IRON

We all know that iron is important for us but why?

Iron is a very important nutrient found in both animal sources (haem iron) and plant sources (non-haem iron). Iron derived from animals is more bioavailable (can be easily absorbed into the body); where as iron from plant foods is less bioavailable and needs help to be absorbed into the body -Vitamin C aids with this absorption of iron.

Iron is a trace mineral that helps to transport oxygen around the body via the red blood cells, making it essential for life. (I like to think of Iron as like a post man that carries oxygen (letters) to all the cells (houses) that need it).

It is also important for providing your cells with energy, optimal immune function, and storing oxygen in our muscles (this is what gives muscles their red colour).

Recommended Daily Intake for iron includes:

Figure from Nutrition Australia

As you can see, Women in reproductive years, Young children and Pregnant women need to consume more iron than males.

If if we don’t get enough iron, we don’t have enough oxygen and therefore we feel a bit sleepy. Other signs that we may not be getting or absorbing enough iron are

• Fatigue 

• lack of concentration 

• increased risk of infection 

• Headaches

• Pale skin

• Weakness/dizziness 

When I think of iron, I personally think of spinach and green leafy vegetables; this is because when I was younger I was always told in order to get enough iron I needed to eat a whole bowl of spinach (as I was vegetarian).

Did I need to do this?- Not really!

Yes spinach is a source of iron but you can get iron from a variety of different plant sources such as:

• Tofu and tempeh

• Textured vegetable protein (TVP) - roughly 10mg of iron per 100g of TVP

• Legumes/peas/beans

• Grains such as oats and quinoa

• Fortified cereals and breads like Weetbix and All Bran

• Nuts

Figure from Nutrition Australia

Figure from Nutrition Australia

Eggs are another animal based source of iron providing roughly 1.2mg per 100g (which is roughly 2 eggs)

You may be getting enough iron but are you absorbing it?

-To ensure optimal absorption of iron:

• Consume iron rich foods with vitamin C rich foods such as strawberries, oranges, tomatoes and red capsicums

• Cooking plant foods can improve the amount of available iron 

• Avoid consumption of tea, caffeine or calcium during or directly after having a source of iron.

  • Studies show that a cup of coffee can reduce the absorption of iron from a hamburger meal by 39% and tea can affect the absorption of the same meal by 64%.

  • Studies also show when a coffee is ingested an hour before a meal there is no effect on the absorption of the iron, however when consuming coffee an hour after the meal iron absorption is still affected

  • This was from a clinical trial by Mork TA “inhibition of food iron by coffee”

Some meal and snack ideas (both animal and plant based meals) to increase your iron intake could include:

Breakfast:

• Weetbix with berries

• All Bran with berries

• Eggs on wholemeal toast with spinach, roast tomatoes and salmon

• Beans on wholemeal toast

• Oats/ porridge with berries, honey, nuts or a nut butter such as almonds and seeds

Lunch:

• Sandwich using wholemeal bread with spinach, tomato, tuna or tofu or tempeh, carrot, lettuce and avocado

• Egg omelette (keep the yolks as they contain most of the iron) with spinach, capsicum, tomato, mushroom, cheese

• Falafel wrap with tomato, spinach, carrot, cheese, tahini or a garlic sauce

• Chickpea and lentil salad with quinoa, lots of spinach, kale, capsicum, avocado

Snack:

• Dark chocolate covered almonds

• Dark chocolate covered roasted chickpeas

• Dried apricots

• Homemade trail mix with lots of nuts (cashews, almonds, walnuts, and pistachios), dark chocolate bits, goji berries, dried apricots and seeds

• Smoothie with berries and hidden leafy greens

Dinner:

• Sung Choi Bao using textured vegetable protein, lentils or red minced meat

• Spaghetti bolognese with wholemeal or pulse spaghetti

• Burgers (chickpea, lentil, black bean or tofu burger if vegetarian or vegan, regular beef or chicken burger if you eat meat) with spinach and tomato in a wholemeal bun

Speak to a health care professional for more information about iron and your current status.

Hope you enjoyed : )