Iodine: Learn Which Foods Contain Iodine

Categories : Nutrition basics
Tags : Diet nutrition

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What is Iodine?

Iodine is a natural mineral needed by the body to carry out its essential role of metabolizing nutrients in the thyroid hormones. Only a minimal amount of iodine is required over your lifetime. Normally, your body contains 20 to 30 mg of iodine, with the majority being stored in the thyroid gland. Because iodine is not stored long-term in your body, it should be consumed on a daily basis.

Recommended Daily Allowance According to Age

To minimize chances of your becoming iodine deficient, you want to ensure you are getting enough iodine. It’s a good idea to follow Recommended Daily Allowance guidelines according to age. These recommended intakes are provided by the Institute of Medicine at the National Academy of Sciences:

6 months: 110 mcg
7-12 months: 130 mcg
1-8 years: 90 mcg
Boys 9-13 years: 120 mcg
Girls 9-13 years: 120 mcg
Boys 14-18 years: 150 mcg
Girls 14-18 years: 150 mcg
Men 19 years and older: 150 mcg
Women 19 years and older: 150 mcg
Pregnant women 14 years and older: 220 mcg
Lactating women 14 years and older: 290 mcg

Food Sources of High in Iodine and How Much Iodine is in a Specific Amount of Each Food

In order to ensure you get enough iodine in your diet, it’s important to identify foods high in iodine. Although the primary sources of iodine are water and soil, other natural iodine sources of foods that contain iodine are sea vegetables (not to be substituted with sea salt due to its low concentration of iodine) such as seaweed, seafood, poultry, meat cereal, yogurt, cow’s milk, eggs, and strawberries.

The Institute of Medicine provides this food serving information, based on the U. S. Food and Drug Administration’s “Reference Values for Nutrition Labeling.”

Kelp (sea vegetable) – ¼ ounce, 415.00 mcg

Yogurt (low-fat) – 1 cup, 87.22 mcg

Cow’s milk (2%) – 1 cup, 58.56 mcg

Egg (whole, boiled) – 1 each, 23.76 mcg

Strawberries – 1 cup, 12.96 mcg

Tips for Including Iodine Rich Foods in Your Diet

A practical way to include iodine rich foods in your body is to use iodized salt. Despite the fact that many people are moving away from use of salt due to health issues, including iodized salt during cooking is a good way to ensure you get the necessary amount needed for your body. If you have high blood pressure or any other medical condition or health issue, consult with your physician about possible alternatives to iodized salt.

Another good way to include iodine rich foods in your diet is to eat a 4 – 6 ounce serving of high-iodine fish. Each serving will provide at least 50% of your iodine needs. Shellfish is another sure way to consume iodine in your diet. To compliment the fish, sea vegetables such as seaweed, sea lettuce and kelp, will provide significant amounts of iodine. Eating iodine rich breads such as various Rye breads will also provide high amounts of iodine.

The key to including iodine rich foods in your diet is to know, not only which foods contain iodine, but also which foods are high in iodine content. Additionally, it’s important to know how much iodine is enough for you as well as how much iodine you are getting.