When it comes to raising your child or teen on a vegan diet, ensuring they get the adequate nutrition they need to thrive is at the heart of your feeding. 

I know this to be true because when I have the honor of speaking with vegan parents just like you, you just want to make sure that you’re doing things right. 

You want to make sure that what you provide is “enough” for meeting their nutritional needs on a vegan diet.

And this has been a recent discussion with several vegan parents when it comes to iodine. 

If you’re just making the transition to raising a vegan family, iodine may be new or surprising to hear that it’s a key nutrient for kids following a vegan diet. 

In today’s article, we’ll take a look at why iodine is important, what are some plant foods with iodine, and how to ensure that you’re meeting your vegan child or teen daily iodine needs.

The importance of iodine in vegan children and teens

Iodine is a key nutrient for growing children and teens, especially for those following a vegan diet. This is because iodine's primary role is to support a healthy thyroid gland. The thyroid gland, located by our esophagus, helps make thyroid hormones which helps regulate metabolism and supports bone and brain development. 

Perhaps you're wondering why iodine for vegans is so important. While everyone needs iodine, regardless of their dietary pattern, it's important for vegans because iodine is not abundant in plant based foods. 

The amount of iodine present in plant foods really depends on the soil and agricultural practices. And it's difficult to know how much iodine was present where a plant food was grown.

Iodine deficiency in vegan kids

A vegan diet can provide and meet the necessary nutrients for the growth and development of children and teenagers. However, nutritional and developmental risks continue to be discussed when kids and teens follow a vegan diet—especially when the diet of a growing child or teenager is not properly planned.

Many families who follow a vegan diet know the importance of supplementing with Vitamin B12 and studies show that Vitamin B12 is by far the most supplemented for those who follow a vegan diet. However, less is known or discussed about the importance of iodine. 

Iodine is a critical trace element for vegan kids and teens. Not meeting iodine needs can really impact the growth and development of growing kids, such as delayed physical development. Although vegans consume less iodine compared to non-vegans, studies have yet to clearly demonstrate iodine deficiency among them.

However, it’s still important to play close attention in meeting this key nutrient when feeding your vegan family as iodine is critical for the cognitive development of growing children and teens. Also, because we know from studies that vegans generally don’t consume adequate amounts, focus on increasing intakes so that daily iodine needs are met.

Plant foods with iodine

Iodine is considered an essential nutrient, meaning that the body cannot make it and must be consumed from our diet. 

However, plant-based foods are not good sources of iodine. Now, this doesn’t make a vegan or a plant-based diet inadequate, it just means that vegetables and other plant sources don’t provide the iodine our body needs.

Iodine present in food is largely dependent on the soil it was grown. And it's difficult to know exactly how much iodine was present where vegetables were grown in or how much was actually absorbed before harvest. 

Unlike plant foods, animal-based foods provide iodine to individual’s diets. Not because animals make iodine but because their feed (or food) is supplemented with iodine. 

Individuals who consume animal-based foods sometimes take the position that animal-based foods are superior to plant-based foods because animal-based foods provide all nutrients—such as iodine. However, they unfortunately don’t make the connection that the majority of the nutrients met through consuming animal-based foods is largely provided through supplementing the animal's diet.

The only sources of iodine on a vegan diet are: 

• Sea vegetables (i.e. seaweed)

• Iodized salt

Can seaweed or irish moss meet iodine requirements in vegan children?

Working with a vegan parent, I remember them asking: "Can I give my baby Irish sea moss to meet their iodine?"

I liked that this vegan parent wanted to make sure they meet their vegan baby's iodine needs but irish sea moss is not something I’m fond of for growing children. 

While sea vegetables like Irish sea moss do contain iodine, the iodine content is highly variable. Irish sea moss or other types of seaweed like kelp are generally not recommended for young children as a source for meeting iodine requirements.

Children can obtain too little or too much of iodine by consuming seaweed as content is impacted by species of seaweed (green, red, or brown algae), stage of growth, and the geographical area of where it was grown.

If your child regularly eats iodine-rich seaweed, such as kelp or irish sea moss, they have the potential to exceed their iodine needs. For this reason, relying on Irish sea moss or other types of seaweed for meeting iodine requirements in vegan children isn't recommended.

Seaweed can still be part of your vegan family’s diet. For example, my family has veggie rolls made with nori from time to time (perhaps once or twice a month) but seaweed isn’t something we heavily rely on as it can potentially exceed our needs for the day.

Meeting iodine requirements for vegan children and teens

One of the most practical and reliable ways to meet iodine requirements in vegan toddlers, children and teens is with iodized salt. Using iodized salt in cooking is the optimum method for vegan kids to meet their daily iodine needs. 

The use of iodized salt in processed foods like bread is something I wish many countries would adopt. Australia and New Zealand have made it mandatory for iodized salt to be used in manufacturing companies that make bread and have shown to improve iodine status in individuals who live there. Germany currently makes it voluntarily available for manufacturers. And while that is a bonus to have, product labeling may be insufficient.

In the USA, manufacturers don’t really label if their products are made with iodized salt. And regular table salt, himalayan salt, pink salt, kosher salt, or other condiments like soy sauce do not provide iodine. 

So, the best way to meet iodine for vegan kids and teens is by using iodized salt. 

For younger children and babies, the most reliable way to meet iodine needs is through a supplement—until they are of age to consume added salt in their food, which is typically around 2 years of age. 

Your vegan baby can receive iodine drops or through a multivitamin. And the Supplement Guide for Vegan Kids can help you know exactly how much iodine to give, plus brand recommendations. 

If your baby is exclusively breastfed, be sure to get adequate iodine yourself to ensure your baby is meeting their iodine needs. If your vegan baby takes infant formula or a combination of both breastmilk and formula, they may not need iodine until they are weaned.

References

1. Schürmann, S., Kersting, M., & Alexy, U. (2017). Vegetarian diets in children: A systematic review. European Journal of Nutrition, 56(5), 1797–1817. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-017-1416-0

2. Smyth PPA. (2021). Iodine, Seaweed, and the Thyroid. Eur Thyroid J, 10(2):101-108. doi: 10.1159/000512971

3. Weder, S., Keller, M., Fischer, M. et al. (2022). Intake of micronutrients and fatty acids of vegetarian, vegan, and omnivorous children (1–3 years) in Germany (VeChi Diet Study). Eur J Nutr 61, 1507–1520 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-021-02753-3

4. Weikert C, Trefflich I, Menzel J, Obeid R, Longree A, Dierkes J, Meyer K, Herter-Aeberli I, Mai K, Stangl GI, Müller SM, Schwerdtle T, Lampen A, Abraham K. (2020) Vitamin and Mineral Status in a Vegan Diet. Dtsch Arztebl Int, 117(35-36):575-582. doi: 10.3238/arztebl.2020.0575