Do you suffer from anemia?
Have you ever noticed that you have chronic fatigue, pale skin, discolored eyelid, thin, flat, and finally spoon-shaped nails? You may be a victim of anemia.
If you are anemic, remember that your body has a limited ability to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide between your blood and tissue cells. Nutritional anemia can be caused by inadequate intake of iron, protein, certain vitamins (B12, folic acid, pyridoxine, and ascorbic acid), copper, and other heavy metals. But the most common nutritional anemia is iron and folic acid deficiency.
If you are suffering from iron deficiency anemia, remember, your main focus should be on the underlying disease or situation that leads to the anemia.
If you are getting enough iron but cannot absorb it properly, taking it is of no use. Remember how much you can absorb is more important than your total intake. Iron is better absorbed in the ferrous form than in the ferric state.
Iron is best absorbed when the stomach is empty. However, gastrointestinal side effects such as nausea, epigastric discomfort and bloating, heartburn, diarrhea, constipation, etc. are likely to occur. which can be minimized by increasing the dose slowly over a few days until the required doses are reached.
Attention should be paid to the amount of iron in the diet also such as liver, kidney, beef, egg yolk, dried fruits, dry peas and beans, nuts, green leafy vegetables, molasses, whole grain breads and cereals, etc.
Absorption is also influenced by the form of iron in the diet. Heme iron in meat, fish, and poultry (MFP) is absorbed much better than non-heme iron, which can also be found in MFP, as well as eggs, grains, vegetables, and fruits. .
Non-heme iron is best absorbed in the presence of ascorbic acid and MFP.
If you are a vegetarian and want to improve iron absorption, you should eat foods rich in vitamin C, such as all citrus fruits, potatoes, etc. along with foods rich in iron.
Factor that can inhibit iron absorption?
Iron chelate, including carbonates, oxalates, phosphates, and phytates (unleavened bread, unrefined cereals, and soybeans)
Fiber in vegetables.
Tea along with meals can reduce iron absorption by 50 percent.
Phosvitine present in the egg yolk.
Finally, to maximize iron absorption and prevent iron deficiency anemia, food choices should be improved to increase total dietary iron intake, include a source of vitamin C at every meal, include MFP in most of meals if possible and avoid drinking large amounts of tea or coffee with due to its tannin content, avoid high amounts of EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) by checking food labels to see if they are present in food.