eli5: Why is non-iodized salt sold?

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I usually buy the salt that says “this salt supplies iodide a necessary ingredient.” But yesterday I accidentally bought one that says “this salt does not supply iodide..” which always makes me wonder… if iodide is a necessary nutrient why would salt be sold without it.. and explicitly state that ???

Anyways, I’m basically wondering if it’s bad enough that I should go out and buy the salt that supplies iodide. I know it’s not a life or death ordeal but I’m just now beginning my ✨caring about what I put in my body✨ journey so if this salt will only give me all the bad components of salt without any good ones, I’ll go get another one.

<3

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Anonymous 0 Comments

People who need to monitor their iodine intake carefully don’t need to have to guess how much they’re ingesting via salt. There’s also a strong “no extra chemicals in my body!” movement that’s driven up the demand in recent decades, plus there are specific instances in which the chemical presence of iodine is unhelpful, like in dyeing or certain types of cooking/baking that involve yeast/fermentation.

However, hypothyroidism and goiters (a huge, enlarged thyroid gland that can get really visible and makes it hard to swallow) are symptoms of an iodine deficiency; if you read older books (like, pre-1950s), there are often side characters mentioned who have goiters, or who had surgery to have one removed and there’s a visible scar. Agatha Christie would often describe this. Weight gain, fatigue, pregnancy/reproductive problems including loss of fertility, puffy skin, thinning hair…

Look up images of goiters; iodine specifically prevents you from getting those. They used to be common; now they are not, because of iodized salt.

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