Archive for category Minerals

Do you find yourself feeling sluggish or abnormally fatigued all the time? Can’t focus? Struggling to keep a consistent body temperature? Get sick a lot?

Lately, it seems I have met more and more people struggling with some kind of anemia(when your blood doesn’t get enough healthy red blood cells)

Did you know that anemia affects 3.5 million Americans?

People can get anemia for several reasons, but an iron deficiency in the body seems to be the leading cause.

Did you know that iron is the most common nutritional deficiency?

Iron is a mineral that plays a vital role in your body. Iron is predominately found in two proteins:

1) Hemoglobin in the red blood cells

2) Myoglobin in the muscle cells

Within these proteins, iron can accept, carry and release oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body.

Iron deficiency can happen to anyone of any age for different factors. For example, an increased need for iron is vital during the growing stages of a toddler and teenager. Also, women who are pregnant need much more iron than normal due to the increased metabolic activity present in their bodies. And of course, if you have lost a lot of blood, your iron levels will have dramatically dropped and will definitely need replenishing. Even a heavy period could be an example of too much blood loss. You may also be at risk for iron deficieny if you are a regular blood donor. Also, your body may not be getting the necessary amount of iron due to a poor diet and/or your body may not be properly absorbing the iron.

There are essentially two types of iron:

1)heme-from the flesh of animals like meat and poultry and fish

2)non-heme- plant and animal foods

Your body can absorb and use heme iron much more readily than non-heme iron, but taking vitamin C can help your body absorb non-heme irons. Keep in mind though that eating certain things(nuts, coffee, tea, the calcium in milk, the fiber of some fruits and veggies to name a few.) can inhibit the absorption of non-heme irons.

So you can easily see why so many people are deficient in iron. It can be a tricky mineral to utilize.

So how do you get more iron you ask?

Here is a list of some basic foods high in iron:

Clams, oysters, organ meats(liver for example), fortified cereals, beef, spinach,white beans, lentils, and prune juice.

You can also start an iron supplement pill. As always though, check with your doctor first. Being too high in iron can be just a dangerous as not having enough.

Curious how much iron you need according to the RDA?

Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA)
Age/Group	Life Stage	Iron (mg/day)
Infants	0–6 months	0.27*
	7–12 months	11
Children	1–3 years	7
	4–8 years	10
Males	9–13 years	8
	14–18 years	11
	19–30 years	8
	31–50 years	8
	51–70 years	8
	>70 years	8
Females	9–13 years	8
	14–18 years	15
	19–30 years	18
	31–50 years	18
	51–70 years	8
	>70 years	8
Pregnant Women	14–18 years	27
	19–30 years	27
	31–50 years	27
Lactating Women	14–18 years	10
	19–30 years	9
	31–50 years	9

If you suspect that you may have an iron deficiency do not hesitate to ask your doctor to test you and he may recommend you more or less than the standard RDA.