Get More Iron in Your Diet by Eating These Foods

Many people do not notice that they have an iron deficiency. If you have unexplained fatigue, dizziness, nausea, or have had quite a few colds in the past couple months, you may have an iron deficiency. Iron is a vital mineral for our body to be healthy. Not getting enough iron on a daily basis puts you at risk for having anemia. Anemia is a serious health problem that is caused by the lack of red blood cells in your body. Anemia, if put off long enough and not treated by adding extra iron, can be fatal.

Even if you do not have anemia, eating foods that are rich in iron will help you to have a better immune system and have more energy to go about your day. Iron helps with your respiration and the amount of oxygen you are able to take into your body. So, if you eat more iron you can have more energy for your body and be healthier overall.

There are several foods that you can eat that are rich in iron. The recommended daily allowance of iron is 15 milligrams for a healthy person under the age of fifty. As we get older, our body requires more iron, so you need to increase that number as you age.

When eating iron rich foods, you want to make sure that all of the iron that you are consuming is getting absorbed into the body. Consuming vitamin C along with the iron can help aid in the absorption of the iron into your body. On the other hand, drinks such as coffee and tea will inhibit your body from absorbing iron and should not be consumed when eating iron rich foods. You also need to be aware that your body will only be able to absorb a certain amount of iron at a time. So if you are only having one meal a day that is packed with iron you will not be able to absorb the full amount you are eating. Instead, you should spread your iron rich foods out throughout the day so that your body can absorb all the iron since it is not getting too much at one time.

Meat and poultry are great examples of foods that are rich in iron. When choosing meat, make sure that you choose lean versions of the meat. When eating poultry, make sure that you remove the skin as that is where a lot fat is on the poultry. There are many different types of meat and poultry that you can eat and many ways to cook them. Having such a variety can help you get your iron in daily without growing tired of having the same food all the time. Liver is another source of iron that comes from animals. Liver is packed fill of iron, but beware that liver should not be consumed by pregnant women, as the Vitamin A in liver can harm the unborn child.

Beans and nuts are another great food source that is packed full of iron. Beans can be added to many different items such as salads, soups, rice and pasta. Snack on some pumpkin or sunflower seeds to get iron from them. Lentils also provide a great deal of iron when they are eaten also.

Many different brands of cereal now are iron fortified. If you have trouble getting in your iron rich foods, have iron fortified cereal for breakfast. It is a quick and easy way to get some iron in your body at the beginning of the day. Have your cereal with a glass of orange juice, so the Vitamin C can help with the absorption of the iron into your body. When choosing a cereal or even other whole grain snacks, look for the iron fortified ones to provide you with the iron that you need.