Fast metabolism , good blood circulation, strong bones, teeth, hair and all-powerful immunity - it turns out that all this is possible, you just need to add a little iron to your diet. It is iron responsible for blood circulation and the synthesis of red blood cells, also Fe is responsible for immunity and leukocytes, and, of course, if all this is in order, the body will fork out and allocate a little iron and teeth with hair.
Alas, the products most rich in iron are red meat and offal. By coincidence, it is from them that we refuse to diet. As a result, fans of different weight loss systems suffer from one ailment - iron deficiency anemia.
Functions of iron in the body
In order to approach the question of the necessity of having iron-rich foods in our diet, we begin with the vital functions of Fe in the body.
First of all, it's blood. 70% of all the incoming iron is directed to the production of blood, or more precisely, red blood cells - red blood cells. Since erythrocytes provide each cell of our body with food, iron becomes a decisive factor in the vital activity of the body. Moreover, erythrocytes are carriers of oxygen. If the gland is small - a little and red blood cells, in the end, we suffer from oxygen starvation.
Further, there is myoglobin. It is a protein that stores oxygen in case of difficulty breathing, so-called oxygen ballast. In addition, iron participates in oxidative processes, which means that its deficiency will lead to a decrease in the ability to convert food into energy. And leukocytes - a pledge of immunity. Their work is to isolate peroxide to fight pathogenic microorganisms. Alas, peroxide is capable of poisoning ourselves, and to neutralize it, we need iron again.
Iron-containing products
First of all, it must be emphasized that iron is much more in animal products than in vegetable products, and it is assimilated from meat and fish much better than from plants.
In animal products:
- beef, pork, lamb, veal;
- ducks, geese;
- by-products, especially the liver;
- turkey and rabbit;
- seafood - oysters, shellfish, mussels;
- yolk of eggs;
- pink salmon, mackerel.
The problem of most vegetarians is iron deficiency anemia. If meat is fundamentally impossible, you need to focus on plant foods rich in iron and iron-containing complexes:
- oats (cereals, not cereals);
- buckwheat, lentils;
- beans;
- walnuts;
- beet;
- dried fruits;
- garnet, grapes, apricots, peaches.
Assimilation of iron
To assimilate this important element of Mendeleyev's table, it is not enough to know which foods are rich in iron. It is very important to properly combine iron with other substances.
So, promote its assimilation of vitamin C and folic acid. Prevents calcium.
This means that the consumption of foods rich in iron, especially in anemia, should be combined with citrus, green vegetables, kiwi, berries, as well as beans, lentils, and asparagus. But to avoid is the usual combination - "buckwheat with milk." The fact is that calcium interferes with the assimilation of iron, and iron does not allow the assimilation of calcium.
Well, and the last important fact, women need to consume far more foods rich in iron and folic acid than anyone else, because in part we lose Fe reserves during menstruation.
The daily iron norm for a woman is 18 mg, but with intensive training, this amount should be increased to 25 mg. Pay attention to your health, and if there is a suspicion of iron deficiency, the biochemical analysis of blood will help to stop the doubts.