Iodine

With more people buying dairy-free products, there is a risk of missing out on a crucial mineral: iodine.

Milk and dairy products are a major source of this mineral, whereas plant-based substitutes such as soya, almond, coconut, oat, rice and hazelnut milks contain much less.

Iodine is:

• needed to make thyroid hormones, which help keep cells and our metabolic rate healthy
• important during pregnancy as it is essential for normal foetal brain development
• low levels can lead to a lower metabolic rate and weight gain
• in pregnant women is linked to their children (up to nine years of age) having lower IQs.

If you can't have - or don't want - dairy milk, you can get iodine from white fish or a multivitamin with the daily requirement of 150 micrograms.

Source: Health tip in Good Housekeeping, June 2018.