Heavy Metal Meals: The Importance of Iron in Your Diet

Who Needs Iron?

Women usually need more iron than men do. A mans body can store enough iron to last 2-3 months, where as women`s bodies sometimes lack the natural reserve that men have. Women with a regular menstrual flow need more than double the iron each month as men do, and pregnant women need an extremely high amount of iron. Infants, vegetarians, and those on weight-reducing diets also have a hard time getting enough iron.

Isn’t It Ironic

We all know that in order to stay healthy and in shape, that we should eat a diet low in saturated fats and exercise regularly. But ironically, doing this may actually be depleting our supply of iron. Sweating during strenuous exercise can cause iron loss, and red meat contains saturated fats but is full of iron. So the more we avoid meat and exercise, the less iron our bodies may actually be receiving.

Heavy-Metal Meal Choices

Just because we eat a healthy diet that contains iron, does not mean that our bodies are absorbing enough. The amount of iron that the body absorbs is often influenced by what we eat with it. Here is how to get the iron that your body needs.

Vitamin C can double the amount of iron that is absorbed from a meal. Add green peppers, broccoli leafy greens, strawberries to your meals.

Choose iron fortified breads and cereals.

Cook in cast-iron cookware. A soup or sauce simmered for 3 hours in a cast-iron pan can raise the iron content from 3 mg to a whopping 88 mg.

Including small portions of lean beef, fish, lamb or game to your meal can help you to absorb up to four times more iron.

Avoid caffeine with your meal. Caffeine can reduce absorption by up to 50 percent, depending on the drink.

Vegetarians

Just because meat is so full of iron, does not mean that vegetarians cannot supply themselves with an adequate amount. Foods such as apricots, prunes, lima beans, sunflower seeds, almonds, peas, beet- tops and raisins are all rich in iron. These foods together with foods high in Vitamin C can should supply vegetarians with a sufficient amount of dietary iron.

*If you think that you are suffering from iron deficiency, consult your family physician. He/she will do blood tests to check your iron levels, and can suggest a proper iron rich diet or supplement.