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Iron Deficiency and Your Family

Let’s face it…busy families don’t always eat as well as they should. It’s an unfortunate part of modern family life. However, eating convenient sometimes means not fueling our bodies with the elements they need…like iron. So what about Iron Deficiency and Your Family?! Here’s what you need to know…

DISCLOSURE: This post is sponsored. All products mentioned on this page are compliments of FeraMAX®. All opinions of the products are my own.Iron Deficiency and Your Family

Iron Deficiency and Your Family

Feeling tired or dizzy? You could be low in iron or suffer from Iron Deficiency. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Iron Deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency in the world, especially for women and teenaged girls, and it’s  the leading cause of anemia.

I always read the labels when I go grocery shopping (yes, I do).  I look for fibre, sugar, trans fats…and from now on I’m going to make a mental note to look for iron.

Here’s a tip: foods with an iron content of 1 mg to 5 mg per serving size is considered a “good” source of iron, and more than 5 mg per serving size is considered an “excellent” source of iron.

And I offer a variety of heme and non-heme iron choices in our family meals (as well as in the school lunch box). Heme iron, which comes from meat, poultry, and fish, is easily absorbed by the body and is less affected by the other foods we consume. Non-heme iron, which comes from plant sources, like fruits and vegetables, legumes, and whole grains, are better absorbed by the body when consumed with vitamin C or animal tissue.

I shop the grocery store from the outside square in…(outside square having the fresh produce, fresh fruits, meats & seafood). That outside square has a lot iron rich food choices for your family.

I curb the iron robbing foods for me and my kids. For example, having them wait an hour after a meal to drink milk to ensure their bodies are able to absorb the iron from their food. I only have 2 cups of tea a day (and I LOVE my tea).  And we rarely, if ever, have cola.

Share: What do you eat or drink when you feel tired?…

FeraMAX® partnered with registered nurse and blood specialist, Leona Dove, to create The Iron Maiden – an online resource where you can learn more about Iron Deficiency, symptoms and treatment options.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Doris Calvert says

    Iam always really low on iron, sleepy and dizzy and suppose to take iron supplements but they make me so sick, not to mention other obvious problems, I do buy iron rich foods but did not know cheese, antacids and aluminum robbed you of it, one medication I take daily has aluminum in it, interesting. I just don’t know what to do but I am now anemic and don’t want to take the pills due to the side effects, any suggestions?

  2. Florence C says

    This is a great post. I have had problems with my iron levels. I have been turned down a few times from donating blood because my Iron level was too low to donate. I was told that cream of wheat is the fastest way to get iron into the blood. Thank you for the post and the link to the Iron Maiden.

  3. Aliya D says

    Thank you for this. I have a blood disorder that affects my iron levels severely, so I am pretty well informed about iron and nutrition, but there were a couple things in this post that surprised me. Had no idea that coffee and tea rob your body of iron! Thanks!

  4. kathy downey says

    Coffee and tea rob your body of iron,I am shocked..thanks for this post my Mom just can not get her iron up…she drinks lots of tea….will tell her to cut back and see if it makes a difference

  5. Elizabeth Matthiesen says

    A very informative post, thank you so much for all the info, some I already knew but others were new to me (tea and coffee for example)

  7. hmrcarlson says

    Babies who are over 6 months are prone to.iron deficiency especially if breastfed so now it is recommended to start meats along with cereals. I remember trying to get my six month-old to eat pureed meat, almost gagging myself 🙂 but it was important.

  10. Catherine S says

    What a great informative post. I didn’t know coffee and tea could rob your body of iron. We eat a lot of red meat in our house.

  12. Pam says

    My husband and son are meat lovers, so we aren’t low on iron! If the menu was entirely up to me, we probably would be.

  16. Kiwi says

    Chocolate can take away the iron in your body?? No what will I do I love my chocolate!! This was informative thank you!

  32. Rosey says

    I had low Iron when I was a teen. I’ve never liked eating meat, so I suspect that had a lot to do with it. I’ve since learned to make up for not eating meat though, and get my Iron elsewhere. 🙂

  33. savoryexperiments says

    I’ve had iron deficiencies off and on through my adult life. I make sure to eat red meat a couple times a week, take multi vitamins and eat spinach in a salad every single day!