I hear a lot of people complain about the Low Iodine Diet - especially breakfast. Common complaints include no milk in coffee, no butter on toast. So, when faced with a problem - we solve it!!
Breakfast beverages:
Coffee: All decaf and regular coffee that you brew yourself at home is safe so long as it's salt free. So brew up a cup or a pot. Don't use instant. Add white sugar (artificial sweetener is OK if you have a dietary need to use it) as you desire. To lighten the coffee up - use Rich's brand Coffee-Rich or home made almond milk (see the ThyCa cookbook for that recipe). Again, you should use Rich's in moderation so best to try melting a marshmallow in your coffee or use marshmallow fluff. Relax and enjoy!
Tea: Try tea with honey and lemon for a treat. Or relax with some chamomile tea.
Hot Cocoa: Yes, you can...really you can! Here's the recipe: In the bottom of a nice heavy mug, place two tablespoons cocoa, one tablespoon white sugar, one teaspoon vanilla extract and two tablespoons Rich's Coffee Rich. Stir into a paste. Pour in boiling water and stir. Top with marshmallows! Add more sugar if that's not sweet enough for you. Have this in moderation due to using the Rich's. For a safer recipe replace the white sugar and Rich's with two heaping tablespoons of marshmallow fluff.
You can have orange juice - again - read the lables. Buy natural fresh squeezed OJ with nothing added.
Breakfast Cereals:
Cold cereal is a challenge. You can use plain puffed wheat that contains nothing else. But the trouble here is the milk. You can't have milk and the coffee creamer doesn't work well on cereal. So my vote is to just avoid cold cereal for two weeks and indulge in other fun hot cereals!
Oatmeal: Make oatmeal, cooking it with water, not milk! Add a pinch of Kosher salt and a dab of salt-free, dairy-free margarine. Top with unsalted almonds, unsalted pecans, raisins, maple syrup, sugar, dark chocolate chips (Sunspire brand), etc. Enjoy it - have fun. Think of other toppings that are LID safe.
Cream of Wheat: If you buy
Manischewitz Creamy Hot Wheat Cereal in the round container that you have to cook from scratch, it does not contain salt or additives. Cook with water, not milk. Add some Kosher salt to taste. A dab of salt-free, dairy free margarine is nice and a spoonful of jelly or jam goes nicely stirred in as well. Again, think of lots of different toppings that can work well on Cream of Wheat and experiment and enjoy.
Grits: You can make grits by cooking up corn meal with water, salt and margarine until creamy. Top with some black pepper for a kick and enjoy.
Breakfast Eggs:
Eggs are a challenge since you can only eat the egg whites. Scramble up a veggie egg-white omelette if you desire. Remember, no cheese!
French Toast:
Pull some of that home made bread out of the freezer. Slice it to the desired thickness for French Toast. Make your egg mixture as follows: Four egg whites, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, a pinch of Kosher salt, a dash of nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and two tablespoons Rich's coffee rich. Beat well and soak four slices of bread in this mixture. Fry in a lighly greased pan, flip and cook until set. Enjoy with warm maple syrup and melted salt-free, dairy-free margarine. For a twist, cook your French Toast in a well greased waffle iron for
French Toast Waffles!
Pancakes:
The secret to a good pancake is buttermilk. Well, we can't have that when on the LID - so when faced with a problem...what do we do? Solve it!! Here's the recipe (by the way, I make these even when not on the LID):
- 3/4 cup flour
- 3/4 cup cornmeal
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar
- 4 egg whites
- 3 tablespoons salt-free, dairy-free margarine, melted and cooled
Mix the dry ingredients. Pour the vinegar into the water. Mix the water/vinegar and the margarine with the dry ingredients. Don't overmix. Whip your egg whites until light and fluffy. Fold them into your batter. Cook the pancakes on a skillet that is well oiled. Flip when the edges are brown and the center is bubbly. Cook until done and keep warm in an oven until all the pancakes are cooked. Serve with warm maple syrup and melted salt-free, dairy-free margarine.
For some variations: Add fresh blueberries. Add Sunspire chocolate chips. Add some finely chopped salt free pecans and cinnamon to the batter. Come up with some creations of your own!
Hot "buttered" toast:
This is your easy breakfast: Use some of that home baked bread and toast it. "Butter" it with the Yummy Toast Spread you made earlier. Enjoy with coffee.
Cinnamon Toast:
Didn't we all learn how to make Cinnamon Toast in home-ec class years ago? Make your toast and "butter" it. Sprinkle on cinnamon and white sugar. Place under the broiler until bubbly. Enjoy!
Corn Muffins:
- 1 cup corn meal
- 1 cup flour
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 2 egg whites slightly beaten
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 1 cup water
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease muffin pan or line with paper muffin liners.
Mix together corn meal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add egg whites, oil and water; stir to combine. Don't over mix! Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. Bake at 400 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into a muffin comes out clean. Serve "buttered" with salt-free, dairy-free margarine.
