I knew it supplied a necessary nutrient, but I never new why... thanks for doing the research for us!

is that why sea salt doesn't contain extra iodine?? because it has enough already naturally?? I have started using sea salt almost exclusively and have wondered about that...

How much salt would we need daily to get the iodine we need? I would think we're getting too much iodine these days since so much food has a lot of salt in it. I've been considering using iodine salt less and begin using other types of salts more.

Iodine is present in around 77 mcg / 1 g according to my research. You'd have to eat a lot of iodized salt to have any negative side effects or experience toxicity.

I'd also like to know if it is safe to switch to sea salt exclusively.

Oh, and out of curiosity, I'd be interested in whether the salt in processed foods is iodized.

@Christirei: I've wondered that too, but through my reading I've found that although iodine is found in seafood, sea salt actually doesn't contain very much, so you still need to either eat seafood or use iodized salt every once and a while.

Same thing happened here in Canada.

Sea salt doesn't have any appreciable iodine in it. The salt used by commercial food manufacturers isn't usually iodized, so don't count on packaged foods for iodized salt either. If you're not getting other sources of iodine (a vitamin, dairy, eggs, seaweed, some but not all seafood), you should be sure to use iodized salt when you cook.

My hubby and I were just talking about this issue. I wonder if I can eat enough seafood to get the right amount. I am guessing I am going to need to kick up the amount. I KNOW hubby will need to add more seafood. LOL

We can choose to buy table salt that is not iodized in Europe.

Is kosher salt iodized? I love the larger grains of kosher salt and use it exclusively.

The reason they started iodizing salt, is because the farming land became so diffident in the nutrient (and others), from chemical fertilizers, pesticides and other toxins, and not alternating the crops in what was called "the goiter belt". This was a stretch of states where people developed goiters (enlargment of the thyroid glad to capture as much iodine as possible) at an alarming rate.

This was also inland where sea foods wasn't readily available.

So many people are suffering from thyroid problems and you'd be surprised at how many people have low functioning thyroids. Our thyroids are so important to our daily well being, hormone production, energy level and harmony.

There is not enough iodine in multi vitamins or our daily diet. Iodine also helps remove/detox halogens like chlorine, bromide and fluorine (It's in your water if you have city water, commercial baked goods, iphones, furniture...) from the body, but when it's not, the bad halogens take over slow the thyroid function.

I think this is something people should supplement. More people need to do research on Iodine.

I have read a few places that table salt inferior to sea salt or kosher salt because it is so processed and therefore not good for us. However, I am not sure why this would be, or if it is true. (and yes, I realize that too much of any type of salt is unhealthy) Anyone know anything about this?

Kare...any type of pure white salt is not good for you. The reason is because it's so processed/refined, that all the trace minerals, which are needed for our bodies to recognize, process and put the salt to work, are stripped.

We actually need salt. It's very important for flushing the body of toxins, kidney health and many other benefits.

The best salt you can get is grey or pink salts. These are pure and have the most amount of trace minerals.

Of course, this was back when we used salt sparingly.

Nowadays, we've got salt in EVERYTHING, and a lot of it.

veggie mar, no, Kosher salt is not iodized. It is generally completely additive free.

It is called Kosher salt because it is used by kosher butchers to draw out the blood from meat... and the larger grains do not dissolve and run off the meat, while the larger grains of salt ruin the meat.

It it less processed in the sense that it has not been iodized, which is why some people prefer it. Alton Brown claims that iodized salt tastes funny, so he uses kosher salt.

It is totally fine to switch to kosher salt or sea salt eclusively if you eat even a small amount of seafood, or nori-wrapped veggie sushi.

I had switched to sea salt exclusively and (I dont eat any seafood or sushi) eventually had some temperature regulation issues. I switched back to iodized salt and they have for the most part been resolved. If seafood is in your diet you won't have a problem.

Kosher, sea salt, and pickling salts do not have added iodide. I've also seen table salt that has not been iodized. The package has to state that it is iodized if it has the additive.

Table salt actually contains both dextrose (sugar) and an anti-caking agent (yikes!), and is devoid of essential nutrients iodine and potassium.

Both sea salt and kosher salt contain iodine and potassium naturally, and don't contain those other weird additives. I don't know about you, but the thought of putting "anti-caking agents" into my body scares the crap out of me! On the whole, when you consume refined food in general, the body’s ability to understand what it needs to function smoothly is impaired. I only use sea salt when I cook at home...

This is actually nutritional issue with pretty extensive global ramifications. Here's a pretty good summary by the World Health Organization: http://www.who.int/nutrition/topics/idd/en/. In the past I was involved with a research project and one of the things being looked at was whether the Burmese government was blocking the production of iodized salt (measured using testing kits tacked on to a morbidity and mortality survey) and if so, could that be classified as a human rights abuse. I remember being surprised since it was something I'd always taken for granted.

I have thyroid cancer and had to be treated by radioactive iodine., and I had to go on a low iodine diet so the radioactive stuff would be attracted to the thyroid tisuue. What a drag that is..nothing from the sea, no dairy- dairy equipment is cleaned with iodine, anything that has salt as an ingredient- you have to assume they use iodized salt. no soy..no mass produced bread..the list goes on and on.

@sweatervestcentral: If anything, sea salt and kosher salt are devoid of nutrients. They only have trace amounts iodine, hardly enough to keep yourself healthy. Any of the other trace minerals found in sea salt are also so minute that they don't provide any health benefit.

