If you are age 14 or older, you need 150 mcg of iodine each day, regardless of whether you are male or female. This mineral not only plays a role in cell metabolism, but also is necessary for proper thyroid functioning and helping to produce thyroid hormones. Just as with other essential nutrients, the best way to get iodine is from food rather than a vitamin and mineral supplement. Iodine is present in a variety of foods, so even if you are a fussy eater, getting more iodine in your diet is not difficult.
Step 1
Add 1/4 tsp. of iodized salt to your daily diet and get 95 mcg of iodine. While you should talk to your doctor about adding any amount of salt to your diet if you have high blood pressure or are taking blood pressure medication, at 500 mg per ¼ tsp., a small helping of iodized salt is well under the normal limit of 1,500 to 2,300 mg per day.
Step 2
Drink an 8-ounce glass of milk each day and get 56 mcg of iodine. Because iodine is present in whole, low-fat or skim milk, you can make the choice even healthier by eliminating the fat and choosing skim milk.
Step 3
Eat the peel on your baked potato instead of cutting it away and pushing it to the side. A medium baked potato with the peel not only adds fiber to your diet, but also provides 60 mcg of iodine.
Step 4
Add whitefish and seafood such as cod, haddock, perch, sea bass, tuna and shrimp to your diet once or twice a week. At 99 mcg of iodine per 3-ounce serving, cod is the best choice, but if cod is not a preference, you can get 35 mcg with a 3-ounce serving of shrimp. While you should use caution when adding tuna packed in oil if you are on a low-fat diet, a 3-ounce serving -- about a half-can -- will provide your body with 17 mcg of iodine.
Step 5
Try something new. Talk to your doctor and get her advice on trying sea kelp -- also called seaweed -- a food with one of the highest concentrations of iodine. A consultation with your doctor is necessary because soaking even 1 tbsp. of dried sea kelp and adding it to soup, stew or a stir-fry can add up 4,500 mcg of iodine to your diet, and too much iodine is just as bad as not enough.
Member Comments