What does it do?
Iron’s main function is its role in haemoglobin production – where it helps the red blood cells to carry oxygen around the body. It also helps with releasing energy from food, is important for growth during childhood, nerve fibre maintenance, and helps the body resist disease and stress. Because of its role carrying oxygen around the body, we need iron to help us fight tiredness and anaemia.
What’s the story?
Iron deficiency is the most common micronutrient deficiency in the world, with over 1 billion thought to be deficient in iron.
Why? Well for starters iron can be a tricky devil for the body to absorb in sufficient amounts. Phytates (found in fibre), tannins in tea, too much calcium, and oxalic acid in spinach and beetroot can all prevent iron from being absorbed. So a top tip for boosting the amount of iron your body absorbs is to include a source of vitamin C (orange juice, vegetables, tomatoes) alongside any iron-rich meals you eat.
Not only that, but iron can be easily lost through bleeding, which of course includes monthly periods. For that reason iron deficient anaemia disproportionately affects young women. Popular culture and gender stereotypes love to associate red meat with men, while women laugh at salads, but a couple of helpings of red meat a week for menstruating women would go some way to helping fight this deficiency.
How much do I need?
Adolescent and adult women need 14.8 mg per day from whenever puberty hits until the menopause.
Then, iron requirements drop to 8.7 mg per day, in line with the amount all adult men need.
What are good sources?
Although red meat gets the gold medal for iron content, both plant and non-plant foods are sources of iron. 14% to 18% of iron in mixed diets including meat and seafood is available for the body to absorb, but this drops to 5% to 12% from vegetarian diets.
Non-plant sources (haem) are much more easily absorbed by the body, and include really any sort of meat, although as a rule of thumb the darker the meat the better. So beef, liver, and other red meats are all very high in iron.
Plant based (or non-heam) sources of iron include brown rice, wheat germ, green leafy veg, nuts, dried fruit and some fortified breads and breakfast cereals, although these are less easily absorbed by the body.
Any ideas for using those ingredients?
Coriander seared beef/hunter's chicken/Red lentil curry/liver alla veneziana/jewelled brown rice/tofu and aubergine stirfry
References
British Nutrition Foundation (2021). Nutrition Requirements. Available here.
British Nutrition Foundation (2021). Vitamins and Minerals in our Food. Available here.
NHS choices (2016) Iron deficiency anaemia. Available here [accessed 6th July 2017].