The mineral iodine is only required by humans in very small amounts. The World's Healthiest Foods website explains that iodine synthesizes hormones involved in the normal functioning of the thyroid so without it, people can feel fatigued, weak and depressed. Northwestern University recommends that all adults get at least 150 mcg, which stands for micrograms, of iodine each day.
Kelp
Even though many people think of kelp as a sea plant and not as a food at all, the kelp plant provides a host of vitamins and minerals. According to the World's Healthiest Foods website, there are 415 mcg of iodine in a quarter cup of kelp, making the sea vegetable an excellent source of iodine. Kelp usages include soups, or rolled up in sushi. It can also be dried in a dehydrator and made into crunchy sea vegetable "crackers".
Milk
Cow's milk proves a very good source of iodine, according to the World's Healthiest Foods website. They explain that a cup of 2% reduced fat cow's milk has about 58.6 mcg of iodine. The types of milk, such as whole milk, low fat and fat free milk also have iodine, though the amount of iodine varies slightly. Drinking one or two glasses of cow's milk each day can help to strengthen the thyroid and promote a healthy metabolism by providing the body with essential iodine.
Eggs
According to Northwestern University, eating eggs is another way to increase your iodine intake. They state that one egg has anywhere from 18 to 26 mcg of iodine, depending on the size of the egg. Some eggs are fortified with additional nutrients like iodine, while regular eggs have naturally occurring iodine. If you scramble three eggs for breakfast, you could receive as much as 78 mcg of iodine all before lunchtime.
Shrimp
Shrimp proves naturally very rich in iodine, according to the World's Healthiest Foods website. They explain that the amount of iodine in shrimp varies from time to time depending on where the shrimp were raised and what they ate before being harvested. Northwestern University states that a three ounce serving of shrimp has about 21 to 37 mcg of iodine.
Member Comments