Live Well

Getting Enough Iron

Iron is one of those famous nutrients – we all know that we need lots of iron to keep energy levels at their best and iron is one of the most common supplements people take when they feel they need a boost. Iron has a number of jobs to do but perhaps the most important is helping to carry oxygen from your lungs around your body. The body needs a plentiful supply of oxygen and if iron gets low in the blood it has effects everywhere from energy levels to mood – even to IQ level! Iron is also needed for a healthy immune system and is essential for brain development off young children.

Despite knowing how important iron is women regularly don’t eat enough iron. Most men do eat enough but many are still missing out on this important nutrient. On a day-today level, low iron will make you feel tried, moody, irritable and apathetic. You may find it harder to solve problems or deal with issues that come up at work – and at home – and you may find it takes you longer to do tasks than normal. Take some time to check out how much iron you eat everyday and see if this is one nutrient you need to look out for.

Good sources of iron Iron is found in a number of foods but it is in small amounts in many of them – which means you need to eat a variety of iron-rich foods everyday. Iron is found in red meat (beef, lamb and pork), chicken and turkey (especially the dark meat) and in some fish, especially shellfish. You will get some iron in green vegetables, beans, lentils and eggs. Did you know there are two different types of iron? Iron that comes from animal sources like beef is called haem iron. Haem iron is very easily absorbed by your body and is the best type of iron for you to take. The type of iron found in vegetable sources is called non-haem iron and your body has difficulty absorbing non-haem iron. You can boost absorption of non-haem iron by eating a food rich in vitamin C at the same time. Vitamin C helps your body to turn non-haem iron into haem iron and so makes it much easier for your body to absorb. Vitamin C rich foods include fruit and vegetables, potatoes and salads. Iron is essential for the development of the brain in toddlers and those who have low iron levels at this delicate stage never recover their full brain function. It is important to ensure that toddlers eat iron rich foods everyday – red meat, chicken, beans, eggs and green vegetables. They may also benefit form using a growing up milk instead of switching to cow’s milk when they finish breast or bottle feeding. Growing up milks are designed for toddlers and are specially fortified with iron. Your toddler would have to drink about 45 pints of cow’s milk everyday to get the full amount of iron they need!

Getting Enough Iron  Make sure you have red meat at least 3 times a week. Go for lean cuts and trim off any visible fat. Try a steak, minced beef in bolognaise sauce, lamb cutlets or pork chops. Have chicken or fish on days you don’t have red meat. These are also good sources of iron especially shellfish like mussels. Go for an iron-fortified breakfast cereal and always have a glass of fruit juice to help boost iron absorption. Always have a green vegetable with your lunch or dinner. Green cabbage, broccoli, spinach and Brussels sprouts are all good sources of iron. Try beans on toast as an iron-rich snack. The vitamin C in the tomato sauce helps to boost iron absorption. A boiled egg makes a great start to the day as well as giving you an iron-rich boost. Try eggs at the weekend or in a sandwich at lunch-time. Go for an iron-fortified breakfast cereal and always have a glass of fruit juice to help boost iron absorption. Always have a vitamin C rich food with non-haem sources of iron. Try a glass of orange juice with iron fortified breakfast cereal, potatoes with beans or tomato salad with an omelette. Remember: you need to eat iron rich foods at least twice a day – some at lunch and some at dinner. It can be as simple as adding some spinach or egg to a salad at lunchtime and getting some red meat for dinner. Iron is an easy nutrient to miss out on.  Look after yourself and your energy levels by making sure you get enough iron everyday.

Simple Braised Steak This is an easy, lazy way to cook red meat. It does need a long cooking time so you can easily make it the night before and serve it for dinner the next day or just cook it if you are not in a hurry for dinner when you come home from work. 2lbs of round or sirloin steak 2 Spanish onions (or 3 ordinary onions) 1 pint beef stock 2 tablespoons vegetable oil dash of soy sauce Sharwoods no-added salt steak seasoning (optional) Cut the steak into four portions. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Brown the steak on both sides and put into a casserole dish. Halve the onions and slice them to make semi-circles of onion. Add the onions to the frying pan and fry them gently for 10 minutes. Add them to the steak along with the stock, seasoning and a good dash of soy sauce. Put in the oven for two hours at 180 0C. Serve with a baked potato (they take about an hour to cook – just put them in the oven when the steak has been on for about an hour) and some green vegetables – peas, green beans or mange-tout. Frozen peas work really well with this dish. If you want to be really lazy, you can just throw everything into the casserole dish without browning first – it still works but it’s not quite as nice.