ARE YOU GETTING ENOUGH IRON?

So, how do you know if you are short of iron? Are any or many of the symptoms below familiar to you?

• Extreme fatigue

• Skin paler than usual

• The ‘whites’ of your eyes looking rather pale

• Muscle weakness

• Shortness of breath

• Dizziness or lightheadedness

• Cold hands and feet

• Inflammation or soreness of your tongue

• Brittle nails

• Fast heartbeat

• Poor appetite

• An uncomfortable tingling or crawling feeling in your legs

Dietary iron comes in two forms: heme iron found in animal flesh which is fairly-readily absorbed within the body and non-heme iron which is found in plant foods but needs good levels of stomach acid and vitamin C to assist in its absorption.

Heme iron: Liver and red meat are the richest sources. White meats, fish (particularly sardines), shellfish and eggs also provide good levels.

Non-heme iron: herbs and spices (particularly thyme, cumin, turmeric, oregano and black pepper), green vegetables (particularly spinach, swiss chard, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, kale, green beans and leeks), beans (particularly chickpeas, soya, kidney, black and pinto beans), tofu, lentils, seeds (particularly pumpkin) AND… dark chocolate!

To ensure that both heme and non-heme iron-rich foods are well absorbed always try to have foods rich in vitamin C alongside. Green vegetables, peppers, tropical fruits, berries, kiwis and citrus fruits.

eg: have your salmon & avocado toast on toasted pumpernickel bread with fresh fruit juice!

… and here are a few more iron-rich recipes …

NB: Self medication of iron tablets is not advised as too much can be as detrimental as too little and certain forms of iron can cause digestive upset and constipation. However, you may wish to consider a daily multivitamin/mineral which includes iron. Floradix and Floravital (no yeast, no gluten) which is in liquid form provides an easily absorbed form of iron in addition to various herbal extracts and vitamins and is available from good health shops or online.