Do you find our website to be helpful?
Yes   No

Importance of Iron

Woman viewing computer

Our bodies go through so many change during pregnancy - understandably, as we are growing another life within! Because of this, we often need to be more aware of what we eat and what we need to add to our diet to help work with our bodies and support these changes. One example of this is iron. Iron is a mineral that is very important with creating blood cells that move oxygen throughout our body. Our blood supply increases drastically when we are pregnant. The lack of iron can cause iron-deficiency anemia, meaning our body does not create as many blood cells as we need because they do not have the building blocks to make them. This can make people feel tired or sluggish, look pale, feel weak, have heart palpitations, and even cause shortness of breath. It can be hard to diagnose because many people feel those symptoms just from being pregnant. 

When you are pregnant, you need to increase your iron intake from 18mg a day to 27mg a day. Many people are able to do this by increasing iron rich foods in their diet. This can include red meat, beef/chicken liver, cooked shellfish, lentils, cooked spinach, pumpkin seeds, dried apricots, potatoes with the skin, and fortified cereals. You can also cook using a cast-iron pan to boost even more iron. 

Adding iron is only half the battle - it is also important to make sure you are able to actually absorb iron so your body can use it. Having iron with vitamin C helps with this absorption. Foods high in vitamin C include: citrus oranges/orange juice, grapefruit, broccoli, brussel sprouts, peppers, kale/spinach etc. You also want to avoid foods high in calcium: milk, cheese, yogurt, even your prenatal vitamin. Learn when to check for this deficiency on our next post! Stay tuned. 

Author
True Harmony Provider The True Harmony providers collaborate to bring easy to understand education to our community

You Might Also Enjoy...

Holiday Health Tips For Women

The holiday season brings with it intense travel, crowded shops and festive social events. The holiday period can sometimes be a time of frenetic activity filled with familial obligations, shopping trips and extensive socializing.

Inspiring Quotes About Health and Life

Health is a blessing that we should always cherish. It's not something that will come to us quickly, but if we put in the work and live a healthy lifestyle, it can be attained with time. Many inspiring quotes about health and life help motivate people to g

Health Tips from a Naturopath's Perspective

Naturopaths are healthcare providers who focus on natural, holistic treatments for their patients. They offer various services such as nutritional counseling and naturopathic medicine to help people live healthier lives. Here are five essential health tips

Benefits of Delayed Cord Clamping

A lot of decisions go into pregnancy, the waiting, and the giving birth. If you are an expectant mom, you need to learn all there is to know about the various medical interventions involved in giving birth. Then decide which ones you prefer or which ones y