Iodine Deficiency.
It’s not something that’s on the top of our list of worrisome subjects. There’s way too much else on that list: obesity, breast cancer, cancer in any form, eating nutritiously and what the heck our are kids up to.
But it’s time that people started realizing that not getting an adequate amount of iodine can lead to all sorts of trouble. In the past, people who lived far inland had the greatest trouble with iodine. It often manifested itself as a great, big goiter. Very unsightly to look at and extremely unpleasant to have. A goiter is actually an enlargement of the thyroid gland. It is this gland that needs the iodine. Without enough iodine children’s brains do not develop properly. Mental retardation can often be prevented by adding iodine to the diet. There are a whole host of other problems that result from a lack of iodine such as obesity and cancer, among others.
Where Does Iodine Come From?
Good question. Iodine is found in plentiful supply in the sea but is pretty rare in soil so land-locked countries have it in short supply. It is found in seaweeds and people like the Japanese, who eat a lot of seaweed, consume adequate to high amounts of iodine. In the 1920s, the powers-that-be recognized the problem of insufficient iodine and this vital trace element was added to table salt.
The problem now is threefold:
- People are consuming less salt and when they do they tend to use kosher or sea salt which is less processed. Good normally, but not not so good from the point of iodine deficiency.
- The second problem is that table salt manufacturers have become slack. The US FDA has found that many table salt manufacturers are not adding sufficient amounts of iodine to their product. Not good for the consumer.
- Finally, there is a toxin called perchlorate that pervades our environment and decreases our body’s ability from using the iodine properly.
Natural and Biologically Available Sources of Iodine
- Seaweed ex: kelp, bladderwrack, kombu, and wakame Image may be NSFW.
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Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. - Cranberries
- Beans, particularly navy beans
- Himalayan salt
- Table salt
So keep your thyroid in good working condition by enjoying these foods and giving your bodies the tools to keep you in great health.
Filed under: Anti-Aging, Baby Boomers, Health & Wellness, Hormones, Life, Women, women's health news Tagged: goiter, hormones, iodine, iodine deficiency, salt, seaweed, thyroid Image may be NSFW.
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Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
