Are You Getting Enough Iron?
Consumption of red meat dropped dramatically over the years - little wonder when we hear stories about mad cow disease, animals pumped full of antibiotics, heart disease and cancer.
However, meat is a great source of iron - a nutrient that us girls do need. Not that we are telling you that you have to eat meat.
Our bodies require around 15 milligrams of iron every day. As iron is stored mainly in the blood, there's no prize for guessing why women's cupboards are a little bare every 28 days. We lose 10 to 40mg of iron per month.
Iron lives inside haemoglobin molecules, which live inside red blood cells (haemoglobin gives blood it's colour). Iron pairs up with oxygen and is then carried around the body. The less iron, the less oxygen-rich blood cells, your body starves and you develop iron deficiency anaemia.
Symptoms include fatigue, a sore tongue, shortness of breath, and pale skin. A doctor can confirm a diagnosis with a full blood cell count. If you have anaemia, the cell count will be low.
Severe anaemia can cause heart failure as the heart has to work harder to make up for the lack of oxygen.
Anaemia can develop from an inadequate diet. Because meat is such a good source of iron, vegetarians are at risk. But for those who choose to be vegetarian, iron can be found in dried beans and peas, dark green leafy veggies (spinach, silver beet), potatoes, dried fruit, strawberries and wholegrain bread.
Vitamin C helps with the absorption of iron from the diet, whereas coffee, tea, and other caffeine drinks and calcium supplements actually hinder it.
Iron deficiency anaemia can also cause pica. This is a bizarre craving for weird stuff like laundry starch, paper and ice. Some women have been known to lick the dirt off potatoes!
Pregnancy creates a huge demand for iron and doctors may recommend you take supplements. But if you're not pregnant, taking iron supplements without a check-up isn't a good idea - you may not be anaemic and you can risk iron overload. Your red blood cells live for around four months and the body actually recycles the 'old' iron. It has no way of getting rid of any excess, so if you load up with too much iron it literally sits around in your system. The danger is it accumulates in your liver and other organs and causes damage.
This is called hemochromatosis, and some people from a European background are born with this condition. The treatment is to regularly donate blood.
If you're looking a bit tired and pale for no real reason, it might pay for you to go and have a blood test to confirm whether you're anaemic or not.
Medline www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/anemia.htm has some great links to anaemia resources.
For your feedback or inquiries email Michelle@girl.com.au
However, meat is a great source of iron - a nutrient that us girls do need. Not that we are telling you that you have to eat meat.
Our bodies require around 15 milligrams of iron every day. As iron is stored mainly in the blood, there's no prize for guessing why women's cupboards are a little bare every 28 days. We lose 10 to 40mg of iron per month.
Iron lives inside haemoglobin molecules, which live inside red blood cells (haemoglobin gives blood it's colour). Iron pairs up with oxygen and is then carried around the body. The less iron, the less oxygen-rich blood cells, your body starves and you develop iron deficiency anaemia.
Symptoms include fatigue, a sore tongue, shortness of breath, and pale skin. A doctor can confirm a diagnosis with a full blood cell count. If you have anaemia, the cell count will be low.
Severe anaemia can cause heart failure as the heart has to work harder to make up for the lack of oxygen.
Anaemia can develop from an inadequate diet. Because meat is such a good source of iron, vegetarians are at risk. But for those who choose to be vegetarian, iron can be found in dried beans and peas, dark green leafy veggies (spinach, silver beet), potatoes, dried fruit, strawberries and wholegrain bread.
Vitamin C helps with the absorption of iron from the diet, whereas coffee, tea, and other caffeine drinks and calcium supplements actually hinder it.
Iron deficiency anaemia can also cause pica. This is a bizarre craving for weird stuff like laundry starch, paper and ice. Some women have been known to lick the dirt off potatoes!
Pregnancy creates a huge demand for iron and doctors may recommend you take supplements. But if you're not pregnant, taking iron supplements without a check-up isn't a good idea - you may not be anaemic and you can risk iron overload. Your red blood cells live for around four months and the body actually recycles the 'old' iron. It has no way of getting rid of any excess, so if you load up with too much iron it literally sits around in your system. The danger is it accumulates in your liver and other organs and causes damage.
This is called hemochromatosis, and some people from a European background are born with this condition. The treatment is to regularly donate blood.
If you're looking a bit tired and pale for no real reason, it might pay for you to go and have a blood test to confirm whether you're anaemic or not.
Medline www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/anemia.htm has some great links to anaemia resources.
For your feedback or inquiries email Michelle@girl.com.au
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