Ferrous foods: How to cover your needs!

ferrous-foods-how-to-cover-your-needs

Iron is one of the most important trace elements our body absolutely needs. How to consume enough ferrous food, you will learn here.

Ferrous foods: introduction

  • Do you feel constantly tired or have a cold? Behind it could hide an iron deficiency. Nowadays, there is a lot of panic about micronutrients and a potential shortage. A balanced diet  , however, usually provides sufficient vitamin and minerals.
  • In this article, you’ll learn how high your iron needs are and how to best meet it through nutrition. In addition, we clarify the questions as to when a supplementation of iron makes sense and what function the trace element iron occupies for our body.

Ferrous foods: What is my need?

The iron needs of humans can not be answered flat-rate. It depends among other things on the age, sex and also the way of life . For healthy adults, a daily recommendation of 10 mg for men and 15 mg for women applies .

Children in growth and women in pregnancy have an increased need for iron. The period also regularly causes iron loss. This can be a very one-sided diet , for example, a radical diet, provide iron deficiency and thus increase the need also significantly.

Iron is always stored in the body , so that a short-term shortage can be absorbed. Only when the reservoirs empty, the organism picks up the iron from the food.

Ferrous foods: where is the most iron in it?

There are some iron rich foods, but many think of iron first as spinach . And in fact, spinach contains the most iron from the plant foods, but not as much as often suspected. In addition, spinach contains substances that reduce iron absorption. Therefore, vegetable foods such as beans or lentils are more suitable.

  1. Pig liver: With 18 mg iron (per 100 grams) probably the iron supplier par excellence. Not recommended for pregnant women. Only blood sausage (29 mg) can top that.
  2. Wheat bran: with 16 mg the highest iron content. This is followed by Amaranth (9 mg) and Quinoa (8.8 mg). Oatmeal contains 5.1 mg of iron.
  3. Spices and Seeds: Thyme is the leader here with 20 mg iron, followed by pumpkin seeds (12.5 mg), ginger (11 mg), sesame seeds (10 mg) and flaxseed (8 mg).
  4. Soya: Soybeans contain 11 mg of iron, making it an important source of iron for vegans.
  5. Millet, lentils, flax seeds: these foods each contain 8 mg of iron. With us you will also find many great recipes with lentils.
  6. Chanterelles / Dried apricots: With 6.5 mg each of iron a good source of iron from plant foods.
  7. Peas, beans: At 6 mg, white beans, kidney beans and chickpeas (green peas 5 mg) are also great herbal iron alternatives.

Ferrous foods: Function of iron

Sufficient iron intake is absolutely vital for our body. Iron is needed both in the blood (hemoglobin) and muscle protein (myoglobin) and in enzymes. In addition, there is an iron content of about 25 percent in the liver, spleen and bone marrow.

  • Iron stores oxygen in the muscles
  • Iron transports oxygen into the blood
  • Strengthening the immune system
  • Supply the cells with energy

Ferrous foods: Which foods promote or hinder intake?

  • Iron can be used by our body only partially from the food . On average, only 10 to 15 percent of the iron content of the food is processed in the intestine.
  • In addition, we can distinguish between the valency of iron in bivalent and trivalent . Divalent iron from meat and fish can be used better than trivalent (especially from vegetable sources). Overall, iron from meat is superior to vegetable foods .

Eligible for admission:

  • Vitamin C: fruit juices (eg orange), vegetables (Brussels sprouts, broccoli, peppers etc.)
  • Fruit acid: For example, citric acid

Inhibits the recording:

  • black tea
  • coffee
  • Dairy products
  • White flour products

Ferrous foods: Dietary supplement useful?

  • No precaution: iron supplements should not simply be taken additionally for safety reasons. Increased iron intake can have negative effects on the heart, liver and blood vessels.
  • Risk groups: As already mentioned, pregnant women need more iron. Even people with a one-sided diet (eg vegans) may have an increased need. Before choosing nutritional supplements, consult a doctor in any case.
  • Quantity: The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment recommends not to take more than 6 mg of iron as a dietary supplement. Iron supplements can cause side effects such as diarrhea, abdominal pain or heartburn.