Iron – The Basics
“Iron is a mineral that is widely available in food and is only needed in small amounts”, explains dietitian Tony Hirving.
“Dietary sources rich in iron include liver, meat, beans, nuts, dried fruit, poultry, fish, wholegrains, fortified cereals, soybean flour and most dark green leafy vegetables”.
“It’s an essential part of haemoglobin, the red pigment in our blood that allows it to carry oxygen around the body”, Tony adds, “Iron in red blood cells also helps to take away carbon dioxide, which is a by-product of energy production. Red blood cells have a lifespan of about 4 months and after that some of their iron gets recycled”.
“You should be able to get all the iron you need from your daily diet – this is 8.7 mg a day for men and 14.8 mg a day for women”.
Iron Deficiency
“Iron deficiency (anaemia) is a common nutrition deficiency around the world. It is one of the leading mineral deficiencies in the UK”. “Iron deficiency generally develops slowly and may not be clinically apparent until iron stores are exhausted”, says Tony.
“Those that are vulnerable to iron deficiency include Infants over 6 months, toddlers, adolescents and pregnant women, older people and menstruating women. Symptoms of iron deficiency anaemia include fatigue, weakness and poor health which all interfere with a person’s ability to perform at full potential”.
“However, getting enough, or more, iron into your diet is not difficult, even if you’re a vegan or vegetarian, without having to take supplements, though in some cases this may be a solution”.
We all like to be healthy and to be sure that we're doing the best we can for ourselves, and our families, health.
Join GetFit Nutrition and start leading a healthy life today. No joining fee and we're confident that you’ll find healthy ways to lose weight when you join, but for peace of mind, we'll refund your money within 7 days if for any reason you don't! Click here to join today...