Is it important to focus on iron rich foods?
Iron is the most abundant mineral in our body, so you can guess its role is significant and you are correct! Iron delivers oxygen around the body, so no iron: no oxygen. No iron: no life!
The role of iron in our bodies
Iron is also involved in enzyme production, and without enzymes many reactions in our body would not happen. One of them is to use nutrients and turn them into energy, which is essential for us to lead a normal life.
All iron functions play a significant role, and we can’t be healthy and happy if our iron levels are very low.
How do you know if you have iron deficiency?
Several times in my life I had iron deficiency symptoms and some of them are easier to notice than others.
The first sign for me was tiredness. I was tired all the time, no matter how much I slept. The next level comes with breathlessness when climbing stairs or doing exercise and loss of appetite. One other significant sign, which is not always easy to connect with iron deficiency is hair loss.
Iron deficiency signs are difficult to notice because they start slowly and gradually become stronger, but you kind of adapt to them. If you see your hair falling out and fatigue becomes an issue, or your skin becomes pale, you probably have mild iron deficiency. It’s time to ask your doctor to test you!
It can happen even with a good diet!
From my experience, you can be iron deficient even if you eat a good diet: yes, it was my big surprise too! I started to record my food on the app because I was on beauty nutrition training and guess what? I was undereating iron every single day!
It was an eye opener for me and I think many of us undereat iron. Especially if you eat vegetarian or vegan food, as many plant based iron foods are not bioavailable to our body.
What is an accessible source of iron?
One of the best sources for iron is nettle-one of the superfoods. This plant is rich with iron, which is easily accessible to our bodies. Nettle is an amazing plant, as it helps with several issues and heals many problems, but for women it is a must have! You can even collect your own nettle in parks and meadows and paths, just make sure there are no fields sprayed with chemicals next to plants!
Enjoy your iron-rich nettle tea with gratitude to planet Earth!!
With love,
Zane
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