Iron!!
It’s a blessing to be able to transition to a vegan diet and I feel like such a sheep when I realized my health was in jeopardy on a omnivore diet than I knew, until I had to research very hard to accomplish my nutrition needs to living now without having to think about it now because I know how my body works. Which is why I will now recommend using a food nutrition app for your first couple of months to track your vitamins and other nutritional needs until you adjust properly and are in a routine.
I knew about iron, how it helps bring oxygen to your red blood cells to function properly and hemoglobin as well, but what I didn’t know was how to prevent iron deficiency in a more ‘work smart not hard’ kind of way. Plant diet or not you need to know this!:
- Never drink caffeine with your meals that are full of iron because it inhibits the absorption rate! Just drink your coffee or tea in between your meals. (see below for more potential inhibitors)
- Drink instead Vitamin C rich drinks, my favorite is orange juice. If you prefer less sugar for a diabetes diet eat leafy greens, such as broccoli, spinach (14%) , kale (124%) etc
Now onto Heme-iron and non-heme iron (need to know!!)
I had no idea there was two separate kinds of iron! My friend out of state told me she didn’t eat red meat except for her iron which she needs badly for her monthly cycles and I tried to show her sources of iron in a version of plants. That led me to heme and non-heme, heme iron is lower in amounts to the serving of meat but is absorbed much easily but you have to eat more to absorb more, which is making you more unhealthy with the excessive fat and cholesterol. And non heme was the opposite.
To credit what I say, I’ll now on quote from a academic study by Dr. Janet R. Hunt on what I want to explain all about the iron~
“Moving toward a plant-based diet alters the distribution of dietary iron between the efficiently absorbed heme form that is approximately 40% of the iron in meat, poultry, and fish,” and the less well absorbed nonheme form present in all foods. Absorption of nonheme iron is substantially affected by both body iron status and by dietary enhancers and inhibitors. Reducing meat consumption decreases dietary heme iron, which accounts for approximately 2 mg (10-12%) of the iron in a diet with substantial amounts of red meat. ‘•^ Dietary heme iron is reduced when poultry or fish are substituted for red meat because these foods generally contain less total iron than red meat, although a similar proportion of the iron from these foods is in the heme form. Vegetarian diets contain no heme iron.”
And I found more ways iron absorption can be inhibited in a non-heme iron diet (Plant based)“Dietary factors or foods that inhibit nonheme iron absorption include phytic acid (6-phosphoinositol) in whole grains, legumes, lentils, and nuts: polyphenols, such as tannic and chlorogenic acids, in tea, coffee, red wines, and a variety of other cereals, vegetables, and spices:’° soy protein (apparently independent of the phytic acid in soy): and eggs (unidentified factor)”(Moving Toward a Plant-based diet, are Zinc and Iron at risk?, Janet Hunt, Ph.D, page 128)
Now the problem with Heme-iron is that it cannot be regulated by the body, not the same way non-heme iron can be, with non-heme iron you cannot get enough of it, it’s okay to have over 18mg a day. Here is a chart from the Nation Institute’s of Health chart of daily iron intake for a range of ages and gender:
| Age | Male | Female | Pregnancy | Lactation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birth to 6 months | 0.27 mg* | 0.27 mg* | ||
| 7–12 months | 11 mg | 11 mg | ||
| 1–3 years | 7 mg | 7 mg | ||
| 4–8 years | 10 mg | 10 mg | ||
| 9–13 years | 8 mg | 8 mg | ||
| 14–18 years | 11 mg | 15 mg | 27 mg | 10 mg |
| 19–50 years | 8 mg | 18 mg | 27 mg | 9 mg |
| 51+ years | 8 mg | 8 mg |
* Adequate Intake (AI)
Now you may be wondering why males need less daily intake than women until after 50 years of age is due to women’s monthly cycle takes a portion of iron from blood loss etc from menstruation until menopause then more iron is retained every month when the females are over menopause, therefore less of a risk for amnenia.
“Recommendations to use iron cookware, to consume iron-containing foods concurrently with ascorbic acid containing foods and limit inhibitory foods, and to use preparation methods that reduce the phytic acid in foods^” may help improve the amount of iron absorbed from vegetarian diets. However, the hypothesized improvements in absorption have not been quantitatively tested.”(Moving Toward a Plant-based diet, are Zinc and Iron at risk?, Janet Hunt, Ph.D, page 129)
Now with that in mind, lets find plants richer in iron than meat!
I strongly recommend GRAPE NUT CEREAL ORIGINAL, why?!
Because it has around 90% of your iron needs in half a cup!! just add a packet of Stevia, not good plain plain, and eat up! I try to eat that or original Wheaties frosted, both have great source of whole wheat and iron. 16mg!
I think that’s everything! Questions? Comment or message me! Have a good night! I have a new job, cant wait to work a full day and class test tomorrow, need my energy!
Sources:
Chart for daily iron absorption: National Institutes of Health
Hunt, Janet R. 2002. “Moving Toward a Plant-based Diet: Are Iron and Zinc at Risk?.” Nutrition Reviews 60, no. 5: 127-134.Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed February 23, 2016).
(the color doesn’t quite capture it)
informedfemale 