My work on this iron site has slowed due to quite an ironic reason: I have been completely exhausted. The cause? Iron deficiency. Yes, IRONic even, as the author of this website on food iron. As I struggle to crawl out of the pit, I realize more than ever some specific problems we may face… Continue Reading
Daily iron on your dinner plate
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Category Archives: Blog
Fermentation, Oxalic Acid, and Mineral Absorption
Q: “Does Fermentation Reduce Oxalic Acid in Food?” A: “You bet.” With spring and summer gardens teaming with produce, more people have been interested in mineral inhibitors in vegetables. Last month I posted about the mineral inhibitor oxalic acid. The article is on the calcium site but the discussion applies equally to iron. Oxalic acid… Continue Reading
Iron inhibitors: Foods that reduce your iron absorption
Iron is an interesting mineral because other foods can enhance or inhibit our iron absorption. It is not enough to look at the iron content of food on a label, we need to look at our whole meal to get a sense of how iron-rich the meal is. That said, there is some confusion about… Continue Reading
Soaking beans for more iron
Beans tend to be a high iron food and are a key source of iron in many people’s diet however beans are high in a substance that inhibits iron absorption: phytic acid. There is a good bit of evidence from the fields of food science and nutrition that phytic acid does inhibit iron and that… Continue Reading
Iron Deficiency Symptoms
Iron deficiency is sometimes difficult to identify because the symptoms are similar to those from a host of other ailments. In fact, it is easy to go for a long time with symptoms thinking that the cause is something else entirely. Symptoms include: Weakness Fatigue Reduced color in the face (a pale look) Heart palpitations… Continue Reading
Eating your iron in pregnancy
There are many options during pregnancy for consuming iron rich foods. The trick will be finding a combination that helps keep up your iron levels that you can palate at the same time. Pregnancy is notorious for food aversions that you have never experienced before and you will never experience again. Various meats (and their… Continue Reading
Iron Rich Foods List: A Visual List of High Iron Foods
The food groups offer us many opportunities to enjoy iron-rich foods throughout the day, with every meal. However, the different food groups play their own role in iron metabolism, making an iron rich foods list more nuanced than you would expect. Meats Meats are one of the few food types without iron inhibitors. Meat, particularly… Continue Reading
Iron Rich Foods Tips and Tricks
Improving the iron in your diet is an interesting topic because very little about it is straight-forward. Foods interact in various ways either to reduce your iron absorption or to improve it and your task is to find the right mix-and-match of foods that fits your lifestyle and your iron needs. Some people will easily… Continue Reading
Daily iron requirement
How much iron you need daily depends on your age, gender, and pregnancy status. Women need more iron before menopause due to menstruation; women need more iron in pregnancy due to the iron requirements of growing a baby. The two times in life nutritionists recommend supplementing for iron is in infancy and pregnancy. In infancy,… Continue Reading