Category

Plant based

Dec 10

Plant drinks. Is yours fortified with iodine?

By Plant based, Supplements, Vegan, Vitamins No Comments

Did you know that as humans our main source of iodine comes from cows milk. And that organic cows milk actually has a lower iodine concentration by around a third. Especially important throughout pregnancy for foetal brain development but also for the general population too. So when we make the switch to a plant based alternative, that’s one micronutrient we are actively removing from our diet. A lot of the time unknowingly.

Some brands will add iodine in, but even some of the most well-known don’t. This isn’t law in the UK so it’s completely their decision if they want to add it in or not. Cost comes to mind?
Marksandspencer and Oatly both add iodine to their standard plant milks, and Alpro do to their soy original only. Double check the label for piece of mind. Does it contain iodine? It will say on the nutrition panel. If it doesn’t then look for another one.

Supplements

If you are adopting a vegan diet then unless you are consuming fortified drinks or other fortified foods you may need a supplement. It should be in the form of potassium iodide or potassium iodate. The UK adult recommendation is 150mcg/day and your supplement should not exceed this amount.

Food sources

Seaweed is also good source, so sushi or those seaweed sheets you can get for snacks are great. However, they don’t need to be consumed every single day as their iodine content varies considerably. There are also some seaweed/kelp iodine supplements on the market however it is not advisable to take these due to the point mentioned above.

Other food sources are white fish like cod or haddock and eggs. Or if you can consume a mixture of dairy and plant drinks that’s a good option too.

If in any doubt a blood test from your GP will be able to detect your current levels

Further reading

And if you would like some further reading, there was a review published in 2017 by Sarah Bath et al “Iodine concentration of milk-alternative drinks available in the UK in comparison to cows’ milk”

It’s just useful to remember this will be ever changing as manufacturers change their recipes so best to check the label.

Sep 04

SMOKED QUINOA SALAD

By Plant based, Recipes No Comments

Something light, fresh and nutritious to accompany any BBQ. This will also last in your fridge for a good few days. And you can use any type of quinoa it doesn’t have to be the smoked variety which can be quite hard to come by.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups raw smoked quinoa

100g feta cheese

1/2 a cucumber

1 cup of frozen peas

Salt & black pepper

Dressing – olive oil, lemon juice, fresh tarragon

 

METHOD

Cover the quinoa with cold water and bring to the boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down and simmer for 15 minutes until it is soft but still with a light bite to it. (If it becomes dry whilst cooking just add a dash more water).

Drain and rinse in cold water.

Finely chop the cucumber.

Mix the quinoa, frozen peas, cucumber and feta cheese together. Season with salt and black pepper.

Finely chop the tarragon. (You can use dried tarragon however the flavour won’t be as strong).

In an old jar add the olive oil, lemon juice and tarragon. Put the lid on and shake until combined.

Stir the dressing through the salad before serving.