I got this nagging sneaky suspicion that my family wasn't getting enough iodine because we barely eat ocean fish and we don't use iodized table salt anymore (we're a kosher salt family through and through).So I get the bug up my butt and email my doctor (our pediatrician probably would have responded sooner but he's a little crunchy granola if ya know what I mean). She was on vacay so it took a couple days.
She responded that yeah, Americans aren't getting as much iodine as they need these days (about 50 micrograms daily for adults and a little less for children). This is leading to health concerns such as the resurgence of goiters and gout. Also, apparently low iodine can lead to lowered thyroid function (hey is this the reason I'm getting fat and slow?). She said it can possibly cause mental retardation in infants too; although I'm not concerned about my son's mental capacity, I do feel bad about "cheating him out of" more success in life.
So, we will be returning to iodized table salt shortly. Maybe not for all of our cooking but maybe back in the salt shakers. Hubster isn't all that gung-ho about it but I'd rather he have a fighting chance in the metabolism realm than a big nasty goiter on his neck or a giant painful gouty toe - a la Ben Franklin and the animated Bobby Hill.
1 comment:
Interesting...I have never thought about my family's iodine intake or the possible health risks. In fact, I thought I was doing good by cutting out salt and using kosher when I do! I hope this doesn't mean I have to start cooking again....
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