Health Nutrition
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Iron
Iron is important because:
- Iron is used to make an important carrier, haemoglobim, that carries oxygen from lang to all the cells of the body.
- Iron increase the resistance to infection
- Iron helps the healing process
A lack of Iron can lead to:
- anaemia
The absorption of iron is affected by the following factors:
- Intake of phytates, exalates or tannins (from tea and coffee)
- intake of calcium
- tannin in tea and coffee
Foods that are rich in vitamin C can help the absorption of iron. So if possible iron-rich food should be taken with vitamin C rich food. Women need to make sure their diet is high enough in iron because iron is lost in the blood through menstruation.
Excess of Iron can cause stomach upsets, constipation and kidney damage.
Good Sources of Iron
| Food / 100g | Amount (mg) |
| Curry powder | 58.3 |
| Ground ginger | 46.3 |
| Lentils | 11.1 |
| Sesame seeds | 10.4 |
| Soya beans | 9.7 |
| Chicken liver | 9.2 |
| Red kidney beans | 6.4 |
| Lean beef | 2.1 |
| Eggs | 1.9 |
| Lean lamb | 1.6 |
| Grilled Lean Bacon | 1.6 |
| Baked beans in tomato sauce | 1.4 |
| Lightly boiled broccoli | 1.0 |
m = 0.001
Recommended Intakes for Adults::
UK Reference Nutrient Intakes (RNI) - 14.8mg (female), 8.7mg (male)
USA Recommended Daily Amount (RDA) - 18mg (female), 8mg (male)