Iodine deficiency. Foods rich in iodine

Iodine deficiency is currently experiencing 2/3 of the world's population. The thing is that a sufficient amount of this microelement in water and soil can boast, perhaps, coastal regions. The remaining areas, which constitute 70-80% of the land area, lack iodine. On the territory of our country, iodine deficiency is expressed sharply. This means that with water and a normal diet, we do not get the daytime noma of this trace element. Meanwhile, an adult man needs 150 μg of iodine daily. And during breastfeeding and pregnancy, the need for iodine increases significantly and reaches 200 micrograms.

The importance of this microelement can not be overestimated. It is the lack of iodine in the body that leads to a decrease in the level of thyroid hormones, namely, triiodothyronine and thyroxine, which regulate the metabolism of a person. Determine whether enough in the body of iodine, you can yourself with a small test. Draw a wand or a match dipped in iodine, a few strips on the skin. If an hour later they do not leave a trace, then you are experiencing a deficiency of this trace element. Naturally, this test is very approximate, a more accurate estimate of iodine deficiency can be obtained through laboratory analysis.

What happens when I lack iodine? If in the diet foods rich in iodine are not in sufficient quantity, a person feels general weakness, decreased vision, memory and hearing, drowsiness, fatigue, apathy and headaches. In men, there is a decrease in sexual desire, in women - various violations of the menstrual cycle. If the products rich in iodine are not present at all in the daily diet, there is a chance of endemic goiter, which is typical for regions with a low content of this trace element in the soil and water. For children, this threatens to lag behind in mental development and growth.

Particularly palpable iodine deficiency with increased physical exertion, as well as in the body of nursing mothers, pregnant and newborns. According to statistics, up to 80% of expectant mothers experience, to some extent, a lack of this trace element.

How to make up for iodine deficiency

Today, there are many medicines and nutritional supplements that help to fill the lack of iodine in the body. However, iodine in food has several advantages. The microelement, supplied with food, is better absorbed, in addition, it is slowly withdrawn from the body. Foods rich in iodine are known to be excellent biostimulators, have a beneficial effect on the immune system, prevent the formation of blood clots, regulate blood clotting. Supplementing the diet with products containing iodine is especially important for pregnant women and nursing mothers, when the intake of chemicals simply needs to be minimized.

In what products is there a lot of iodine? The leaders in the content of iodine are sea kale, in 100 grams of which contains up to 700 microgram of microelement, cod liver (800 mg per 100 g of product) and fish oil (700 mg per 100 g of product). They are followed by some species of fish, both marine and river, in particular, capelin, perch, cod, haddock, pollock. In 100g of fish contains up to 460mkg of this trace element. So, to get a daily norm of iodine, a person needs to eat only 180 grams of cod. Oysters, mussels, squid, shrimps and crabs are also very rich in iodine - 100mkg per 100g of products.

However, products rich in iodine are not only fish and seafood. This list can be supplemented with sweet pepper and exotic fruits such as feijoa and persimmon. A smaller but significant amount of this trace element is found in beef, pork, sweets, milk, eggs. Contains iodine and in some vegetables - tomatoes, potatoes, radish, carrots, beets, spinach, asparagus, lettuce, garlic, onions and eggplants. However, it is desirable that the vegetables are grown on iodine-rich soil. Quite a lot of iodine is also found in grapes, bananas, melons, pineapples, citrus fruits, and also mushrooms. However, to get the norm of a microelement per day, you will have to eat 1.5 kg of mushrooms.

For the prevention of iodine deficiency, iodized salt can also be administered daily in the diet , and only 5 gr of salt per day is enough. However, iodine has the property of easily evaporating. Store iodized salt in foil or polyethylene opaque packaging and not more than 3 months. In addition to salt, other iodine-enriched products are produced, for example iodized oil and iodized mineral water. Now on sale there were even enriched with iodine dairy and meat products, bread, confectionery products. There are also special mixtures for children and pregnant women, designed to fill the lack of iodine.