Eating iron fortified cereals at snack times
Iron – The Basics
“Wholemeal bread, brown bread, white bread, wheat-germ and fortified breakfast cereals all provide iron”, says dietitan Tony,
“There is mandatory fortification of white and brown flour in the UK; and many breakfast cereals are fortified with iron on a voluntary basis”.
“People who eat fortified breakfast cereals tend to have higher iron intakes than those who skip breakfast".
Iron and the Nutrition Card®
3 tablespoons of cereal is 1 Nutrition Card® portion from the Cereals & starch food group.
1 slice of bread is 1Nutrition Card® portion from the Cereals & starch food group.
Iron Myths and Misconceptions
- “Breakfast cereals are high in sugar and salt and are bad for me”. This is not true. Cereals vary in the amount of sugar and salt they contain and some have nothing added at all. Look at the labels and choose those that are not coated in sugar or honey.
- “Bread is fattening”. Bread itself is low in calories but what you spread may not be – spread margarine or butter thinly and add jam, marmalade or peanut butter etc in moderation.
Iron - Tips and Tricks
- When shopping buy several different loaves and freeze them so that you can choose which type of bread you want to eat. If you buy sliced loaves, you can take out a couple of slices and toast them straight from frozen whenever you need them.
- Buy two or three boxes of different iron fortified breakfast cereal so that you can ring the changes and not get bored.
- Drink juice with your iron fortified breakfast cereal or bread to help enhance the absorption of iron.
- For a change, chop up some kiwi, strawberries or blueberries on your bowl of iron fortified breakfast cereal – the vitamin C in the fruit will help your body to absorb more of the iron, and the fruit will count towards your 5 a day target for fruit and vegetables.
- You can eat iron fortified breakfast cereal anytime of the day.
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