What type of food helps to replenish iron in the body?
To reconstitute our iron storage, there are many foods that contain this precious substance in appreciable quantities.
Iron plays a vital role in the body and contributes, among others, to the production of red blood cells which transport oxygen in our body. Health authorities recommend that premenopausal women should consume 16mg of iron per day. But according to surveys, most would rather consume only around 11.6 mg/ day.
HOW TO OVERCOME A LACK OF IRON?
Pale skin, chronic fatigue, hair loss…these symptoms can be a sign of a lack of iron. To rebuild our reserves and regain energy, we often hear that we must build up on the sausages, and it is true that they hold a record level of iron. This is not the case for spinach, however much Popeye may be unhappy. If they do contain the precious trace element, there are many foods that contain more or even just as much. Everything is therefore to a mix of iron-rich foods to correct it without falling into the taste monotony. Especially if some products appear to have promising iron levels, one consumes only small quantities (such as curry and thyme). The origin is also important: the iron in meat is 2.5 times better assimilated than plant or dairy products. And it is better absorbed by the body when consumed together with vitamin C (meat + vegetables for example). Conversely, drinking tea during the meal blocks iron absorption. One should wait an hour between lunch or dinner and tea.
Finally, you must never take any iron supplements without talking to your doctor or having made a prior blood test that establishes a possible deficiency. The risk: an iron surplus that stays in our body, will cause cells to encounter oxidation before being picked up by the protein.
Sources: ANSES and Ciqual 2013 table
Maureen Diament and Nur Syazana H.
