Quote:
Originally Posted by KYHeirloomer  Shel,
Are you having problems? Something that indicates an iodine deficiency? Or is this just a general concern?
Unless you are experience some sort of health problem, there is no reason to presume that you aren't getting enough.
If you eat fish and shellfish more or less regularly you are likely getting all the iodine you need. |
Yes ... I have a hypoactive thyroid and take meds for that. My interest is to see if it's possible to reduce or eliminate the meds through diet. Of course, I'd be working with a doctor as well.
I'm not presuming that I'm deficient in iodine, but my iodized salt intake is pretty low, so I'm looking at potentials and possibilities. There's no iodized salt here and I've not used it for years. I don't know how much iodine there is in the fish I eat - that's on the agenda to examine more closely. What I have been able to ascertain is that various fish and other foods that contain iodine, contain it in relatively low doses, and that for fish, a lot of the iodine is lost in cooking (certainly in certain fish and with certain cooking methods) Sea vegetables contain 100X to 1000X more of the mineral than do the fish I've researched thus far. It's quite possible that, in order to get enough iodine from fish, one may have to eat more than what's considered healthy, considering the various pollutants and contaminants found in certain species of fish.
One of the medical sites I visited says, "The
RDA for iodine is 150mcg a day for adults. Supplemental iodine as found in kelp (seaweed) is often needed by pregnant women, people with low thyroid function and those on very low salt diets."
So, while I'm no expert, and am only floundering at this point in my investigations, it seems that fish may not be as good a source for iodine as kelp and other sea vegetables.
So, in short, my question was part of information gathering ...
Shel