Women need more iron than men. Do you exercise a lot, are you on your period, pregnant or vegetarian? Even more reasons to keep a close eye on your iron, because this is what iron does in your body.
Iron is important for making hemoglobin, a component of red blood cells. The latter transport oxygen throughout your body. You also need iron to produce energy. That's why you can feel so tired if you don't get enough iron.
Read also: 'You should eat these 10 iron-rich foods more often'
Iron is in your food in two forms:90 percent of all the iron we eat is non-heme iron. This is in animal and plant products. 10 percent comes from heme iron and is only found in animal products. Your body absorbs 25 percent of heme iron. With non-heme iron this is only 1 to 10 percent. That's why you get your daily amount of iron faster by eating meat.
Vegetable products: grain products, soy (such as tofu and tempeh), potatoes, legumes (especially peas and lentils), nuts, seeds, green (leaf) vegetables, herbs (oregano and basil), mustard seed, seaweed, dried fruit and apple syrup.
Animal products: red meat (especially organ meats/beef and lamb), chicken, fish, shellfish and egg.
You don't just get an iron deficiency. Your body gets more iron from food if you have too little iron in your body. With a large deficiency you can eventually get anemia. You can also get anemia if you don't get enough folic acid or vitamin B12.
The signs often appear before you have anemia. Therefore, pay close attention to:
