Iron Deficiency

Today let’s talk about Iron. As much as we want to be as strong as Iron Man, unfortunately, he’s just a fictional character. But we can be as healthy as any superhero if we watch our diet and have sufficient vitamins and minerals in our body. Interestingly, one of the most common nutritional deficiencies is iron deficiency. 

According to Pamela Smith, MD, MPH in her book What You Must Know About Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs & More, “The micromineral iron is key to good health because it is involved in many important functions in your body.”

Iron is indeed a very important mineral in the body as it carries oxygen to the tissues from the lungs in the form of hemoglobin, transports electrons within the cells, regulates cell growth, is involved in immune system efficiency, and is an integral part of enzyme reactions in different tissues.

Iron deficiency, also called sideropenia or hypoferremia, is common and is caused by many factors, some of which are mentioned in Dr. Smith’s book:

• Black tea
• Bleeding from any part of the body
• Calcium
• Coffee
• Green tea
• Menstrual Cycles
• Partially-digested proteins
• Phylates (which are found in pita bread, wheat germ, cacao powder, oats and nuts)
• Polyphenolic compounds (which are found in certain plant foods)
• Problems in the small intestines or gastrointestinal tract
• Red wine
• Soy products
• Vegetarian diet
• Zinc

Probably the most common nutrition fact about iron is that meats are rich in iron. While this is true, it is also true that a number of plant foods are also rich in iron. It may come as a surprise that researchers have found that some plant foods are even richer in iron than meat. And, you'll see that our list of excellent iron sources is actually dominated by plant foods. Below are the top 10 foods rich in iron, with the corresponding number which describes how many milligrams of iron are in 100 grams of food:

1. Kelp                                         100
2. Brewer’s yeast                          17.3
3. Blackstrap molasses                 16.1
4. Wheat bran                               14.9
5. Pumpkin and squash seeds       11.2
6. Wheat germ                              9.4
7. Beef liver                                   8.8
8. Sunflower seeds                        7.1
9. Millet                                        6.8
10. Parsley                                     6.2 

According to Dr. Smith, the daily recommended dosage of iron for males is 10 milligrams per day, 30 milligrams for pregnant women, and 15 milligrams for pre-menopausal women.

(Reference: "What You Must Know About Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs & More," Square One Publishers. www.squareonepublishers.com)