Forked

Iodine from seaweed, not pills?

Yeah, it’s totally true that eating seaweed is probably a gentler way to protect yourself from radiation than taking iodine pills :)

Of course this info is relevant to the Japanese and not the United States, as there is not really a radioactive food concern here. Anyway…people are already buying seaweed in California… 

Anyway, iodine pills have side effects which may include:

acne, loss of appetite, or upset stomach (especially during the first several days, as the body adjusts to the medication). More severe side effects which require notification of a physician are: fever, weakness, unusual tiredness, swelling in the neck or throat, mouth sores, skin rash, nausea, vomiting, stomach pains, irregular heartbeat, numbness or tingling of the hands or feet, or a metallic taste in the mouth

The LA times says:

A dose of potassium iodide contains about 100 mg of iodine [100000 mcg]

This article lists food based sources of iodine per 100g serving:

Different seaweeds contain varying amounts of iodine:

• 62900mcg Hijiki
• 7200mcg Dulse
• 3200mcg Wakame
• 2500mcg Kombu
• 1600mcg Nori

The article also lists other fish and mollusks and eggs and milk - which have lower values for iodine content (up to 340 mcg for Haddock, for example), so foods other than seaweed aren’t really going to help. Also, you can’t really eat enough salt or cod liver oil to really get a meaningful amount of iodine, because it’s unhealthy to eat that much salt or cod liver oil. I’ve also seen some misconceptions. For example, kale isn’t that high in iodine.

This means that if you want to get as much iodine as you would from a pill, you’d have to buy hijiki seaweed, and eat 1.5 or 2 servings. It’s pretty much your only option if you want a huge amount of iodine - unless there is another high iodine seaweed not on this list.

You also have to be sure about your source of seaweed. Some Australian seaweed has already tested positive for iodine. It’s a similar situation in canada. So if you’re a serious health nut, you should probably order your seaweed online. Here’s an example of one Maine company that will ship seaweed to you.