Are you Iron Deficient?
After struggling with some really bad symptoms of iron deficiency the past few months I had so many people reach out on instagram and say they had been experiencing the same thing! I decided to write a blog post to share all my tips after lots of you reached out. Hope you find this helpful !!
Why do we need iron in the body ?
Iron deficiency is one of the most common widespread global nutrient deficiencies. Iron is vital to cellular activities due to its role in oxidation-reduction reactions , blood production, oxygen transfer in the body & immune function.
Am I iron deficient ?
For females especially , iron deficiency is very common and we are more vulnerable to iron loss due to menstruation. You can be anaemic and iron deficient or have iron deficiency without anaemia . You may also be more susceptible if you have any gut issues that result in malabsorption or you are vegetarian (due to low bioavailability of plant based iron).
Possible symptoms that may indicate iron deficiency :
fatigue
brain fog
dizziness
shortness of breath
heart palpitations
headaches
How can I fix this ?
DIET
Incorporating great sources of iron in your diet is the first place to look. Make sure you avoid eating these foods around coffee , chocolate & calcium as this can inhibit absorption ! These foods include :
red meat
poultry
fish
eggs
( these animal sources are known as haem iron and is absorbed much better than plant based non haem iron )
vegetarian sources include :
beans
legumes
leafy greens
try and pair all of these foods with vitamin C to increase iron absorption !
SUPPLEMENTATION
Under the guidance of a practitioner supplementation can really a help. A few brands that I have used or heard great things about include
Metagenics Hemagenics Advanced
Biomedica Bioheme
FeMax
Maltofer
WHAT NEXT?
If you are still unable to absorb oral iron / through food it is really important to work out why your gut is unable to absorb. It is a good idea to get a coeliac test as this is one really common reason many people are iron deficient. You can also chat to your doctor about an iron infusion if that is a suitable option for you .
Hope this helped ! xx