For the destruction of cancer cells that affect the thyroid gland, and other diseases in this area, it is customary to use treatment with radioactive iodine. However, in order for it to give a good result, before starting the procedure, doctors recommend a diet course. An iodine-free diet before treatment with radioactive iodine is a prerequisite for all patients, since it is incredibly important in the body to form a sharp iodine deficiency. With proper treatment, the probability of curing cancer is within 80%, but the diet itself has a number of significant contraindications. It will be described in this article exactly how an iodine-free diet is used before radioiodine therapy.
Historical reference
By itself, this diet was invented relatively recently by endocrinologist N. Fetisova, working in St. Petersburg. After conducting a number of studies in her practical work, she noticed that an iodine-free diet before cancer treatment optimally prepares the human body for subsequent procedures, and also does not have a strong negative effect on it. After this, gradually, this type of diet became mandatory in the process of preparing the patient for radioiodine therapy, together with the replacement of drugs with thyroxine.
The essence of diet
In many ways, this type of diet strongly resembles a vegetarian, since the use of animal products is not allowed, because they initially contain a high amount of iodine. An iodine-free diet before treatment with radioactive iodine does not make it completely expelled from the diet, however, it very strongly limits the natural intake of this substance into the body. Of course, it cannot be used for a long time, since such a deficit of an important element can very negatively affect the internal state of the body.
The artificially created iodine deficiency helps a depleted thyroid gland to capture the injected radioactive iodine at an accelerated rate, which subsequently leads to the destruction of cancer cells and cells of the thyroid gland itself.
Such a diet is by no means intended for weight loss or for independent use in the treatment of diseases, since it sufficiently disturbs the balance of minerals in the body. It is prescribed purely by a doctor for the purpose of therapy, according to individual indicators. An iodine-free diet can be incredibly dangerous for healthy people, therefore it is used exclusively for indications.
Diet rules
In order for the non-iodine diet to have the greatest effect, you should adhere to a few fairly simple rules:
1. The calorie content of the daily diet should remain at the right level, depending on the weight of the person, his age and daily physical activity, so that the body does not experience a lack of calories.
2. The daily menu should be carefully compiled from a list of allowed foods.
3. Bread and pasta should be prepared at home, and not bought in a store. They need to be done without milk or eggs, because they contain a large amount of iodine.
4. Any food prepared at home and outside should only be prepared using ordinary salt.
However, in general, this diet is quite simple - a complete rejection of food and drugs that contain a large amount of iodine. The standard daily norm for an iodine-free diet of this element should not exceed 50 mcg.
Allowed Products
When wondering what you can eat on an iodine-free diet, you need to understand which foods contain the minimum amount of this substance. These include:
1. Pasta and flour products made without the use of eggs, butter, milk and iodized salt.
2. A variety of fresh or frozen vegetables.
3. Legumes - white beans, lentils and chickpeas.
4. Chicken and quail white meat.
5. Freshest fruits like grapefruit, peaches, pineapples, avocados, apples.
6. Drinks without erythrosine - herbal teas, natural coffee, green teas and herbal infusions.
7. Vegetable oil and seasonings, such as paprika and black pepper.
Prohibited Products
Completely prohibited foods on an iodine-free diet include:
1. Milk and other dairy products.
2. Sea fish and other seafood, as well as all those that are made on the basis of algae, such as nori, agar-agar and sea kale.
3. Legumes and red beans.
4. All products that have egg yolk in their composition.
5. Soy products like beans, milk and tofu.
6. Fresh herbs and green vegetables - zucchini, olives, cauliflower, green pepper.
7. From fruits, bananas, cherries, persimmons, prunes and bananas should be discarded.
8. Any snacks and convenience foods, as they are made using iodized salt.
9. Any products that contain erythrosine in the composition - this dye initially contains iodine.
Products to be limited
In addition to the prohibited and permitted products on an iodine-free diet, there are a number of ingredients that are allowed to be consumed in limited quantities. It contains a fairly low amount of iodine, but they can only be eaten in a minimal amount. These products include:
1. Meat (veal, beef, liver, chicken) - a piece the size of no more than a palm.
2. River fish (zander, pike).
3. Cereals - buckwheat, rice, millet, and oats. On the day you can not eat more than 1 cup of this product in finished form.
Diet features
In total, you have to sit on this diet for about 2-3 weeks. By default, this time is enough to create a deficiency of iodine, although here it increasingly depends on the individual characteristics of a person. The doctor, when prescribing an iodine-free diet, must be guided by numerous factors, such as the severity of the disease, age, weight, and dose of radioactive iodine that will be administered during the procedure.
It is necessary to observe such a diet not only the entire period of the radioiodotherapy, but also a couple of days after its completion. However, one should take into account the fact that by the end of the course the patient may feel very lethargic and drowsy, since the balance of trace elements is disturbed quite strongly. However, with the restoration of normal nutrition, all symptoms disappear quickly and do not entail serious consequences.
Menu compilation
At the moment, doctors usually offer a special balanced weekly diet that will help you easily overcome the prescribed period of dieting. However, often there is a lack of time for cooking special dishes, so the menu can be made by yourself. You should focus on the list of allowed products, occasionally diluting it from the list of limited ones. In fact, it is quite diverse, so the patient will not feel much discomfort in terms of nutrition.
After the end of treatment, after a couple of days, you can begin the gradual introduction of prohibited products into the diet. This should be done gradually, one or two products per day. This is especially true for smoked and fatty products, since there is a possibility of overloading the liver and pancreas.
Medicines
In addition to nutrition, iodine intake from drugs should be limited. The first step is to completely stop the treatment with an iodide net - iodine itself is even forbidden to treat wounds, since it is absorbed into the body. It is also not recommended to use Lugol's solution, which in its composition contains a large amount of this substance.
In addition, special attention should be paid to vitamin complexes and supplements that can be taken by the patient. Most multivitamins contain iodine in large enough quantities, so they must be removed from the diet during treatment. The remaining drugs, when they contain iodine, must be replaced with analogues that have the same effect, but do not have this element in their composition.
Efficiency
Judging by the reviews, an iodine-free diet before starting treatment is quite effective. In practice, it was shown that patients who underwent a course of such nutrition recovered much faster and more intensively than those who decided to abandon it. An iodine-free diet has also proved to be excellent in complex therapy, which is used in cases of thyroid cancer.
Carrying it is also quite simple, since the daily amount of calories consumed does not decrease at all. The patient does not feel a sense of hunger or discomfort, although at times a feeling of weakness and headache may occur, but they disappear rather quickly.
But in general, such a diet is quite useful for the body, because, despite the imbalance of minerals, plant products can relieve the body of harmful and fatty animal foods, and at the same time relieve it of accumulated toxins and toxins. It is used for a relatively short time and only for strict indications, therefore it does not have a special harmful effect. It should be appointed only by a specialist who calculates the duration of its use and the recommended diet, and not independently, since this can only aggravate the disease.