Why Do We Need To Get Enough Iron?
One of the most vital minerals for our body to function, Iron. We use it every day in our lives, pins, in your car and even in your phone. However, you’re not ingesting the actual metal because that wouldn’t be too healthy or safe. What you need is iron minerals found in food. Iron is an essential mineral and its main function is to transport blood across the body. It is an important component in the formation of hemoglobin which is the substance that makes up your red blood cells. If you don’t have enough Iron your body won’t be able to transport oxygen efficiently throughout your body. This common deficiency is also known as anemia.
If you’ve ever felt tired going up the stairs and winded even though you would consider yourself physically fit? Then you may be iron deficient especially if you are a woman.
Many people don’t realise but one of the most common deficiency is having a lack of iron in your diet. A study conducted in the US found that about 10% of woman are iron deficient.
This can affect you in many ways from exhaustion, reducing brain function, lowering immunity, even resulting in premature births if you have sever iron deficiency, It may also affect your mood.
Apart from this, iron has many other important functions too such as maintaining healthy hair, skin and nails.
How Much Iron Do I Need In A Day?
Children would need more iron per day about 10mg daily and adult men would require about 8mg daily. Woman would need about 18mg each day. This is due to loss of blood during their menstrual cycles, which is why you see more woman being iron deficient compared to men. After menopause however their need for iron decreases and would require about 8mg per day same as an adult man.
Dosages would need to increase if you are:
- pregnant or breastfeeding
- Having kidney failure or kidney problems especially if you have to undergo dialysis.
- Having ulcers that cause blood loss
- If you have celiac, Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis which prevent your body from absorbing iron.
- If you are taking too many antacids which are medications that neutralize the stomach acid, this may prevent less iron being absorbed.
- If you’ve had any major surgery that involves a lot of blood loss.
- If you have intense exercise regularly
If you are vegan as well you would need slightly more iron in your diet as iron from plants aren’t as easily absorbed compared to iron found in red meat.
Foods That Contain High Iron
Foods that contain high dosages of iron are red meat, liver, nuts, beans such as red kidney beans, dried fruits, soy bean flour, tofu and dark green leafy vegetables like kale, spinach and water lentils. One 30g of Prodex Water Lentils Plant Protein has 11mg of iron which covers the daily dosages of children, male adults and about 60% of woman’s daily dosage.
There you have it, iron is really an essential mineral that is crucial for maintaining a healthy body. So, plan out your diet well and if you don’t have a lot of time to squeeze in a good meal, then give our product a try!