Learn about the best iodine rich foods you should have in your diet and why we need it here. Discover out all you need to know about iodine with MyVybe.
Iodine is an essential mineral. Your body needs it to function properly but cannot make it on its own. Most people get all the iodine they need from food. Some, however, do need a supplement to help make sure they meet their daily iodine requirement.
Many saltwater and plant-based foods contain iodine, and this mineral is most-widely available in iodised salts. But if you don’t think you get enough iodine in your diet and want to know which foods to incorporate more of, you may be wondering what the top iodine rich foods are? Read on to learn more about iodine rich foods that should be at the top of your shopping list.
Iodine is essential for thyroid functioning. Your thyroid needs iodine to produce hormones essential for metabolism. An iodine deficiency can lead to hypothyroidism, meaning that your thyroid isn’t working as well as it should and it can lead to issues such as fatigue, joint pain, and fertility problems.
As mentioned above, iodine’s most important role is to ensure proper thyroid function. Getting enough iodine is essential for preventing low thyroid hormone production and hypothyroidism. However, there are other health benefits of iodine such as foetal and infant development, cognitive function during childhood and reduces lumps, and pain in the breasts.
If you think you may be at risk of an iodine deficiency or think you need to be incorporating a bit more iodine in your daily diet, then here are a few iodine rich foods to get you going.
Naturally occurring iodine is what makes seaweed such a great option to have in your diet as it is a great iodine rich food, albeit a niche one. A seaweed sheet contains around 232 mcg of iodine, which is almost 150mcg more than the recommended daily intake.
Dairy products are great sources of iodine. Even though the amount of iodine in milk differs greatly based on the iodine amounts the cattle consume during milking in their feed. One cup of milk can provide up to 58 – 111% of your recommended intake of iodine.
Yoghurt provides almost half of your recommended mcg intake for iodine too. In terms of cheese, the amount of iodine depends on the age and type. The best cheese, which provides 65mcg of iodine, is cottage cheese.
This is one of the post popular iodine rich food sources. In just half a teaspoon of iodized salt you will have consumed your daily intake allowance of iodine.
This is one of the most convenient ways to consume enough iodine to prevent a deficiency. This is always a great source of iodine for those who follow a strict plant-based diet, as plant-based foods aren’t particularly great iodine sources.
The egg yolks specifically are a great iodine rich food source. One large egg will usually contain around 26mcg of iodine.
Seafood in general is a great iodine rich food category. Cod, on the other hand holds a particularly high iodine content. One serving, or a fillet of cod, contain around 158mcg of iodine, if you feel as though your day hasn’t been full of iodine rich foods, then this will meet your day allowance in one swoop!
Another great iodine rich food to have in your cupboard is Tuna. Tuna is a fattier fish variety, and even though it does contain less then its white fish counterpart, it still has a reasonable serving of 17mcg per tin, or steak. This is another affordable way to add a little more iodine into your diet.
There are a few issues with consuming too much iodine in your diet. Even though, the damage from a high-iodine diet only occurs over-time, it is still something to try and minimise when you start to think you may be consuming a bit too much.
There has been evidence to show that with the consumption of too much iodine, comes some discomfort. This discomfort comes in the form of a burning sensation in the mouth or stomach, not to be mistaken for heartburn, fever, nausea and sometimes diarrhoea.
If you think that you may be suffering from over consumption of iodine, get in touch with your GP so that they can advice you on the next steps.
And there you have it, you now know what the best iodine rich foods. If you want to learn more about vitamins and how they benefit our bodies, head over to our health hub and take a look. Or, if you want to know more about different minerals, find out what chromium is next.
Sources:
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/iodine-rich-foods#TOC_TITLE_HDR_7
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/iodine-rich-foods#why-it-matters
