Medical Questions » Diet Questions » Question No. 1234
| Question: | I am a vegetarian suf fering from anaemia. How do I improve my iron intake? |
| Answer: | The optimum intake of iron is 15mg a day, which can increase up to 25mg if your deficiency is very serious. Pumpkin seeds, parsley, almonds, prunes, cashew nuts, raisins, Brazil nuts and dates are all, in descending order, good sources of iron. Organic eggs are also rich in iron. Eating iron-rich foods with vitamin C- rich foods increases absorption, so pair your seeds and nuts with an orange, a handful of strawberries or a few
chunks of kiwi fruit.
In terms of supplements, some are absorbed better than others. I recommend either iron bisglycinate or a ' truefood' iron, which is iron within a food matrix.
But you shouldn' t focus on iron alone. Other nutrients are needed to make blood cells - Vitamin B12 or folic acid, and zinc, for example - so you should take a good-quality multivi- tamin and mineral supplement. And if you have low stomach acid or a lack of other digestive enzymes, you may not be able to absorb iron or other minerals from your food. In this case taking a digestive enxyme that contains betaine hydrchloride can help. |
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