Iodized Salt - Is It Really Needed?

So we switched back to sea salt this week and it was fantastic. There is such a rich and pleasant flavor to it. You need less than table salt and it flavors the food perfectly. However, it made me wonder about the Iodine in table salt - is it really necessary to have it in there and why?

image from airbrushsolution.com

Well, I'm naturally inclined toward back to basics methods. I find that while we've made great improvements in the past century in the field of medicine and science, we've forgotten that for millenia people have survived off of what mother nature provided. This includes, of course, the oils and wholesome natural foods. Hence my natural position would be against the iodine additive.

It is an essential nutrient, though, so we have to have it in our food somewhere. Otherwise our thyroid gets out of whack and all sorts of issues come up. But where else do you get iodine from without inserting in the diet? The key is knowing the foods it's in.

I borrowed this chart from the National Institutes of Health's online database. I highlighted the areas they expect us to get it from that are undesirable in reds (at least as daily sources). In yellow are the ones that stand out to me as great sources - that aren't seafood - and the good seafood is in blue [though I left the canned tuna in yellow 'cause lets face it - who thinks tuna is a sea food when it is canned?].

Food	Approximate Micrograms (mcg) per serving	Percent DV*
Seaweed, whole or sheet, 1 g	16 to 2,984	11% to 1,989%
Cod, baked, 3 ounces	99	66%
Yogurt, plain, low-fat, 1 cup	75	50%
Iodized salt, 1.5 g (approx. 1/4 teaspoon)	71	47%
Milk, reduced fat, 1 cup	56	37%
Fish sticks, 3 ounces	54	36%
Bread, white, enriched, 2 slices	45	30%
Fruit cocktail in heavy syrup, canned, 1/2 cup	42	28%
Shrimp, 3 ounces	35	23%
Ice cream, chocolate, 1/2 cup	30	20%
Macaroni, enriched, boiled, 1 cup	27	18%
Egg, 1 large	24	16%
Tuna, canned in oil, drained, 3 ounces	17	11%
Corn, cream style, canned, 1/2 cup	14	9%
Prunes, dried, 5 prunes	13	9%
Cheese, cheddar, 1 ounce	12	8%
Raisin bran cereal, 1 cup	11	7%
Lima beans, mature, boiled, 1/2 cup	8	5%
Apple juice, 1 cup	7	5%
Green peas, frozen, boiled, 1/2 cup	3	2%
Banana, 1 medium	3	2%

You'll see that there are many options for getting the iodine that don't involve enriched grains (which are pathetic compared to the unaltered, original whole grains) or chemically altered salt. If you ate four eggs and a glass of milk you'd already be there. For a less cholesterol oriented approach you could consume a can of tuna, some cheese, a bit of corn, some fruit and a serving of yogurt. The point is that even without seafood we can get iodine and avoid the pitiful table salt that doesn't even taste good.

You can read all over the internet from nutritionists and salt advocates in the States about the need for iodized salt, but here it is in the NIH's own writing - you don't need it. You just have to have a balanced diet which we've all known for years is important anyway.

Phew! I get to have my sea salt after all!