FACTS ABOUT IRON
Iron is important for the production of red blood cells which prevent anaemia.
Women need more Iron than men, mainly because of blood loss during menstruation.
The recommended daily allowance for women is 12 mg, whereas men’s is 10 mg daily.
Iron is best gained from the foods you eat. A good diet should supply all the necessary vitamins and minerals which
your body requires.
Unless you have a serious condition which would benefit from supplements, then supplements of Iron
should generally be avoided. Iron supplements can be problematic: With some people they can have a constipating effect.
There is a danger too, with iron supplements, that you might over-do your iron intake, which is all the more reason
to avoid them if you can.
Expectant mothers’ digestive systems adapt so that they absorb almost double the iron content in food compared to that absorbed from dietary intake before pregnancy, or after the birth. This is because mothers-to-be are storing up the iron to build a strong baby. Extra iron is also needed by the mother to counteract blood loss during the birth, and to sustain the mother while she recuperates from the birth.
The absorption of iron is aided by Vitamin C, and also Vitamin E.
Just 25 milligrams of Vitamin C, taken at meals, can increase absorption of Iron from 10% to 20% of the available Iron in your food. Hence eating fruit after a meal helps maximise the Iron content in your food.
High Vitamin C foods like broccoli also help you to assimilate the Iron in foods like meat, eggs, and broccoli itself.
Iron also helps our bodies to utilize protein, and it has a role to play in muscle building.
It provides energy to muscles which helps to build muscle tissue. When the blood is deficient in Iron, not enough
energy is carried to the muscles, and consequently, you become fatigued.
Lack of Vitamin B6 and Zinc, which also help regulate the amount of iron in the blood, can also cause a condition of
fatigue which is sometimes mistaken for anaemia.
Not enough Iron can cause anaemia, fatigue, itchy skin, poor brain function and slow growth rate in children.
Iron affects the brain profoundly – if your memory is bad and your ability to concentrate weakened, then look to iron
and Vitamin B6 for a remedy. Eat some fruit after every meal to improve iron assimilation.
A booster of these supplements, and good dietary practices, could quickly improve your mental function.
The Dangers of too much iron:
Iron is stored in the body, so beware of taking Iron supplements for too long.
Long-term iron supplementation, which leads to excess iron levels in the blood, can damage your liver, pancreas, kidneys and heart.
Elderly people often get a surplus of Iron in the blood because of tonics and tablet
supplements which have been taken over a period of time. This can cause distressing symptoms, like bone pain, and
mental anguish. It could be that arthritic-like conditions which many older people suffer might improve with less iron
supplementation and more zinc, B6 and Vitamin C given instead.
Arthritics often have an excess of iron in the blood. This could be because of medications they are taking, which,
like the contraceptive pill, could cause excess iron to be stored in the blood.
It really is best to rely on foods to supply you with adequate iron: this way, iron excess is unlikely to occur.
The contraceptive pill, which often mimicks the conditions of pregnancy, raises Iron levels. This can cause depression
and cause schizophrenic-like behaviour. It is possible that some women’s bodies do not adjust their iron intake so
well after giving birth, giving rise to what is known as ‘post-natal depression’. This could be because of drugs given
during the birth, or during pregnancy, or because the contraceptive pill has been introduced, or some other factor:
any of these things can interfere with the body’s normal regulatory processes for assimilating iron.
Extra zinc is the remedy. Taking adequate Zinc ensures that you do not build up an excess of Iron.
Ideally, you would avoid all potentially harmful drugs and medications, unless they are absolutely necessary, to ensure that your capacity to absorb vitamins and minerals is not undermined.
IRON SOURCES: Most of these figures are taken from David Coory’s book ‘New Zealand Nutrition and Your Health’, 1988, David Coory Publishing, 33 Balmoral Terrace, Tauranga, New Zealand.
RDA for women 12 mg, Men 10 mg.
500 mls of stout or Guinness beer – 10-20 mg
One cup prune juice – 10.5 mg
3/4 cup cooked prunes -3.0 mg
One tbsp of molasses or treacle – 3.0 mg
Two tbsp wheat germ – 2.0 mg
One tbsp Brewer’s Yeast – 1.5 mg
One egg – 1.25 mg
1 cup milk – 1.0 mg
1/4 raisins – 1.5 mg
One cup apple or orange juice – 1.5 mg
One nectarine or banana – 1.0 mg
One cup of either rockmelon or watermelon – 1.0 mg
One slice of wholemeal bread – 1.0 mg (White bread contains less than a quarter of this amount)
One tbsp of cocoa powder – 2.0 mg
1/2 cup wholemeal flour – 2.0 mg
One plate of oatmeal porridge – 1.5 mg
1/3 cup peanuts – cooked or raw – 1.0 mg
100 gms liver – 10.0 mg
100 gms oysters – 8.0 mg
100 gms beef – 3.0 mg
100 gms free range chicken – 2.0 mg
100 gms free range pork – 2.0 mg
100 gms lamb – 1.5 mg
100 gms fish – 1.0 mg
3/4 cup baked beans or haricot beans – 3.5 mg
1/2 cup spinach – 3.0 mg
3/4 cup peas 2.5 mg
1/2 cup silverbeet – 2.5 mg
One cup brussels sprouts – 2.0 mg
3/4 cup pumpkin 1.5 mg
Two tomatoes – 1.5 mg
Onae cup of cauliflower or broccoli – 1.0 mg
One kumara with skin on – 1.0 mg
One medium potato with skin on – 1.0 mg
3/4 cup sweet corn – 1.0 mg
One large mushroom – .25 mg
