Why use iodized salt?

Do you love your children? The answer is definitely YES. As a mother, you want to give the best to your children. You want your children to be healthy and smart as they grow older.

For sure, you don’t want your children to be retarded, low-IQ, deaf & mute, and short. As a mother, you also don’t want to have goiter or the enlargement of the thyroid gland, miscarriage and give birth to abnormal babies. All these problems can happen if iodine is lacking in your daily diet.

Iodine is an essential nutrient needed by the body in adequate amount. It is an integral part of the thyroid hormone responsible for the regulation of body temperature, metabolic rate, reproduction, growth, nerve, and muscle function. 

If you are pregnant or lactating, you need 200 mg/day of iodine. It is not hard to get this 200mg/day of iodine because iodine is naturally present in foods. The richest sources of iodine are those found in the sea such as clams, oysters, crabs, and seaweeds, among others. If you are used to including sea foods and seaweeds in your daily meals, you don’t need to worry on your iodine requirement for the day. For example, ½ cup of kulot  or 40 grams   (240.52 mg); ½ cup of  balbalulang or 40 grams (73.80 mg), ½ cup shelled, cooked snail or kuhol  or 75 grams (120.75 mg), ¼ cup cooked crab meat or alimango or 20 grams (31mg),  ¼ cup shelled, cooked  salt water mussel or tahong or 75 grams ( 74.62 mg),  ¼ cup shelled, cooked fresh water snail or susong pilipit or 65 grams (61.68 mg).

Another easy way to ensure iodine supply in your body is through the use of iodized salt in preparing meals. Iodized salt is salt fortified with iodine at levels above the natural state. It is food grade salt, fit for human consumption, and contains the prescribed level of iodine. Iodized salt is just like ordinary salt used to season and make food taste good. It does not make food taste bad or bitter. Iodized salt is not

always fine salt. It is any salt, whether rock (coarse), fine or those available in the market using the takal system. Just like any other food, iodized salt can be bought in groceries, supermarkets, sari-sari stores and even in health centers nationwide.

Here are some tips to remember when you use and store iodized salt:

Cooking Tips:

-          When preparing your favorite dishes, add iodized salt just before the food is cooked and served. This prevents losses of iodine when food is subjected to heat.

-          Use iodized salt when preparing foods that need no further cooking such as dipping sauces, salads, etc.

-          Use iodized salt in boiled corn, pickled vegetables, beef or pork tapa and deep-fried potato slices.

-          As a general rule, however, consume salt and other salty products in moderation.

Storage tips:

-            Use containers that keep out moisture, like plastic and glass

-            Keep containers closed

-            Keep away from heat and direct sunlight

-            Keep in  dry, cool corners of the kitchen

For more information on food and nutrition, please contact: Dr. Mario V. Capanzana, Director, Food and Nutrition Research Institute, Department of Science and Technology, Bicutan, Taguig City; trunkline: 837 2071 local 2296 or 2287; telephone/fax no.: 837 3164, email: mvc@fnri.dost.gov.ph or mar_v_c@yahoo.com; website: http://www.fnri.dost.gov.ph (FNRI-DOST S&T Media Service: Press Release – MA. IDELIA G. GLORIOSO)