Enhance Your Iron Intake

Enhance Your Iron Intake

July 6, 2006

Even though iron is widely available in food, iron deficiency is a common nutrition problem.

Iron carries oxygen throughout your body so cells can produce energy. When levels of iron are low, fatigue, weakness and poor tolerance to temperature extremes often result.

Iron in food exists as two types, heme and non-heme. Animal foods such as meat, fish and poultry, provide heme, which is used most effectively by your body. Non-heme is found in plant foods such as spinach and beans and isn’t as well absorbed.

You can enhance your iron intake by choosing a variety of animal and plant foods and by consuming foods rich in vitamin C. Vitamin C acts to aid in the absorption of iron in plant foods and by consuming a variety of foods you will ensure iron will be available when you need it.

Produced by ADA’s Public Relations Team

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