Iodine is a trace mineral that regulates thyroid hormones while promoting normal growth and development. It is present in iodized salt, seafood and crops grown in iodine rich soil.

So you've read that excessive amounts of iodine can irritate your pores and provoke acne. So what do you do? Avoid excess iodine, right?

But iodine shows up in a motley of unassuming locals as Jean Carper, points out in Food Your Miracle Medicine. For instance, the Recommended Daily Allowance, RDA, of iodine for adults is 150 mcg, but one cup of milk has 88mcg of iodine, that's over half of the RDA. One egg has 24 mcg and a slice of American cheese carries 16 mcg of iodine. And the content of iodine in some fast food meals has exceeded the RDA by as much as 10 times.

Just because excess iodine may provoke acne does not mean you want to ex it out our your diet. Poor iodine intake can result in Goiter, an enlargement of the thyroid gland, and Cretinism, which causes dwarfism and mental retardation

Foods that contain large amounts of iodine include:

•Iodized salt, sea salt, and salty foods. Because it's hard to know which restaurants use iodized salt, you might want to avoid eating out during this time
•All dairy products (milk, sour cream, cheese, cream, yogurt, butter, ice cream)
•Margarine
•Egg yolks
•Seafood (fish, shellfish, seaweed, kelp)
•Foods that contain carrageen, agar-agar, algin, or alginate - all of these are made from seaweed
•Many prepared and/or cured meats (ham, bacon, sausage, corned beef, etc)
•Fresh chicken or turkey with broth or additives injected
•Dried fruit
•Canned vegetables
•Commercial bakery products
•Chocolate
•Molasses
•Soy products (soy sauce, soy milk, tofu)
•Any vitamins or supplements that contain iodine
•FD&C red dye #3 - this appears in many foods or pills that are red or brown, including colas

Foods with moderate amounts of iodine include:
•Egg whites
•Fresh noncured meat from the butcher
•Matzoh
•Homemade bread made with non-iodized salt and oil (not soy!) instead of butter or milk
•Most fresh fruits and vegetables (but not too much spinach & broccoli), washed well
•Frozen vegetables that don't have high-iodine ingredients (like regular salt) added
•Canned peaches, pears and pineapples
•Natural unsalted peanut butter
•Clear sodas
•Coffee or tea, as long as it's made with distilled water. But remember, only non-dairy creamer!
•Popcorn popped in vegetable oil or air popped, with non-iodized salt
•Sorbet - but remember to check the ingredient list for FD&C red dye #3!

As with all things, self-knowledge and moderation are the keys to divine health. It's always good to know what you are eating before it starts eating away at you.



About the Author
Naweko San-Joyz writes health and beauty articles from her home in San Diego. She recently published "Acne Messages: Crack the code of your zits and say goodbye to acne" (ISBN: 0974912204). Naweko is presently working on title called "Skinny Fat Girls, Why we're still not getting this diet thing" (ISBN: 0974912212) for release in May of 2005. To challenge and verify her research, San-Joyz trains for figure competitions.