Be aware that iodized salt rapidly loses iodine, which sublimes at room temperature. You might do well to supplement with a kelp- or seaweed-based product. Iodine tablets are extremely cheap.

http://chem-eng.utoronto.ca/~diosady/sltstblty.html

There are people with receptor and other problems of the thyroid that have NORMAL TSH but borderline or abnormal one or more of the following tests so you must have these checked:

Total T4 (TT4) AND Free T4 (FT4)

Resin T3 Uptake (T3U/T7/T3RU) AND Free T3 (FT3)

Reverse T3 (rT3)

Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (TPOAb) AND Thryoglobulin Antibodies (TGB Ab)

Thyroid-Stimulating Immunoglobins (TSI) AND TSH stimulating Antibodies (TSAb)

If you have negative to all the thyroid antibodies hen I would supplement with iodine and selenium. You can do 150 mcg (micrograms) of selenium daily but iodine slowly increase. For example week 1 take daily 150 mcg (micrograms) of kelp (iodine), week 2 take 300 mcg daily, week 3 take daily 450 mcg, week 4 take daily 600 mcg. Most people without any antibodies to thyroid function (no sign of Hashimoto's autoimmune thyroid) will do well with 600 mcg to 1 gram (1000 micrograms) of kelp a day.

You should work with a functional/holistic practitioner who supports Paleo and can track and order the bloodwork/hormone panels. Do not try to do this yourself. You need help, but understand the science behind it.

Also read 2 books: Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? When My Lab Tests Are Normal: A Revolutionary Breakthrough In Understanding Hashimoto's Disease and Hypothyroidism by Dr. Datis Kharrazian, DHSc, DC, MS, MNeuroSci, FAACP, DACBN, DABCN, DIBAK, CNS - chiropractic doctor

AND

Iodine: Why you need it, Why you can't live without it by Dr. David Brownstein, MD Chris Kresser, a licensed acupuncturist, (also Paleo) has written a lot on thyroid/iodine, among many other topics on blogposts. He works with clients in his office and through Skype/phone.

I have to believe iodine and selenium is fairly important especially if consuming goitrogens and fermented vegetables. My husband and I were consuming about 1-2 pounds of COOKED goitrogenic vegetables per day with no supplemental iodine or selenium. We were using sea salt which doesn't have much iodine. We started to develop symptoms like fatigue, feeling cold, cold hands etc. These symptoms happened in both low carb and higher carb contexts, although higher carbohydrate may mask thyroid symptoms - this was mentioned multiple times at Paleo FX in Austin.

Within days of slow adding kelp supplementation (building from 150 mcg to currently 600 mcg over a month) and 150-200 mcg of selenium daily we notice a big difference in energy and not feeling cold. We have also limited our goitrogens by eliminating fermented vegetables since we do fine with raw dairy for probiotics.

We thought cooking and eating lots of saturated fat would take care of the goitrogens, but apparently that wasn't enough for us. So I compiled this list to help those trying to limit goitrogens or have had a similar experience.

Non-Goitrogenic Produce Avocado - improves thyroid function

Banana, Plaintain

Berries (except strawberries), Cherries, Citrus (lemon, lime, grapefruit, orange, etc.), Melons

Apricots, Dragonfruit, Starfruit, Grapes, Guava, Kiwi, Lychee, Mango, Apple, Pineapple, Pomegranate

Nightshades - Peppers (sweet/bell and hot), Eggplant, Tomatoes, Potatoes

Squashes - Cabeza, Zuccinni, Yellow, Butternut, Pumpkin, Bittermelon (Corolla) technically fruit

Peas, Green Beans, Carrots

Okra

Asparagas, Artichoke

Lettuce, Celery, Cucumber

Herbs - Oregano, Basil, Thyme, Parsley, Cilantro, Parsley

Mushrooms

Onions, Leeks, garlic, shallots, chives

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goitrogen Goitrogens are substances that suppress the thyroid gland by interfering with iodine uptake, which can, as a result, cause an enlargement of the thyroid, i.e., a goitre.

Fermented Vegetables in brine (salt water) NOT vinegar have high Goitrogens since the bacteria convert more to that form as in Sauerkraut, Kimchi, Pickle, etc. Certain raw foods (cooking inactivates some of the goitrogens, except in the cases of soy and millet) have been identified as goitrogenic. These goitrogenic foods include: Cassava (Tapioca), Sweet Potatoes, Rutabagas, Radishes (inc. Daikon), Turnips

Soybeans (and soybean products such as tofu, soybean oil, soy flour, soy lecithin) (High)

Pine nuts, Peanuts, Flaxseeds, Lima Beans

Millet (High)

Strawberries, Pears, Peaches (low)

Bamboo shoots

Spinach

Vegetables in the genus Brassica (cruciferous)

Bok choy, Choy sum, Mizuna Tatsoi,

Broccoli, Broccolini, Broccoflower, Kai-lan (Chinese broccoli), Rapini, Cauliflower

Brussels sprouts, Cabbage, Chinese cabbage

Canola (Rapeseed), Yu Choy,

Collard greens, Mustard Greens, Kale

Horseradish

Kohlrabi

Mustard (low)

Despite being generally a stimulant, caffeine (examples: coffee, tea, cola, chocolate) acts on thyroid function as a suppressant. Indeed some studies on rats suggest that excess caffeine in conjunction with a lack of iodine may promote the formation of thyroid cancers.

