In many ways, iron deficiency anemia is the nutrient deficiency that drains a person’s potential and quality of life. Not generally come to mind with nutrient deficiencies. But when you look closely you can see that both are significantly impacted with iron deficiency anemia symptoms such as inability to concentrate, chronically tired or fatigued, low energy, impaired cognitive function (ability to think well and rationally), decline in mood, constantly feeling cold, increased susceptibility to infections, and loss of hair. Imagine how all that affects the human experience, let alone school and work performances.
Other signs and symptoms include pale appearance (doc’s will use the term pallor), shortness of breath, general weakness, dizziness/light-headedness, poor appetite, brittle nails, cold hands/feet, chest pain, headaches, unusual cravings of non-food items (in pregnant women this is called pica), inflamed/sore tongue, tingling/crawling feeling in feet and legs, and the list of unfunness goes on and on.
Women and children are affected more often than men with this deficiency due to a variety of reasons. That is not to say that men cannot develop iron deficiency anemia. According to the World Health Organization, iron deficiency anemia is the most widespread nutrition deficiency worldwide with an estimated 2 million or 1/3 of the world’s population suffering from the deficiency.
Women are at a higher risk because of they tend to eat less than men (which limits opportunities to get iron), have monthly blood loss (which contains iron) during menstruation and while pregnant they have an increase in blood volume and provide iron for both them and the growing baby.
Children are at a higher risk because of their iron needs related to growth and those pesky, picking eating food jags. One sneaky reason that children get low in iron is due to over-consumption of dairy. Their little bellies fill up on calcium rich milk and they don’t have the stomach room available for iron rich foods. Additionally, children born to iron deficient mothers are likely to be born with low iron levels.
Vegetarians, vegans, smokers and women with significantly higher than normal blood loss during menstruation have an increased need/challenge to get iron. There is no need to start eating meat as it is entirely possible to follow a vegetarian or vegan diet and get plenty of iron. Smokers be advised that low iron is on the LONG list of smoking drawbacks and now is a great time to nip the habit in the butt! If that’s not on your agenda, you too can still get enough iron, but know that you’re needs are higher than non-smokers.
The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for iron varies depending on age and gender. You can find your RDA by clicking HERE. Note that medical conditions, lifestyle factors and smoking can all affect your personal iron RDA. For the purpose of this article, we’ll be using the RDA for non-pregnant women between the ages of 19-50, which is 18 mg.
Iron comes in two dietary forms: heme (found in meat) and non-heme (plant based). For those that are vegetarian, vegan or consume little amounts of meat, there are many sources of plant based iron available to choose from. The trick is to consume these foods regularly and frequently with plenty of vitamin C rich foods. Vitamin C helps with the absorption of iron from non-heme sources.
The heme iron found in meat is readily absorbed, but when you get down to the facts, meat actually doesn’t pack that much of a nutritional punch when it comes to iron. A serving-size, 3 ounces steak contains a whopping 2 mg of iron when the RDA for ladies is 18 mg! If you’re talking a 3 ounce serving of chicken, you’re getting a lousy 1.1 mg of iron, unless you get one of the pieces with a vein in it – you might get an extra pop of .01 mg from that grossness, if you’re lucky. That’s not to slam meat-eaters, but to bring light to the facts.
Before we dive into the delicious list of iron rich foods and the super fun ending, let's talk iron supplements. If your healthcare provider recommends an iron supplement, a