Why is iodine in salt
Salt is an essential mineral mainly made up of sodium chloride. It is also commonly known as rock salt or table salt. The use of salt is many but it is mostly famous for being a food additive or flavoring that compliments any variety of cooking. Aside from its basic salty taste, salt draws out the natural flavor that is in the food which makes it delicious. It is also applied to protect food from spoilage. Because of the many benefits of salt in food, some salt are fortified with iodine in order to make it healthier without affecting its saltiness.
Iodine is another important mineral that is needed by the body, specifically the thyroid gland in order for it to function well. It is added in the processing of salt in order to fight health problems caused by iodine deficiency.
People need little amount of iodine in their daily diet, 150mcg per day based in U.S. RDA. However, lack of iodine may lead to several ailments like goiter, cretinism, and mental retardation. And according to the medical journal The Lancet, the World Health Organization had stated that in 2007, nearly 2 billion individuals had insufficient iodine intake is an important public-health problem. And adding iodine into salt is one of the steps taken by the government of different nations together with health experts to prevent, if not eradicate, iodine deficiency.
Other than iodized salt, iodine may be taken from dairy foods, seaweeds, sea foods, cod, haddock, and sea bass. Iodine is responsible for keeping our skin, nails, and hair healthy. And, it also aids in the proper transformation of food to energy that is used by our body which helps in keeping our cell tissues strong and maintains a healthy and properly functioning metabolic rate.
So next time that you will buy salt in the market, it is much better if you choose iodized salt to make sure that you and your family are receiving the required amount of iodine in your daily food intake.
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