Low-Iodine Diet

Low-Iodine Diet Before Iodine Scan

Your doctor has ordered a radioactive iodine scan for you. To prepare for this test and possible therapy, you must follow a low-iodine diet. A low-iodine diet will improve the reliability of the test results. If you eat too much iodine before the test, the results might be wrong (false negative).

On this diet you can eat no more than 50 mcg iodine per day. We encourage you to calculate and plan your diets carefully to achieve this goal. The following are some ideas for doing this, followed by sample diets below.

Foods to Avoid

  1. Iodized salt and sea salt. Check the label. Iodized salt is used for all prepared foods.
  2. Salty foods, such as chips, pretzels, salted nuts, soy sauce, BBQ or hot sauces, ketchup.
  3. Asian foods containing a lot of salt (soy sauce, hot sauces, preserved eggs, seaweed).
  4. No soy sauce.
  5. Ocean fish, cod, shrimp, other shellfish, seaweed, kelp, agar.
  6. White bread and rolls (made with iodate dough conditioners). Wheat or rye bread is generally OK (check label). Rice is OK.
  7. Health food and vitamins that contain iodine and kelp.
  8. Cured, preserved, smoked, spicy or processed meats (bacon, ham, sausage, hot dogs, salami, corned beef, lox). Fresh meat is okay.
  9. All dairy products (milk, ice cream, cheese, yogurts). All soy products (soy sauce, soy milk).
  10. Eggs.
  11. Bright red foods, pills or capsules (red dye may contain iodine).
  12. Canned fruits and vegetables. Fresh or frozen fruits or vegetables are OK.
  13. Chocolate, molasses.
  14. Tea, instant coffee, lemonade. Percolator or drip grind coffee is OK.
  15. Salty foods.

General Rules

  • DO NOT EAT RESTAURANT FOOD
  • READ LABELS
  • Avoid all processed foods and frozen meals.
  • Avoid all soups and sauces unless homemade and salt/iodine-free.

Foods to Enjoy

  1. Fruits, except rhubarb and maraschino cherries.
  2. Vegetables: raw or frozen without salt.
  3. Unsalted nuts.
  4. Fresh meats, up to 6 oz per day.
  5. Rice, grain and cereal products, up to 4 servings/day – make sure they have no high iodine products.
  6. Pasta, provided no high iodine products.
  7. Sugar, jelly, jam, honey, maple syrup.
  8. Black pepper, fresh or dried herbs and spices.
  9. Oils.
  10. Sodas (except those with Red Dye #3), cola, diet cola, wine, drip coffee, lemonade, fruit juices, tea.

Sample Meals for Low-Iodine Diet

Sample Breakfast A

  • Orange juice
  • Oatmeal (not instant)
  • Brewed coffee without cream (not instant coffee)

Sample Breakfast B

  • Apple juice
  • Salt-free cream of wheat
  • Brewed coffee without cream (not instant coffee)

Sample Lunch A

  • 2 slices sodium/iodine-free bread
  • 2 tbsp unsalted peanut butter
  • 1 tbsp jam
  • 1/2 cup raw carrot sticks
  • Apple or orange juice

Sample Lunch B

  • 2 slices sodium/iodine-free bread
  • 3 oz fresh chicken
  • 2 lettuce leaves
  • Salt-free mayonnaise
  • 1 small apple

Sample Dinner A

  • 3 oz roasted chicken with salt-free seasoning
  • 1 small baked potato
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 cup lettuce, mushrooms and cucumbers
  • 1 cup water

Sample Dinner B

  • 3 oz baked chicken
  • 1/2 cup no-salt boiled noodles
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 cup raw green salad
  • 1 cup water

Sample Snack A

1 small apple or fresh tomato

Sample Snack B

1 oz unsalted almonds