Cod

Food · Protein · Food, Typed Supps

A lean white fish giving a lot of protein for very little fat.

Stage by stage

Intake (Chewing): Chewing breaks down its flaky, lean protein structure.
Stomach (Protein digestion begins): Stomach enzymes begin digesting its protein.
Small intestine (Amino acids & iodine absorbed): Amino acids and iodine are absorbed in the small intestine.
Muscle & thyroid tissue (Protein synthesis & thyroid support): Absorbed protein supports tissue repair; iodine supports thyroid hormone production.

Timing

Cooks quickly at high heat; overcooking is the main risk since it has almost no fat to keep it moist.

Time to effect

Hours: Protein digestion and amino acid absorption begins within a few hours of eating.

Allergens

Contains: Fish. Derived from what this food is, not from a product label.

Eating patterns

Fits: Pescatarian, Kosher, Keto, Gluten-free. Depends on the product: Halal, Low-FODMAP.

Satiety

225 on the satiety index, where white bread is 100 — very high. Measured by Holt et al. (1995).

Environmental footprint

13.6 kg CO2e and 3691 litres of freshwater per kg, matched to "Fish (farmed)" in Poore & Nemecek (2018), Science 360.

Cost band

Mid — roughly £11 per kg, as a band midpoint rather than a price.

Key nutrients

Lean protein
Iodine
Vitamin B12
Phosphorus

Nutrition per 100g

Calories: 94.6
Protein: 20.1g
Carbohydrate: 0g
of which sugars: 0g
Fat: 1.5g
of which saturated: 0.4g
Fibre: 0g
Sodium: 548mg

Food vs. supplement

Cod is one of the few whole foods that provides meaningful iodine without added iodized salt — a nutrient most supplements skip entirely since deficiency is now less common in fortified-salt countries.

Kitchen tip

Pat it fully dry before searing — its high water content means a wet fillet will steam instead of browning in the pan.

Common myth

White fish has basically no nutritional value compared to salmon. In reality: It lacks salmon’s omega-3 content, but still delivers a very lean, complete protein along with iodine and B12 that salmon does not concentrate as heavily.