The Skinny on Iron

For a while I had been living in what I could describe as a fog. I found myself rather sleepy, always with a headache, and feeling weak. This continued for a while until one day I realized that how I had been feeling was by no means normal. After a visit to my doctor, I found that I was suffering from anemia. The cure? Get more iron.

What Role does Iron Play?

Iron helps form and create hemoglobin, an important part of our red blood cells that helps transport oxygen throughout our body. It is important for our red blood cells to be working efficiently so that oxygen is properly transported, carbon dioxide is removed, and so nutrients are delivered to other parts of our body. Not having enough iron in our bodies means that there are fewer red blood cells, which results in our bodies not performing at optimal levels.

Symptoms of a Lack of Iron

Not having enough iron enter into our bodies on a regular basis definitely will cause feelings of sleepiness, as well as:

• Shortness of breath
• Irritability
• Drowsiness
• Laziness
• Lowered blood pressure
• Brittle and easily broken fingernails
• Lack of appetite, or cravings for strange “foods” (such as tree bark or chalk)
• Sore tongue
• Migraines and/or headaches
• Pale skin
• Rapid or irregular heartbeat

How can I get more Iron in my Diet?

Though a shocking amount of people on this planet are iron deficient (up to 500 million people), it is very easy to obtain iron from a number of different foods, and from a variety of different food groups.

Breads and Cereals:

• Whole wheat foods
• Grain
• Oatmeal
• Rice

Fruits:

• Apricots

Vegetables:

• Spinach
• Beans
• chickpeas/garbanzo beans
• red kidney beans
• white beans
• black-eyed peas
• Soybeans
• Lentils

Meat, Poultry and Fish:

• Beef
• Liver
• Turkey
• Clams
• Shrimp
• Trout

Nuts and Seeds

• Pine nuts
• Pumpkin seeds
• Squash seeds

Many foods on the market these days are also “iron fortified”, and you can also always take a supplement to be sure that you are receiving enough iron in your diet.

TIP: When cooking with any foods that contain iron, to help retain the foods’ iron content, try to cook with a minimal amount of water and for the shortest time possible.

photo by pills-iron