A Dietitian's Guide to Getting Enough Iron
Did you know that iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency in the world? Unfortunately, an iron deficiency is linked to an increased risk of many diseases due to iron’s role in our immune health. While anemia from iron deficiency is most common in under-developed countries, it is still a fairly common deficiency here in Canada.
Let’s iron things out.
1. What is iron?
Iron is a mineral naturally found in many foods. It is essential for our health and carries important roles in our body. Most notably, iron helps carry oxygen in our blood. Without it, our cells would not be able to get the oxygen they need to survive.
While many foods have iron, they don’t all contain the same type of iron. In fact, there are two types of iron in food:
Heme iron: The iron our body prefers, because it is easily absorbed and used. This type of iron is found in meat, fish and poultry.
Non-heme iron: The iron our body absorbs less efficiently. Non-heme iron can be found in beans and legumes, dark leafy greens, nuts, seeds, black olives, dried fruit and fortified grains.
A good rule of thumb is that iron-rich foods derived from animals have heme iron, while the iron-rich foods derived from plants have non-heme iron.
2. Who is at risk of developing an iron deficiency?
The people most at risk of developing an iron deficiency are those who can’t meet their needs or those whose needs are increased. For instance, since iron is found in blood, menstruating women are more at risk of anemia because their iron needs are increased. In general, the groups most at risk of anemia due to an iron deficiency are:
Menstruating women
Pregnant women
Vegetarians and vegans
Premature infants
Frequent blood donors
People with certain health conditions.
If you have concerns about meeting your iron needs, a registered dietitian can help ensure you are getting enough iron in your diet
3. How can I reduce my risk of an iron deficiency?
The single most important thing you can do to help prevent an iron deficiency is to eat iron-rich foods and to include sources of both heme and non-heme iron in your diet.
For those following a plant-based diet, i.e. a diet poor in heme iron, it is still possible to meet your iron needs with a diverse and balanced diet. Other than eating lots of iron-rich foods every day, there is one known trick to increase the absorbability of non-heme iron: complementing your iron-rich foods with sources of vitamin C. Vitamin C is found in many fruits and in some vegetables. For instance, you could try:
Tossing your spinach salad (source of iron) with a lemon-based dressing (source of vitamin C)
Adding tomatoes (source of vitamin C) to your lentil soup (source of iron)
Topping your oatmeal (source of iron) with berries (source of vitamin C)
Finally, here are a few iron-rich recipes that could inspire you to eat more iron throughout the day:
What’s your favourite iron-rich recipe?
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