How to Increase Iron in Your Diet

Iron is vital to produce hemoglobin and myoglobin. They are significant proteins required in routing oxygen throughout the body. Iron boosts our immune system and generates our energy. Following are some edible outlets rich in iron content.

Food sources:

• Tofu
• Kelp
• Potatoes
• Chickpeas
• Wheat germ
• Green pepper
• Dried apricots
• romaine lettuce
• blackstrap molasses
• Lima and red kidney beans
• Turnip and mustard greens
• Pour herbs and spices like thyme in your salad.
• Nuts such as pistachios, almonds, cashews and pecans.
• Seeds like sesame, squash and sunflower seeds also maintain good levels of iron.
• Dark green leafy vegetables like spinach and broccoli are excellent source of iron.
• Meat, fish and poultry are potential source of iron particularly turkey, sardines, clams, mollusks, beef and chicken liver.

FACTS

There are 2 types of iron:

• Heme-iron are iron present in animal sources.
• nonheme- iron are found in plant sources.

Vitamin C facilitates in iron absorption.

The prescribed intake of iron are as follows:

• Infants:
• Infants younger below 6 months need 0.27 mg / day.
• A 7-12 months infant requires to have 11 mg / day of iron
• Toddlers and Children:
• Toddlers aging between 1-3 years should have 7 mg of iron a day
• Children 8 years or below require 10 mg of iron a day
• Children between 9-13 years require 8 mg of iron a day
• Teenagers need 11- 15 mg of iron daily
• Males aging 19 or above require 8 mg/day
• Females between 19-50 years require 18 mg iron everyday
• Women in their fifties need just 8 mg per day

Iron deficiency may trigger following conditions:

• Irritability
• Weakness
• Headaches
• Weight loss
• Shortness of breath
• Low resistance to infection

People who are at high risk for low levels of iron are:

• Vegetarians
• Blood donors
• Pregnant women
• Menstruating women
• People with bleeding disorders

Milk is an ideal source of calcium and other useful contents, yet it doesn’t offer much iron. Make sure to provide your kids with an access of iron. A toddler is prescribed some 2-3 cups of milk a day.

Iron is extremely vital to help our body function smoothly. Don’t just ignore to supplement your diet with sufficient dose of iron to inhibit contraction of diseases caused owing to iron deficiency.