Iron is a vital nutrient
that transports oxygen throughout the body. Its deficiency can cause
weakness, fatigue and of course anaemia. Women need to
pay attention to their iron consumption more than men because they lose blood
each month during menstruation. The recommended iron
intake for women from 19 to 50 years of age is 18 mg while for men the same age
is just 8 mg.
Signs of Iron Deficiency
Lack of iron can cause anaemia, which is a silent condition. However, you can watch out for these signs and symptoms.
If you experience any of
these signs and symptoms, see your doctor who can detect and diagnose the different
stages of iron deficiency with a simple blood test. If you’re
pregnant or have a gastrointestinal disorder such as Crohn’s, ulcerative
colitis, or celiac disease, your doctor may recommend regular blood
tests for iron deficiency.
Increase Your Iron-Intake through Diet
To increase your iron consumption, the most logical way is
to eat iron-rich foods. Here are few ways in which you can increase your iron
intake through food:
1. Include red meat in your diet. Organ meat in particular, such as liver, is known to be high in iron
content. However don’t go overboard as too much red meat can increase the risk
of colorectal cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
2. Add beans or lentils to soups, stews or casseroles to
each meal. In fact, the
traditional way of having a lentil broth or bean broth with white or brown rice
helps increase iron absorption.
3. Choose iron-enriched breakfast cereals and flour. Always check the nutritional value on food labels of
packaged foods and choose the variants that are high in iron.
4. Consume dark green vegetables and citrus fruits more
often. In fact, the greener the
vegetable the more iron you get out of it. Citrus fruits that are rich in Vitamin C help in better iron absorption from foods.
So pair your foods well, replace lettuce with spinach for your salad. Have
tomato sauce instead of cream sauce for your pasta.
5. Snack on dried fruits. Add raisins or other dried fruit to your cereal or in your
favourite home-made cookie and muffin.
6. Replace tea and coffee with orange juice at
breakfast. According to a study tea
and coffee lower the absorption of non-heme iron.
7. Pair iron-rich foods with those abundant in vitamin C. Think of citrus fruits like oranges and other
tropical fruits like mangoes and guavas, and vegetables like pepper, broccoli, and sweet potatoes. For interesting
combinations, add strawberries to your cereal and have
lentil soup with a tomato salad.
8. Include iron-fortified products. While purchasing your grocery, do check food labels
for their iron content. The easiest way is to add iron to your meal is to
include an iron fortified salt like Tata Salt
Plus which has two micronutrients – Iron as well as Iodine and takes care of
50% Daily Iron Requirement of the human body.
9. Avoid taking calcium and iron supplements together. If you are taking iron supplements, do not take
the calcium supplements at the same time because it lowers
absorption of iron. Dairy products, coffee, tea, egg proteins and foods high in minerals like zinc and phosphorous can hamper the same.
10. Take iron supplements if needed. Supplements are especially needed by pregnant women and
are usually prescribed along with other prenatal vitamins. If the iron
levels in your body are substantially low, eating an iron-rich diet alone may
not be enough to provide what you need.
Introducing Ionic Iron
Most people respond well to taking iron supplements, and
the fastest way in which these can be absorbed is in the ionic form.