Masterjohn recommends no more then 5 servings of goitrogens/week and Kresser no more then 3-6 servings/week for anyone with thyroid issues. Paul Jaminet, Chris Masterjohn, and Chris Kresser have written well on this.

http://www.westonaprice.org/basics/bearers-of-the-cross Fermentation makes soy goitrogens worse! http://blog.cholesterol-and-health.com/2010/10/fermentation-does-not-neutrailize.html

I take a kelp supplement (225 mcg iodine) because I use sea salt.

I have no idea if it's beneficial or even necessary, but it makes me feel better.

i sprinkle kelp granules on everything instead of salt, since i know i won't eat it any other way regularly and i feel way better doing that. i've also heard kelp aids in not absorbing heavy metals and certain other compounds you don't want in your system so that's a plus too (if it's true - either way i've noticed an energy difference). =] i order from maine coast sea vegetables.

I switched to sea salt but have made a conscious effort to eat seaweed regularly as well as fish. The iodine is very important. If you're eating a lot of veggies you're probably eating a lot of goitrogens which can interfere with thyroid function, one of the reasons iodine (which balances this) is very important. You must use iodized salt or get plenty of sea veggies and seafood.

I love Eden Shake. It tastes good and has several sea vegetables hiding in it.

Whenever I introduce iodized salt into my body I get heart palpitations, night sweats and a thumping head, so I stay away from that stuff.

Iodine is really important. If you are not eating processed foods that contain a lot of salt (which I am sure you are not), it is important to put a little iodized salt in your food every day. You don't need much to be healthy

Yes, I have issues with dehydration so switching back to iodized salt was/is beneficial to me. I still use sea salt but regular salt is needed in my diet the majority of time.

I also have low BP as well.

Kelp and other natural food additives are a good way to go instead of taking a tablet purely for the sake of adding in one element.

I recommend Dulse flakes:

150mcg is all you need a day. Actually thats more than what you need in likely (The average required amount is 100mcgs. They add 20% to cover all people - safety margin, and then add another 20% to account for giotergens)

Meats have 10-30mcg per 100 grams (chicken being about 28). Eggs have 26mcg+ EACH EGG. Cheese has about 90mcg per 100 grams. All dairy is pretty high. Veges are the same as meats at about 10-30mcgs. Like eggs, coconuts and cranberries are extra-ordinarily high.

If you find for some reason your "too low in iodine" eating a whole foods diet, it seems likely to me, that either

a) your diet isnt broad enough to included above foods like eggs, coconuts, cranberries or dairy/cheese. In fact eating lots of veg and meats, you only really need a moderate occasional amount of some higher iodine food, like seafood, cheese, dairy, cranberries, a couple of eggs, coconut flesh etc.

b) your borderline hypothyroid. If you find you need way more than 150mcg a day, thats probably the case. And you might want to do something more clever about it, that mess with your thyroids function, which can depress it, or overstimulate it. (Like, up your carbs a little, or see a doctor)

Iodised salt has 400 mcg per teaspoon. Thats about three times your daily requirement, excluding any foods you eat.

Seaweed can have thousands of micrograms.

If your really want to up your iodine, IMO: try a five egg breakfast, coconut butter, or some cranberry juice. With the iodine present in basically everything (ie your other meals), that will easily push you over the probably overly high for most people rda.

"Whenever I introduce iodized salt into my body I get heart palpitations, night sweats and a thumping head, so I stay away from that stuff."

Thats what I got. I went majorly hyperthyroid by eating too much iodine. My heartrate was high, with heat aversion and a whole bag load of horrible anxiety (well a better word is complete dread). Clearly, to me, iodised salt is a terrible idea. Theres plenty of iodine is whole land based foods, and either way, suddenly upping your iodine intake ie messing your incredibly sensitive thyroid, is most likely a terrible move.

I take 1 drop of this, daily: http://www.amazon.com/J-CROWS%C2%AE-Lugols-Solution-Iodine-2%25/dp/B001AEFM9Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347226662&sr=8-1&keywords=lugol%27s+2%25