Table salt only contains 0.04% dextrose, and it's only there to stabilize iodide (at least according to Morton), hardly enough to get worked up about.

I found an old women's magazine from the 1950s and it contained a full-page Morton ad touting iodized salt. It showed a picture of children and a mother and said something about keeping everyone healthy by preventing goiter. Very interesting that it was a known public health issue then that was used to promote the product!

Many people still have thyroid troubles, they tend to get caught earlier, though, because of better preventative medicine. When you go to the doctor, they should always feel your neck to detect any enlargement of the thyroid gland. And if you go in with any complaints of fatigue or depression, they test thyroid function. Full-blown goiter is very unusual in this country so our awareness is low. I'll bet if you saw a big goiter on someone, though, you'd never forget it and be extra-careful to get iodized salt!

But it's also added so it doesn't cake inside the canister- even in humidity! That's why, "When it rains, it pours" (slogan).... I learned this in high school science class.

Socialism!!

@theEwafe Actually, iodine/iodide isn't an anticaking agent. The additive that is almost universally used in the US and EU is sodium aluminosilicate (E554). Take a look at http://j.mp/hZQ3fe for a bit information.

Sea salt or kosher salt does contain trace minerals - but they are called "trace" because they are barely detectable. They are in such a small quantity (less than .01% by weight) that they do not have any effect on health, and so these salts are generally "devoid of nutrients" (that is, nutrients other than salt itself). This is actually good, because some of these trace minerals would be downright toxic if you ingested larger amounts of them.

Also, I am certain that consuming iodine is important for health (hopefully I get enough from the seafood I eat since I mostly use kosher or sea salt), but I have never seen evidence that it removes or detoxifies halogens in your body. First off, iodine itself is a halogen. Second, how can it have any effect on chlorine, for example, which is a component of table salt and occurs in much higher quantity by weight in salt (61%) than iodine does? This claim does not make sense.

In Australia levels of iodine were dropping so it has now been regulated that bakeries and bread manufacturers must use iodized salt in place of 'normal' salt to help boost the populations iodine intake.

Eat kombu. There's a reason Japan never iodised table salt - the population eats so much seaweed.

I find a sprinkle of kombu in all my soups and stews really enhances the umami taste, while providing all the iodine you'd ever need.

Scienceandthecity, yes Iodide is a halogen, but it is a halogen that benefits your health, not destroys it. It's a proven fact that chlorine and fluorine are destructive to your thyroid. Check out the works of Dr. Brownstein. There are many other doctors who have dedicated their research to iodine.

When it's science vs. supposition, science wins every time. Humans must have their iodine (goiters are pretty ugly, actually) in order for the thyroid to function properly. I've been hypothyroid for 30+ years, detest fish, and would surely have a goiter if it wasn't for that good old Mortons. I'm now needed a low-salt diet, so I have to use a salt substitute, and none of them have iodine in them. So - now what? No, I absolutely will not eat fin fish. I do like some shellfish, though.

IDD is a such a major health issue that UNISEF has an ongoing campaign to eliminate the problem thru education and handing out iodinized salt to the less forturnate. Kiwanis International and it's youth orginizations (Circle-K, Key Club, and Builders Club) work with unisef to raise awareness and funds.

http://www.google.com/search?q=unisef+IDD&sourceid=ie7&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&ie=&oe=

If you are looking for a good, effective iodine supplement, try ioderol. 12 mg,or more until you feel well, but you should also take the cofactors in order to make the iodine as efficient as possible and to add in the detoxing of bromide.

Why is everyone salting their food? Sodium chloride (table salt) is unnecessary in the diet unless one is sweating excessively. For those limiting sodium intake, avoid celery, beets, lima beans, condiments, canned foods and pastries - diuretics are ugly chemicals, too. It is surprising how good steamed vegetables taste without salt. Even people in the central valley of California have elevated rates of thyroid disorders - not enough seafood and not enough fresh vegetables in the diet. I wonder if the midwestern Native American population had goiters?

I thought everyone knew the drill about iodine in salt. It was a big deal when my parents were young. I was told since then, we (meaning people in 1st world countries) naturally get enough iodine in our current diets that its become unnecessary.

Wow, there is a LOT of conflicting info in the comments. I'm more confused than when I started :( I pretty much exclusively use sea-salt. I avoid Morton because dextrose is corn sugar and I have a very bad corn allergy.

If you use sea salt and want to make sure you are getting enough iodine, add some kelp or seaweed (like dulse or wakame) to your diet. I buy the large-leaf packages and cut them into small strips that I add to soup. It kind of melts in, so there are no objections from my husband. The stuff is extremely iodine-rich.

Despite always using iodized salt, I do have an enlarged thyroid as a result of Hashimoto's disease, which is totally unrelated to iodine intake and is the most common cause of hypothyroidism in countries with iodized salt. If you take thyroid hormone replacement, you should wait 4-6 hours after taking it to consume iodine-rich foods.

Fun fact: thyroid hormone is basically just three or four iodine atoms attached to an amino acid, which is why it's easy to produce in pill form.

@smoore, I guess my aversion to table salt stems from the fact that it is highly processed and has a number of things chemically added to it which sea salt does not. I tend to err on the side of less processed when given the choice, nine times out of ten. Given that and the direct correlation between table salt and hypertension keeps me from eating table salt whenever possible. But to each his own!