FitSugar

Are You Getting Enough Iron?

FitSugar — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 12:00:00 PDT

Have you been feeling sleepy, run down, dizzy, or low in energy? Are you feeling short of breath or having a hard time focusing at work? Have you noticed that your skin is pale, or you often have headaches? It may have something to do with how much iron you're getting in your diet. An adult woman should get 18 mg of iron a day and if you're not reaching this goal, you may have iron deficiency anemia. Our bodies need iron to make hemoglobin, a substance in red blood cells that enables them to carry oxygen. If your cells aren't getting oxygen, then you'll experience the symptoms I mentioned above. You may also notice brittle nails and cold hands.

You may be at risk for low levels of iron if you tend to have heavy periods, are pregnant or just had a baby, if you are a long-distance runner, are a strict vegan, if you frequently donate blood, or if you have a gastrointestinal condition that makes it hard for you to absorb nutrients from your food. Meat, fortified cereals, dried beans, spinach, and potatoes with the skin are great sources of iron. To find how much iron they contain and see what other foods contain iron

Are You at Risk For Iron Deficiency?

FitSugar — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 12:00:12 PST

When I was a vegetarian in college, aside from not getting enough protein, my mother was always worried that I wasn't getting enough iron. While being vegetarian doesn't automatically mean you have an iron deficiency (also referred to as anemia), it definitely puts a person at risk. Women in general are also more at risk for iron deficiency because they tend to diet more than men, and may not get enough iron from the foods they eat. Women also lose blood every month (if they're not on birth control that stops their period), and heavy periods are especially a risk factor. Pregnancy and breastfeeding can also lead to iron deficiency.

For women over 18, the RDI of iron is 18 milligrams, and eating a diet rich in iron is one way to prevent anemia. The best food sources are red meat, seafood such as salmon, oysters, and tuna, chicken, egg yolks, oats, beans, soy products, leafy greens, dried fruit, and cereals fortified with iron.

How will you know if you're not getting enough iron? Oh you'll know. Symptoms include extreme fatigue, pale complexion, weakness, shortness of breath, headaches, dizziness, cold hands and feet, irritability, sore tongue, brittle nails, and a weird craving for non-foods such as dirt or ice. If you're experiencing these symptoms, talk to your doctor. They'll help figure out what's causing your deficiency, and be able to recommend ways to get your iron levels back up to par.

Have any of you every suffered from an iron deficiency?

What Does Your RDI Look Like: Iron

FitSugar — Thu, 20 May 2010 07:37:27 PDT

Back in my vegetarian phase during college, my mom always said, "If you don't eat beef, you won't get enough iron." While it is a great source of this valuable mineral, red meat is not the only meat that contains iron. Chicken, turkey, and seafood such as oysters, tuna, and salmon are also high in iron. When it comes to vegetarian sources, beans, leafy greens, nuts, egg yolks, potatoes with the skin, and dried fruits can help you reach your recommended daily intake (RDI). The human body needs iron to make hemoglobin, which helps carry oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body, and an adult woman should get 18 milligrams of iron daily. Check out the chart below to make sure you're meeting the RDI of iron.

Food	Amount	Amount of Iron (mg)
Fortified cereal	1 oz	4.5-7
Dried apricot	1/4 cup	1.5
Raisins	1/4 cup	1.1
Molasses	1 tbsp	3.3
Garbanzo beans	1/2 cup, cooked	3.4
Pinto beans	1/2 cup	2.2

To see what other foods contain iron and signs of iron deficiency,

Food	Amount	Amount of Iron (mg)
Lima beans	1/2 cup	2.2
Lentils	1/2 cup	3.2
Soybeans	1/2 cup	7
Tofu	1/2 cup	6.2
Sun-dried tomatoes	1/2 cup	9
Spinach	1/2 cup, raw	2.7
Kale	1/2 cup, steamed	2
Broccoli	1/2 cup, raw	1
Asparagus	1/2 cup, steamed	1
Potatoes, with the skin	1/2 cup	3.2
Pine nuts	1/2 cup	9
Peanuts	1/2 cup	3.9
Pumpkin seeds	1/2 cup	14
Sunflower seeds	1/2 cup	6.7
Flaxseed	1/2 cup	6.2
Ground beef	1 patty	4
Steak	3 oz	4
Turkey (dark meat)	3 oz	4
Oysters	3 oz, steamed	7.4
Trout	3 oz	4
Shrimp	3 oz	4

If after reading this list you're worried that you're not getting enough iron, here are the symptoms of anemia: feeling unusually tired, pale skin, shortness of breath during exercise, cold hands and feet, brittle nails, hair loss, and headaches. Another sign of low iron levels is red-tinged pee after eating beets, which in some cases is a sign of iron deficiency. If you're concerned, all it takes is a simple blood test to confirm your iron levels. If you are diagnosed with anemia, try to eat more foods high in iron, pairing them with foods high in vitamin C, which helps your body absorb the mineral. Taking iron supplements can also help, but they may cause an upset stomach, heartburn, or constipation. Although it's rare, you can also get too much iron. Extra amounts of iron in the body eventually build up to dangerous levels and can cause severe damage to organs trying to store the extra iron. So be careful not to regularly exceed your daily requirement.

Food	Amount	Amount of Iron (in mg)
Fortified cereal	1 oz	4.5 - 7
Dried apricot	1/4 cup	1.5
Raisins	1/4 cup	1.1
Molasses	1 tbsp	3.3
Garbanzo beans	1/2 cup, cooked	3.4
Pinto beans	1/2 cup	2.2
Lima beans	1/2 cup	2.2
Lentils	1/2 cup	3.2
Soybeans	1/2 cup	7
Tofu	1/2 cup	6.2
Sun-dried tomatoes	1/2 cup	9
Spinach	1/2 cup, raw	2.7
Kale	1/2 cup, steamed	2
Broccoli	1/2 cup, raw	1
Asparagus	1/2 cup, steamed	1
Potatoes, with the skin	1/2 cup	3.2
Pine nuts	1/2 cup	9
Peanuts	1/2 cup	3.9
Pumpkin seeds	1/2 cup	14
Sunflower seeds	1/2 cup	6.7
Flaxseed	1/2 cup	6.2
Ground beef	1 patty	4
Steak	3 oz	4
Turkey (dark meat)	3 oz	4
Oysters	3 oz, steamed	7.4
Trout	3 oz	4
Shrimp	3 oz	4
Egg	1 large	.7