The mineral iron does play an important role in transporting oxygen from lungs to the other tissues and muscles in your body. It is actually found in a variety of meals or foods or perhaps is added to processed food. It is also possible that this is simply taken as dietary supplement. The amount of iron which is needed in your dietary plan varies with gender, age, and particular medical conditions. Men between the ages of 19 and 50 years require eight milligrams each day, while females at the same age need eighteen milligrams. Pregnant women require about 28 milligrams of iron on daily basis. Here is iron-laden food for diet.
The Kinds of Iron
Dietary plan focusing on iron is grouped into either non-heme or heme. The most saturated and most bioavailable kind of iron is heme, mostly present in animal-based products like seafood and meat. Non-heme iron is present in plant-based products, such as nuts, beans, and fortified grains. Vegetarians that do not consume heme sources of iron should plan their meals so as to assure that they get sufficient amount of iron.
Some Useful Breakfast Ideas
Foods which are fortified with iron may meet your daily requirement for iron for your breakfast. Most of the cold breakfast cereals are generally fortified with one hundred percent of the daily intake, or eighteen milligrams of iron each serving. Hot instant oats and cereals will provide almost half of the daily requirement, which ranges from 4.9 to 8.1 milligrams each serving. This will benefit special population like those that restrict the intake of gluten in their dietary plan and, of course, vegetarian. The other sources of iron can be found in spinach, eggs, refriedbeans, whole-grain bread, and prune juice. Such foods will get you almost 2.5 milligrams each serving. In order to elevate the absorption of non-heme breakfast foods, you should include foods which are high in vitamin C, be it strawberries and citrus.
 |
| Citrus Fruits |
Dinner and Lunch Meals
Heme based iron food sources for dinner and lunch can be present in beef, seafood, and poultry. A three ounce serving of these foods offers two to eight milligrams each serving. Complementing your protein with non heme foods will also improve the bioavailability of iron. Provide ½ cup of lentils or also cooked spinach to get an additional 3.3 milligrams of iron.
In this case, vegetarian should be particularly cautious when you are planning meals to assure that they eat a sufficient amount of non heme iron. Fine food sources for vegetarians comprise of tofu or even cooked soybeans, lentils, or kidney beans. You can make stir-fry with cashew, nut, bean-based chili, or tofu with spinach salad. You can always add another source of vitamin C, such as tomatoes, to improve absorption.
Some Important Considerations
Most American people that consume balanced diet will obtain adequate amount of iron provided in their daily diet. Populations that are risk for iron lack include teenage girls, young children, and pregnant women. Iron supplementation may be important to prevent iron deficiency.