When you think about the essential vitamins and minerals you need during pregnancy and while breastfeeding, iodine is not one that usually comes to mind. Yet experts say that a small amount of iodine (about 0.2 milligrams a day) is essential for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, as it plays an important role in the neurological development of the baby.

“Iodine helps make thyroid hormone, which regulates body growth and energy use,” says Ari Brown, M.D., a pediatrician in Austin, Texas, and co-author of Expecting 411, Baby 411, and Toddler 411. “And in pregnancy, iodine deficiency can lead to subtle neurological problems and to intellectual disability, such as mental retardations.”

In Australia, health officials have voiced concerns about iodine deficiency. According to the Australian Thyroid Foundation, more than 50 percent of Australian women and children are iodine deficient.

Unlike Australia, Dr. Brown does not see that same concern here in the United States. One of the main reasons that iodine deficiency is not (yet) an issue in the States is because we consume a lot of salty foods—actually too much.

Make no mistake—the overabundance of salt in American diets is a real concern, and it can lead to an increased risk of stroke and other forms of heart disease, as well as kidney failure. But as long as a small portion of that salt is iodized table salt, it offers American women the adequate iodine that they need to prevent iodine deficiency. In fact, even if women restrict their sodium intake to the levels recommended by health experts, they would still get enough iodine from iodized table salt.

If you’re concerned about your iodine intake and how it relates to the health of your unborn or breastfeeding baby, here are some steps you can take:

• Limit your salt. Just because you need salt to get iodine doesn’t mean that you need a lot of it. “It doesn’t take very much table salt to meet the daily requirement of iodine,” says Dr. Brown. Even if you stick to a low-sodium diet as recommended by health experts, you’ll likely still get your needed iodine intake.

• Avoid kosher salt or sea salt. “Kosher salt and sea salt are not iodized,” says Dr. Brown. “So if you only use these salts and no table salt, that’s about the only way you might be deficient.”

• Eat seafood. Seafood also helps you get an adequate intake of iodine. The current recommendation for consumption of fish during pregnancy is a maximum of 12 ounces per week. Some experts are claiming these recommendations are out of date and no longer consistent with current science and that pregnant woman should be eating more fish than previously recommended. Still, if you’re worried about mercury, the Food & Drug Administration and Environmental Protection Agency recommend you choose shrimp, salmon, pollock, and catfish; avoid large predatory fish like swordfish, shark, tilefish, and king mackerel; avoid raw fish, oysters, and clams; and always cook seafood thoroughly.

Of course, always talk to your doctor if you’re concerned about your iodine intake. Most women get plenty in their diets, but if you eat an extremely low-sodium diet, you might want to ask if a supplement could be right for you—and your baby.