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Jan 22 2013

Food Sources of Iodine

Information about Iodine

• Iodine is mainly used to make thyroid hormones.

• The thyroid helps to regulate the rate at which your body uses energy. It also plays a role in growth and development.

• You only need very small amounts of iodine for good health. Without iodine your health can be affected over the long term.

• Your body does not make iodine so it needs to come from the foods you eat. Most people can meet their mineral needs by eating a variety of healthy foods and following "Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide". . www.healthcanada.gc.ca/foodguide.

• The iodine content in foods can vary. The mineral content of foods depends on the mineral content of the soil where the food was grown

How Much Iodine Should I Aim For?

Age in years	Aim for an intake of* micrograms (mcg)/day	Stay below* mcg/day
Men 19 and Older	150	1100
Women 19 and Older	150	1100
Pregnant Women 19 and Older	220	1100
Breastfeeding Women 19 and Older	290	1100

*This includes sources of iodine from food and supplements.

Iodine Content of Some Common Foods

• The best natural occurring source of iodine is saltwater seafood. Freshwater seafood also contains iodine.

• Iodine is added to all table salt in Canada. 1 teaspoon of table salt contains 380 mcg of iodine.

• Kosher, pickling and sea salt are a source of natural iodine but do not contain as much as iodized table salt.

Food	Serving Size	Iodine (mcg)
Vegetables and Fruit
Vegetables
Lima beans, cooked	125 mL (½ cup)	8
Corn, cooked	125 mL (½ cup)	7
Green peas, cooked	125 mL (½ cup)	3-4
Grain Products
Cereal (check product label for serving size)
Crisped rice	30 g	20
Oat, o-shaped	30 g	14
Shredded wheat	30 g	8
Raisin bran	30 g	6
Other
Soda crackers	10 crackers	44
Bread (rye, whole wheat, white)	1 slice (35g)	17-32
Tortilla	½ tortilla (35g)	26
Rice, white, cooked	125 mL (½ cup)	4
Milk and Alternatives
Cottage cheese	250 mL (1 cup)	65
Milk (3.3% homo, 2%, skim, chocolate, buttermilk)	250 mL (1 cup)	52-62
Yogurt, plain	175 g (¾ cup)	58
Yogurt, fruit	175 g (¾ cup)	35
Hard cheese, cheddar	50 g (1 ½ oz)	22
Meat and Alternatives
Meat and Poultry
Turkey, light, cooked	75 g (2 ½ oz)	30
Deli meat (salami, bologna)	75 g (2 ½ oz) or 3 slices	16-21
Beef, various cuts, cooked	75 g (2 ½ oz)	11-14
Chicken, light or dark, cooked	75 g (2 ½ oz)	11-13
Pork, various cuts, cooked	75 g (2 ½ oz)	5-9
Lamb chop, cooked	75 g (2 ½ oz)	8
Organ Meat
Liver, beef, cooked	75 g (2 ½ oz)	32
Fish and Seafood
Cod, cooked	75 g (2 ½ oz)	87
Haddock, cooked	75 g (2 ½ oz)	87
Tuna, canned	75 g (2 ½ oz)	15
Meat Alternatives
Soynuts	60 mL (¼ cup)	60
Beans (navy, black-eyed), cooked	175 mL (¾ cup)	46-53
Egg, cooked	2 large	48-52
Beans (pinto, kidney), cooked	175 mL (¾ cup)	19-28

 

 

Source:
Institute of Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes. Washington: The National Academies Press; 2006 and Pennington, J. and Douglass, J., Bowes and Church's Food Values of Portions Commonly Used, 18 E. Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, 2005.