Chinese-Western Fusion Cuisine: Exploring the Sources and Supplementation Strategies of Iodine in Vegan Diets
Keywords:
vegan diet, Chinese-Western fusion cuisine, iodine intake, thyroid health, nutritional supplementation strategies, seaweed ingredients, innovative vegan food, public health, food diversity, functional cookingAbstract
With the increase of global health awareness, more and more people are choosing vegan diets, but this diet may lead to insufficient intake of certain nutrients, especially iodine. Iodine is an essential trace element for maintaining thyroid health, and its deficiency may cause a series of health problems. This study aims to explore how to provide iodine-rich vegan options through Chinese-Western fusion cuisine to help vegans reach the recommended iodine intake. Through a literature review, this paper analyzes the role of iodine in human health, the iodine intake challenges faced by vegans, and the sources of iodine in traditional and innovative vegan dishes. Further, the study focuses on the combination of Asian and Western ingredients, exploring how to enhance the nutritional value and appeal of dishes through Chinese-Western fusion cooking techniques and ingredient selection. This study verifies the iodine supplementation strategy by developing and analyzing several Chinese-Western fusion vegan recipes. These recipes are not only rich in iodine but also verified to meet the daily recommended intake through nutritional analysis. Through consumer surveys, this fusion cuisine also showed high acceptance, indicating that they can be used as an effective way to increase iodine intake. The results of the study emphasize that the problem of insufficient iodine intake for vegans can be effectively addressed through innovative Chinese-Western fusion cuisine. This not only provides a new perspective on the nutritional potential of foods but also provides useful insights into dietary diversity and global health. Finally, this paper recommends considering the potential of this fusion diet in future dietary policies and public health strategies, and exploring the possibility of its promotion worldwide.
References
1. Q. Zhou, S. Xue, L. Zhang, and G. Chen, "Trace elements and the thyroid," Front. Endocrinol., vol. 13, p. 904889, 2022, doi: 10.3389/fendo.2022.904889.
2. A.J. Hulbert, "Thyroid hormones and their effects: a new perspective," Biol. Rev., vol. 75, no. 4, pp. 519-631, 2001, doi: 10.1017/S146479310000556X.
3. E.R. Eveleigh, L.J. Coneyworth, A. Avery, and S.J. Welham, "Vegans, vegans, and omnivores: how does dietary choice in-fluence iodine intake? A systematic review," Nutrients, vol. 12, no. 6, p. 1606, 2020, doi: 10.3390/nu12061606.
4. H.J. Lightowler, G.J. Davies, and M.D. Trevan, "Iodine in the diet: perspectives for vegans," J. R. Soc. Health, vol. 116, no. 1, pp. 14-20, 1996, doi; 10.1177/146642409611600104.
5. M.B. Zimmermann and K. Boelaert, "Iodine deficiency and thyroid disorders," Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol., vol. 3, no. 4, pp. 286-295, 2015, doi: 10.1016/S2213-8587(14)70225-6.
6. K. Menon and S. Skeaff, "Iodine: iodine deficiency disorders (IDD)," Reference Module Food Sci., Encyclopedia of Food and Health, pp. 437-443, 2016, doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-384947-2.00399-8.
7. L. Jing and Q. Zhang, "Intrathyroidal feedforward and feedback network regulating thyroid hormone synthesis and secre-tion," Front. Endocrinol., vol. 13, p. 992883, 2022, doi: 10.3389/fendo.2022.992883.
8. E.A. Al-Suhaimi and F.A. Khan, "Thyroid glands: Physiology and structure," in Emerging Concepts Endocrine Struct. Func., Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore, pp. 133-160, 2022, doi: 10.1007/978-981-16-9016-7_5.
9. N. Dev, J. Sankar, and M.V. Vinay, "Functions of thyroid hormones," in Thyroid Disorders: Basic Sci. Clin. Pract., 2016, pp. 11-25, doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-25871-3_2.
10. J.E. Silva, "Thyroid hormone control of thermogenesis and energy balance," Thyroid, vol. 5, no. 6, pp. 481-492, 1995, doi: 10.1089/thy.1995.5.481.
11. S.F.A. Fuzi and S.P. Loh, "Iodine: A Critical Micronutrient in Brain Development," in Role Micronutrients Brain Health, Sin-gapore: Springer Singapore, 2022, pp. 49-67, doi: 10.1007/978-981-16-6467-0_4.
12. F. Delange, "The disorders induced by iodine deficiency," Thyroid, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 107-128, 1994, doi: 10.1089/thy.1994.4.107.
13. P.P. Smyth, "Iodine, seaweed, and the thyroid," Eur. Thyroid J., vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 101-108, 2021, doi: 10.1159/000512971.
14. W.E. Brenchley, "The effect of iodine on soils and plants," Ann. Appl. Biol., vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 86-111, 1924, doi: 10.1111/j.1744-7348.1924.tb05695.x.
15. I.A. Ross, "Brassica Vegetables and Hypothyroidism," in Plant-Based Therapeutics, vol. 2, The Brassicaceae Family, Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland, 2024, pp. 637-672, doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-63681-3_13.
16. E.R. Eveleigh, L.J. Coneyworth, A. Avery, and S.J. Welham, "Vegans, vegans, and omnivores: how does dietary choice in-fluence iodine intake? A systematic review," Nutrients, vol. 12, no. 6, p. 1606, 2020, doi: 10.3390/nu12061606.
17. M. Andersson, B. de Benoist, and L. Rogers, "Epidemiology of iodine deficiency: salt iodisation and iodine status," Best Pract. Res. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., vol. 24, no. 1, pp. 1-11, 2010, doi: 10.1016/j.beem.2009.08.005.
18. P. Dobosy, A. Endrédi, S. Sandil, V. Vetési, M. Rékási, T. Takács, and G. Záray, "Biofortification of potato and carrot with iodine by applying different soils and irrigation with iodine-containing water," Front. Plant Sci., vol. 11, p. 593047, 2020, doi: 10.3389/fpls.2020.593047.
19. W.J. Craig, V. Messina, I. Rowland, A. Frankowska, J. Bradbury, S. Smetana, and E. Medici, "Plant-based dairy alternatives contribute to a healthy and sustainable diet," Nutrients, vol. 15, no. 15, p. 3393, 2023, doi: 10.3390/nu15153393.
20. M.J. Blikra, I. Aakre, and J. Rigutto-Farebrother, "Consequences of acute and long-term excessive iodine intake: A literature review focusing on seaweed as a potential dietary iodine source," Compreh. Rev. Food Sci. Food Safety, vol. 23, no. 6, p. e70037, 2024, doi: 10.1111/1541-4337.70037.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Donghui Li (Author)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.