Ways of adding iron to your diet

Iron is a mineral that has many different roles in the body. Iron is particularly important for making haemoglobin: a protein contained in red blood cells that transports oxygen around the body. Iron also plays an essential role in maintaining a healthy immune system.People with mild iron deficiency often feel tired, lacking in energy and tend to be more susceptible to infections. With more severe iron deficiency (called iron deficiency anaemia) symptoms such as heart palpitations, brittle nails, thinning hair, itchy skin and mouth sores or ulcers can develop.There are two types of iron: heme and non-heme. A vegan/veggie diet will only include non-heme diet as its plant-based opposed to heme iron.SourcesKey sources of non-heme iron are include pulses and legumes (such as beans, peas, and lentils), dark green leafy vegetables (such as spinach, cabbage, and broccoli), tofu, nuts and seeds. Dates contain some iron so put these on top of your porridge they are are great source of fibre too which your gut bacteria loves. Many breakfast cereals are also fortifiedwith iron. Food preparation can enhance iron absorption. For example, cooking, soaking nuts and seeds and using sprouted seeds and grainsRequirements- 19-50+ yrs old 8.7 mg (males) 14.8 mg (females) a daySesame seeds contain 10.4mg iron per 100gSpinach (boiled)1.6mg per 100gChickpeas (boiled) 2mg per 100g‘Haem iron’ can increase the absorption of ‘non- haem iron’. Therefore, to improve iron status it can be beneficial to eat, for example, red meat (beef, lamb or pork) alongside green leafy vegetables. So if your vegan or vegetarian you may want to consider taking iron supplements. 27 per cent of women have low iron intakes. For girls between the ages of 11 and 18, this figure rose to 54 per cent!