If your face looks pale and you feel tired easily, it could be due to low iron in your body.
Today, let’s talk about how you can get the right amount of iron your body needs.
There are two types of iron we get from food.
- From animal foods such as meat, fish, dried fish, and sprats, we get a type of iron called heme iron. This type is easily absorbed by the body.
- From plant foods and eggs, we get non-heme iron, which is absorbed less efficiently by the body.
Non-heme iron is found in foods such as:
- Dark green leafy vegetables like spinach, kathurumurunga, and moringa leaves
- Legumes such as cowpea, chickpeas, mung beans, and lentils
- Grains such as maize and finger millet (kurakkan)
Now, what can we do to increase iron absorption from the food we eat?
- Vitamin C helps increase iron absorption in the digestive system.
That’s why it is important to consume fruits rich in vitamin C such as lime, orange, papaya, gooseberry, and guava after meals.
This is also why pregnant mothers are given vitamin C along with iron tablets.
Other ways to improve iron absorption include:
2) Adding lime, tamarind, or tomatoes when cooking food
3) Soaking legumes such as chickpeas and mung beans for 24 hours and using them after they sprout
Now let’s look at what reduces iron absorption in the body.
Tea and coffee reduce iron absorption. Therefore, if you drink tea or coffee, it should be taken either one hour before or one hour after meals.
Also, if calcium tablets are taken together with iron, iron absorption decreases. So they should be taken separately.
That is why during pregnancy, iron with vitamin C and folic acid is usually given at night, while calcium is given in the morning.
Pregnant mothers who are unaware of this sometimes take iron and calcium together, which can reduce iron levels in the blood and lead to anemia and complications.
Apart from low iron intake from food, there are other causes of iron deficiency in the body.
Heavy menstrual bleeding, hemorrhoids, and hookworm infections can also reduce iron levels.
If your body becomes low in iron:
- In addition to tiredness and pale skin
- You may get infections more easily and have reduced immunity
- Attention and memory may decrease
- Growth may be affected
- During pregnancy, complications may occur, including low birth weight of the baby
To prevent these conditions and maintain good health, it is very important to follow the above advice and ensure your body gets the right amount of iron.