Iron-Rich Foods: We all know that Iron is one of the essential elements of the human body. In fact, human blood consists of a high percentage of Iron. As per the study, about 70% of the human body Iron found in the human blood, Red Blood cell.
In general human red blood cells termed as hemoglobin, hemoglobin plays a vital role in transporting oxygen to all the human cells, tissues, and also organs cited in the human body. Without enough iron, the transportation of healthy oxygen will get block. In simple words, the lack of red blood cells in the human body often referred to as an iron deficiency.
Though there are several medications available to overcome iron deficiency in today’s advanced medical world, consuming Iron-rich foods is vital in order to balance the Iron presence in our human body.
Why Iron Rich Foods Are Important?
Since iron is an important component for the transmission of oxygen all over the human body. Irrespective to the age factor all age group of humans requires sufficient supply of iron in their blood. Iron is one of the minerals, which can easily found in all-natural food. So, consuming iron-enrich food will keep balanced hemoglobin and keep your body away from getting an iron deficiency.
With improper iron, the supply body will get exhausted quickly and it will affect everything including brain functions and all organs failure. In addition, Iron mineral plays a vital role in maintaining healthy hair, skin, and nails.
How to Get More Iron From Your Food?
Well, it will be a million-dollar question for many “How much iron one need?” Well when compared with adults, infants and toddlers require a high amount of Iron supply since their body grows rapidly.
The below-listed table illustrates the amount of iron mineral required based on the age factor
| S.No | Human Age | Amount of Iron Mineral Required |
| 1 | Child from age 4 to 8 | 10 Milligrams per day |
| 2 | Child from age 9 to 13 | 8 Milligrams per day |
| 3 | Adults ages 14 to 18 | · For Men: 8 Mg per day
· For Women: 15 Mg per day |
| 4 | People age from 19 to 50 | · For Men: 8 Mg per day
· For Women: 18 Mg per day |
Since women in middle age lose a lot of blood each month during their period days, the amount of iron requires is quite high when compared with men at the same age. Lack of iron in the human body will lead to Iron Deficiency Anemia.
What is Iron Deficiency Anemia?
Iron Deficiency Anemia is one of the most common types of anemia seen among all age groups all over the world. Basically, this type of anemia occurs when the human body doesn’t receive enough quantity of Iron mineral.
In simple words, anemia can be explained as a condition that occurs when the hemoglobin level gets decreases in human blood. The devastating thing about Anemia is many people don’t aware of having anemia deficiency. There are several cases, where a person doesn’t aware of having iron-deficiency anemia for several years.
When compared with men, women infected with such anemia more often especially during their heavy menstruation time or during their pregnancy. The main reason is because of the heavy blood leak during those periods.
Symptoms of Iron Deficiency Anemia
- Extreme fatigue
- Weakness
- Pale skin
- Chest pain, fast heartbeat, or shortness of breath
- Headache, dizziness, or lightheadedness
- Cold hands and feet
- Inflammation or soreness of your tongue
- Brittle nails
- Unusual cravings for non-nutritive substances, such as ice, dirt, or starch
- Poor appetite, especially in infants and children with iron deficiency anemia
Health Complications of Iron Deficiency if it not treated
Mostly, the Anemia caused because of Iron Deficiency posses mild complication which can be fully cured with proper medication. However, if it not treated properly at the right time, then it might lead to severe health hazards.
Some of those health hazards are listed below
- Rapid or irregular heartbeats
- Pregnancy complications among women
- Delayed growth in case of children and infants
Based on the study report, people who eat only vegetarian foods require more iron than the people who are in the practice of consuming non-vegetarian foods. Choosing the right set of iron-enriched foods will reduce the risk of getting Iron deficiency anemia.
How to Prevent Iron Deficiency?
Having a well-balanced healthy diet by including foods that are having a high amount of iron minerals can play a vital on preventing all types’ deficiency that includes Iron deficiency. One must ensure of consuming a combination of vegetarian foods along with the vitamin C enriched foods will do wonders in treating iron deficiency.
Top 10 Iron Rich Foods That Are Very Rich in Iron
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Spinach
Spinach offers several vitamins and minerals, especially 20% of RDI for Iron. It is found that consuming spinach and other green leafy substance on regular basis will act as antioxidants. Apart from providing enough Iron supply to the human body it also helps in curing several eye-related diseases.
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Chickpeas
For vegetarians, consuming chickpeas, beans, and other legumes is a great source of supplying Iron minerals. Consuming 1 cup of chickpeas will offer around 37% of RDI for Iron. In order avail, better output considers taking legumes along with effective Vitamin C products.
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Raisins
Raisins are a significant food when it comes to iron-rich foods, by consuming around one-third cup of raisins contains a high amount of iron minerals. To be frank, raisins are the dried fruits that could be a potential snack for the afternoon.
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Baked Potato
Potato could be the great iron supplier which can obtain from the side dishes, potato which is baked with moderated spice and olive oil will be a healthy snack. Consuming a big sized potato might contain a minimum of 3 mg of Iron, in addition, it will ease the digestion as well as.
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Shellfish
Shellfish one of the tasty and nutritious foods that contain about 155% of RDI or in other words it can refer to 28mg of Iron. Apart from offering enough Iron minerals, shellfish also enriched with several nutrients that lead to an increase in good HDL cholesterol levels in the blood.
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Red Meat
Many might tend to skip Red Meat from adding to their diet because of allergic reactions. But the fact is Red Meat is the potential source of producing heme iron and other significant nutrients, proteins, zinc, and several Vitamin B elements. It contains about 15% of RDI for Iron.
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Pumpkin Seeds
No one would skip eating pumpkin seeds as it a very tasty snack and it poses a good amount of Vitamin K and other nutrients apart from offering sufficient Iron minerals. It contains 26% of RDI for Iron.
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Cashews
If you are considering a snack based vegan source of availing Iron minerals, cashews could be the best choice. One ounce of cashews contains about 2 mg of iron and other nutrients. At the same time, one needs to note down that high-quality cashews possess high calories.
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Broccoli
Half cooked broccoli contains about 1mg of iron or 6% of RDI for Iron. In addition, it can be used potential source for gaining Vitamin C and enough fiber.
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Dark Chocolate
Who ignores the delicious and nutritious dark chocolates, 1 ounce of the approximate amount of 28 gram of dark chocolate contains about 3.3 mg of iron. Apart from that dark chocolate contains several other minerals and fiber that good for health.
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Bottom Line
Human body incapable of producing essential minerals on its own especially Iron, so one must ensure of taking enough iron-dense food in diet list in order to prevent the risk of getting Iron deficiency anemia and other health issues.
Read Also : Low-Carbohydrate Diet – What To Eat?
However, experts will always advise the people who suffer from iron deficiency to consult with a doctor for treatments before stepping into self-medication.
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