If salt is no longer a supplier of iodide, but there is no longer outbreaks of iodine deficiency like goitre, how are we all getting enough iodide in our diets?
In: Biology
Iodized salt is not the only place we can get iodine from. It’s available in lots of seafood and animal products. The widespread fortification of salt with iodine was more useful in an era when substantial parts of the population may still be living primarily off of potatoes and grains. Anyone who cares enough about their salt to only buy fancy kosher salt is likely cooking a sufficiently varied diet that it won’t be an issue. There’s surely some vegan foodie out there at risk of iodine deficiency, but vegans are already managing all kinds of dietary lacunae, so what’s one more?
Though for what it’s worth, iodized salt is still cheap and plentiful. The other side of the foodie learning curve is realizing that some things don’t require kosher salt (e.g. salting water) or are actively improved by table salt (e.g. salting french fries). That means you’ll have a paper canister of table salt on your counter, and it might as well be iodized.
Latest Answers