Iron-rich foods to prevent iron deficiency anemia, one of the most common nutritional deficits today, especially in women.

The iron - deficiency anemia or iron deficiency is one of the most common nutritional deficiencies today. If we neglect the consumption of foods rich in iron and do not ingest the amount that our body needs, we begin to feel tired and without enough energy to get to the end of the day well.

The iron that reaches our body through food can be of two types, that of animal origin, linked to proteins known as heme iron and whose absorption rate by our body can reach up to 35% and the Iron from vegetables, known as non-heme iron, whose absorption is slightly lower, reaching at most 10%, that is why vegetarians should pay special attention to this nutrient.

Why is it important to eat foods rich in iron?

Iron is an essential nutrient for life as it plays a key role in:

  • The transport of oxygen to the lungs.
  • Cell respiration.
  • The formation of hemoglobin.
  • The formation of myoglobin, which is the oxygen reserve of our muscles.
  • The synthesis of DNA.
  • The formation of collagen.

How much iron do we need to consume daily?

Iron deficiency is more common in women of childbearing age due to blood loss due to menstruation, so girls need to compensate for these losses with an extra supply of iron in our diet. An adult woman of childbearing age needs between 15 and 18 mg of iron per day, while a man only needs 8 mg of iron per day.

Iron-rich foods that should be part of our diet

Before going through the list, there are a couple of things to take into account when making sure that we are taking all the iron we need through the diet and that is that the rate of iron absorption can vary depending on what we accompany it with.

Iron is absorbed much more efficiently when eaten with foods rich in vitamin C, B6, B12, and folic acid. On the other hand, you should avoid accompanying foods rich in iron with other foods rich in calcium such as dairy products, since calcium and iron compete with each other and our body will try to absorb both, so neither will be absorbed correctly.

Among the foods that contain the most iron we have:

  • Chicken livers, which contain about 13 mg / 100 g
  • Clams, about 25 mg / 100 g
  • Oysters, about 6 mg / 100 g
  • Dark turkey meat (thighs and thighs), 2.5 mg / 100 g
  • Iron-fortified cereals, 24 mg / 1 cup
  • Beans, 5 mg / 1 cup
  • Lentils, 6.6 mg / 1 cup
  • Fresh spinach, 6.5 mg / 1 cup (light cooking improves absorption rate)
  • Chickpeas, 5 mg / 1 cup
  • Pumpkin seeds, 2 mg 1 cup
  • Soybeans, 8 mg / 1 cup
  • Sesame seeds, 20 mg / 1 cup
  • Raisins, 4 mg / 1 cup
  • Beef liver, 6 mg / 100 g
  • Veal needle, 3.5 mg / 100 g
  • Minced meat, 2.5 mg / 100 g
  • Chicken meat (thighs and thighs), approximately 1.5 mg / 100 g
  • Spirulina seaweed, 5 mg / 1 tablespoon

It should not be forgotten, when doing the accounts, that the different absorption rate must also be taken into account depending on the origin.

"Your skin has a natural barrier to retain moisture, and essential to that is omega-3 fatty acid," Joanna advises. "Flax seeds on your salad or even walnuts will be an instant boost to your omega-3, thus increasing your skin's ability to hold onto moisture." And be sure to eat a diet low in foods with a high glycemic index (simple and complex carbohydrates).

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