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Improving Your Iron Intake Iron is needed to make healthy red blood cells which carry oxygen around the body. The levels of iron in your body will fall if you don’t eat sufficient iron containing food. This can lead to tiredness, lack of energy, poor appetite and a pale complexion. These are all symptoms of iron deficiency anaemia. Dietary iron is present in two forms:• • Haem-Iron - derived from animal sources and is easily used by the body. Non-Haem Iron - found in plant foods but the body finds this harder to use. Eating foods rich in vitamin C, such as citrus fruit, fruit juices, blackcurrant and green leafy vegetables helps the body to use the non haem iron in plant foods. Try to include at least one of these foods at each meal. Absorption of non-haem iron can be reduced by high intakes of fibre and tea. Try to avoid drinking tea with meals. Daily Requirements Male 11-18 years Male 19+ years Female 11-50 years Female 50+ years 11.3mg 8.7mg 14.8mg 8.7mg Liver is a rich source of iron, but contains much higher amounts of vitamin A than other foods. For this reason it should be avoided in pregnant women. Women post-menopause and men aged over 65 should not eat liver or liver products more than once a week as too much vitamin A can be harmful to bone health. Animal Sources of Iron mg Plant Sources of Iron mg 4 (100g) sardines tinned in tomato sauce 100g cooked lambs’ liver 100g cooked kidney 1 small can (100g) tuna 75g (3ozs) cooked beef mince 75g (3oz) roast leg of lamb 75g (3oz) roast leg of pork 75g (3oz) roast chicken 1 medium egg 1 burger (100% beef) 2.9 7.7 6.4 1.0 2.0 1.4 0.8 0.5 1.1 1.5 50g (2oz) liquorice allsorts 25g (1oz) cashew nuts 3 tbsp cooked lentils 2 dried figs 3 tbsp baked beans Large (140g/5½oz) portion spring greens 50g (2oz) dark/plain chocolate Small bowl of porridge oats 1 slice wholemeal bread 100g ready to eat apricots 1 slice white bread Small portion of courgettes Boiled potatoes (medium) 1 tsp curry powder Watercress - average serving Small glass red wine 3.7 1.6 4.2 1.7 1.9 2.0 1.2 0.7 0.9 3.4 0.6 0.4 0.5 1.8 0.4 1.1 Page 1 of 2 How to Eat More Iron Have a fortified breakfast cereal which has iron added to it. Check the label, each brand varies. • • • • • • • • Baked beans or sardines on wholemeal toast makes an excellent snack meal. Add beans and lentils to soups and stews - as well as being a good source of iron, they are low in fat and high in protein. Try a double egg omelette served with spring greens. Have dried fruit as a snack. Try a corned beef hash Go Mexican with a chilli con carne - red meat, kidney beans and vegetables together. Stay traditional with steak & kidney pie, served with vegetables. Have a glass of fruit juice with meals. Sample Daily Meal Plan Breakfast 2 Weetabix with milk 1 slice wholemeal toast with spread and jam. Glass of orange juice Mid-morning Cup of tea & handful dried fruit Lunch Egg & salad sandwiches with 3 slices of wholemeal bread Yoghurt Blackcurrant squash Mid-afternoon Cup of tea Evening meal Chilli con carne, rice & green salad Nutty fruit crumble Glass of Water Before bed Milky drink & Oatcake Improving your Iron Intake (03.11) Produced by Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust Dietitians Chichester Dietitians, The Lodge, St Richard’s Hospital, Spitalfield Lane, Chichester, West Sussex PO19 6SE Tel: 01243 831498 Fax: 01243 831497 E-Mail: [email protected] Disclaimer: The information given in this diet sheet is accurate at the time of going to press. The mentioning of a particular support group, website or product does not constitute an endorsement by the Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust. The Trust is keen to know if this document/leaflet gives you the information you need in a way that is easy to understand. Please tell us if you think we can improve it, by calling the numbers above or e-mailing. Page 2 of 2