Well I don’t know if you have ever suffered from Iron deficiency, but I certainly have! I had been suffering from it for years, but didn’t actually realise. I just powered on through.
Well now I actually recognise when I am becoming anaemic or low on iron, with peeling nails, much harder to train, as there is less oxygen moving around the body and some people suffer from tiredness, lethargy and headaches. It can become quite serious if not treated, and if you do become anaemic, you will need to get extra help with some big iron tablets, to give you a boost!
When you do, you need to make sure you have lots of Vitamin C, which is the only way the Iron breaks down in your body. Without this, it will just flush out of your system. Your body only absorbs a small amount of what you intake anyway, so it is pretty hard to boost, when you have low Iron.
A female needs about 14mg of iron a day and a male needs about 9mg. If you are a Vegan or Vegetarian, you need double the amount, as Iron that is broken down from vegetables (Non Heme) is less easily absorbed, than that in meat (Heme).
There are a variety of foods that contain higher Iron contents, such as Tofu, lentils and beans, nuts, seeds, vegetables and leafy greens, potatoes, mushrooms and some fruits (ie prune juice!)
Here are some examples of a portion of the vegetable and the iron quantities:
- Asparagus 2MG per 100g
- 2 Eggs 2MG
- Chickpeas 5MG cup
- pumpkin seeds 2 MG 1/4 cup
- Black beans 4mg cup
- cooked lentils 6mg cup
- cooked Spinach 6mg cup
- Sesame seeds 20mg cup so 1 tablespoon is 1mg
So you will recognise it is quite hard to get your daily amount, so you must eat a varied diet. Some cereals and also vegan cheese have Iron and B Vitamin added.
Some other favourites include: kidney beans, peas, fish, kale, porridge, nuts, wine and dark chocolate!! Only one glass is recommended though!!
Button Bakes & Creates 