Whether thyroid cancer requires dietary restrictions, in most cases, you can tell it in four words: Business as usual!

First of all, what I want to tell you is that so far, no relationship has been found between people's normal diet and the occurrence, growth and recurrence of thyroid cancer, including many other tumors, as well as after treatment.

There are both "health experts" and "professionals" who will give you a list of "don't eat" and "should eat" foods from various occasions, some of which are even contradictory, and all kinds of fancy foods. The list is dizzying.

Most of these are based on ordinary people’s imaginations and word-of-mouth claims, except for some seemingly “experts” who compiled some rumors and put them on the Internet to spread the news. Of course, among these, there are indeed many traditional experiences that are beneficial to health. There is nothing wrong with it. As a matter of public health care and some dietary recommendations for a healthy life, they can be generally followed whether you are sick or not, and they are also applicable. If you specifically target a certain tumor, you should avoid dietary restrictions. There is no need, and in fact there is no basis for it.

For example, people with thyroid tumors are often told: Eat a balanced diet, eat lean meat, fish and other high-protein, low-fat, low-salt, low-sugar, high-vitamin foods, and eat more fresh vegetables, fruits, kelp, and seaweed. , beans, dairy products; eat less or avoid spicy, greasy, barbecued, pickled and other foods. Avoid smoking and alcohol. Keep exercising to improve disease resistance and enhance immune function. Take vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B6, vitamin E... for a long time.

Some people have also been told that many foods should not be eaten: Do not consume too much iodine. You should eat less iodine-rich foods such as seafood, hot foods such as fried barbecue, chili, pepper, beef, mutton, and carp. , pickled foods, bacon, kelp, seafood and spicy foods. Avoid smoking and alcohol. Just imagine, people living by the sea don’t eat fish anymore? Grassland aborigines still can’t eat beef and mutton?

The World Health Organization’s maximum tolerable intake of iodine for adults is 1100 micrograms/day. The maximum intake is not a “toxic amount”. The living standards of residents in most areas of our country can maintain the basic amount of iodine. It is 150-200 micrograms/day. The iodine content of fresh fish, shrimp, and crab meat is similar to that of land meat and poultry, about 100-600 micrograms/kg, so it can be eaten in moderation without special dietary restrictions. Kelp and seaweed contain very high iodine content (240 mg/kg). Eating a small amount will exceed the required amount. However, in fact, the human body itself has a strong ability to make choices and adjust the substances it consumes every day according to needs. Unless it is kelp and seaweed for three meals a day!

The above is for long-term diet after recovery from thyroid cancer treatment. In the short term after thyroid tumor treatment, there are still some things that need to be paid attention to in terms of diet: For example, in addition to taking proper rest in the immediate future after thyroid tumor surgery, the diet should be mainly light and nutritionally balanced, and avoid or eat less spicy foods, such as onions and ginger. , garlic, pepper, cinnamon, including tobacco and alcohol. These are mainly to facilitate wound recovery or reduce scar formation; a light and low-fat diet can also avoid the possible sudden increase or accumulation of chylous fluid in the neck for patients who have undergone major surgeries. Patients who require iodine 131 treatment after surgery must make dietary adjustments strictly in accordance with the requirements of the radionuclide therapy doctor during the treatment period. They may be required to limit or stop the intake of iodine-containing foods, including the intake of iodized salt. Eat less or no food with high iodine content such as kelp, seaweed, dried shrimps, and scallops.

Therefore, generally speaking, after the treatment for thyroid cancer is completed, and the body has fully recovered, it is enough to follow the doctor's instructions for regular check-ups. There are no dietary restrictions, and you don’t need to care about iodized salt or non-iodized salt, including the above-mentioned foods with high iodine content. There is no need to force yourself to prefer or taboo certain foods to achieve your desired cancer prevention and anti-cancer wishes. It is absolutely possible to resume your original normal eating habits and lifestyle as always. So whether thyroid cancer requires dietary restrictions, in most cases, you only need to remember four words: Business as usual!

Business as usual!