in brewing and You don't know anyone nearby with a SCOBY to start with, PM me and We can work something out.... I have like 5 of those things just sitting around, waiting to eat sugar, ferment, and turn into some magic juice.

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fufu, I am sorry to hear about your cancer but it seems that you have a proactive, positive attitude which will help you out tremendously. I'm new to the vegan lifestyle myself so, I probably won't be able to help with the nutritional part. The only recommendation I have is the "SMELL FACTOR". Some cancer patients going through treatments, lose their appetites because they can't stand the SMELL of cooking food. So having meals made up ahead of time in the freezer where you just have to microwave them for a few minutes will help you out a get deal. Please keep us all posted. I will be praying for your speedy recovery :)>>>

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Thanks for all the ideas guys! I'm working on my meal plan right now. I see my doctor wednesday so I'm expecting to start the low iodine diet after that.  I'm picking out lots of recipes so I can try what I feel up to making. I think I'll probably be on this diet about 3-4 weeks total and I don't want to get bored. Things on my list so far:

Banana Smoothies w/orange juice and flax seeds
Fresh fruit
Dried fruit/nut mixes
Spicy chickpea nuts
Savory mushroom pate
white bean/spinach dip
zucchini pasta with  raw avocado alfredo
Sweet potato fries
raw veggies
oven roasted veggies
black bean/corn salsa
chili spiced asparagus
raw carob nut cookies

eta: (from sketch-free vegan eating.blogspot.com) *AMAZING site, btw*
Apple-Banana-Mint smoothie
raw caesar salad dressing

eta:
raw carob nut cookies

I'm still working on the meal plan, thus the reason I'm on vegweb right now, lol.

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Somebody just sent me an article that says pink and red grapefruit are full of lycopene. You might try them in salads or as juice or whatever.

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Can you have quinoa?

Maybe you could make pot pie/shepherd's pie/casserole using whatever beans/chickpeas you're allowed to have, plus veggies like carrots, mushrooms, green beans, summer or winter squash, quinoa (optional), etc., then top it with mashed sweet potato instead of a crust.  You could make it ahead and freeze it.

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Nothing further to add, but want to wish you the best.  Nothing better for cancer fighting than fruits and veggies. 

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Wow - what a lot to take in at the same time! I hope you are handling everything in stride and have the support you need.

I looked over my blog quickly and came up with these recipes that could potentially work (if lentils and black beans are ok):

Sweet and Sour Lentils with Carrot and Bell Pepper over Arugula
http://tastespace.wordpress.com/2011/04/15/sweet-and-sour-lentils-with-carrot-and-bell-pepper-over-arugula/

Spanish Lentil and Squash Stew with Roasted Garlic
http://tastespace.wordpress.com/2011/04/13/spanish-lentil-and-squash-stew-with-roasted-garlic/

Italian Stew with Winter Squash and Chickpeas
http://tastespace.wordpress.com/2011/02/21/italian-stew-with-winter-squash-and-chickpeas/

Black Bean, Cilantro and Apricot Salad
http://tastespace.wordpress.com/2011/02/03/black-bean-cilantro-and-apricot-salad/

Green Soup with Ginger
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/green-soup-with-ginger-recipe.html

Thyme Lentils over Polenta
http://tastespace.wordpress.com/2011/01/07/thyme-lentils-over-polenta/

Warm Artichoke and Chickpea Salad
http://tastespace.wordpress.com/2010/04/14/warm-chickpea-and-artichoke-salad/

Braised Green Cabbage with Carrots and Onions
http://tastespace.wordpress.com/2010/05/14/braised-green-cabbage-with-onions-carrots-and-a-poached-egg/

Spanish Chickpea Salad with Capers and Roasted Red Peppers
http://tastespace.wordpress.com/2010/08/21/spanish-chickpea-salad-with-capers-and-roasted-red-peppers/

Hope this helps!

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Are lentils okay? ...I find it's really easy to make a big batch of lentils, mash 'em up a bit, then add various chopped/maybe sautee'd veggies, some oats, spices, and some kind of binder (like flaxseed + water), and make lentil burgers. Just mash everything together, form into balls, and fry in a skillet or bake on a well-oiled sheet, turning over halfway through baking. It's easy to make a LOT at a time, and the lightly fried/baked patties can be frozen for future use.

I second the lentils, and lots of them.  Since they're not on your 'no-no' list and you need a good source of protein, make this a go-to food.  You can make lentil loaves if you want something hearty, you can mash them like carrot_wench said, or you can just make up a huge batch in a crock-pot.  I do a crock-pot batch about once every week or two, since it takes no time and feeds me a lot.

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I really want to try the lentil loaf and freeze slices ahead of time  in baggies with salt free ketchup. i think that sounds marvelous!

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Hey there. Glad you are on the right track to feeling better.  Just looking over your list of can and can-not foods, I think that Donna Klein cookbook Mediterranean Vegan might be of help to you.  No soy, mostly beans and veggies.  I always think of it as my "summer cookbook."

Good luck!

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Hey there. Glad you are on the right track to feeling better.  Just looking over your list of can and can-not foods, I think that Donna Klein cookbook Mediterranean Vegan might be of help to you.  No soy, mostly beans and veggies.  I always think of it as my "summer cookbook."

Good luck!

That sounds lovely, I love Mediterranean style foods! I'll check on that.

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