Iodine Rich Foods for Vegetarians

You must have heard a lot about iodine deficiency. Health practitioners stress the importance of iodine a lot, the salt which we use also contains iodine. In fact, iodine content is what they advertise! These are thing which makes one wonder what iodine is and why it is important. To start with, iodine is a mineral which is mainly present in soil and saline water. So the amount of iodine in vegetables depends on the amount of iodine present in the soil it is grown. That is why one has to depend mainly on the salt intake for the iodine. Another very good source of iodine is seafood, which is why regular intake of seafood is recommended to people with iodine deficiency. However this source of iodine is useless for vegetarians. But they do not need to worry as this nutrient is present in many other vegetarians foods as well. Before we move on to iodine rich foods, let us take a look at the benefits of iodine.

Why is Iodine Important?

There are many benefits or rather functions of iodine, the most important being the neat functioning of the thyroid gland. Iodine helps in increasing the production of thyroid hormone, which in turn influences the metabolic rate. Iodine also helps to maintain blood pressure, body weight and body temperature. It also helps to maintain shiny hair and teeth, deficiency of iodine can lead to hair fall. Hair growth can also be restrained due to severe lack of iodine. One of the important factor contributing to protein synthesis is iodine. Energy levels are maintained by this minerals, as it helps in utilization of calories, thus preventing deposition of excessive fats. Lack of iodine thus leads to loss of energy. Constantly being lethargic is one of the important symptom of iodine deficiency. One of the important iodine uses is that it helps to remove toxic elements from the body, harmful elements like mercury, lead, fluoride, etc., are said to be flushed out of the body. The immune system is improved by this. Recent research has also proved that iodine has anti-cancer properties, as it is believed to shrink the cancer cells. People suffering from fibrocystic diseases find relief when administered with iodine, because iodine can suppress the condition of fibrosis. You must have heard about goiter disorder. Goiter is caused due to the deficiency of iodine, so the intake of iodine helps a great deal in healing for the enlarged thyroid gland.

This was about the importance of iodine. The following is a list of iodine rich foods for you.

List of Iodine Rich Foods

• Condensed milk
• Trifle
• Jaffa cakes
• Cheddar cheese
• Sea salt
• Nori
• Navy beans, cooked
• Strawberries
• Yorkshire pudding
• Iodized salt
• Seaweed
• Yorkshire pudding
• Potato with peel, baked
• Yogurt
• Cheesecake
• Soybeans
• Wakame
• Cereals
• Kombu
• Dulse
• Swiss chard
• Summer squash
• Malt bread
• Arame
• Hijiki
• Spinach
• Turnip greens
• Lima beans
• Garlic
• Mayonnaise
• Naan Bread

The above mentioned foods are the best sources of iodine for vegetarians. Now that you know all the side effects of iodine deficiency, start including all these foods in your daily diet. Remember, including iodine is very easy, all you have to do is to consume a lot of iodine rich foods, but treating problems created due to iodine deficiency is difficult. But do keep in mind, that too much of iodine can also cause problems, so have only the recommended dosage and not less or more than that.