The Truth About Lacking Iron On A Vegetarian Diet
Do you get all the iron your body needs form a vegan diet
? Maybe yes maybe no.
Yes and no. It's true that richest food in iron is red meat, but it is also found in some vegetables. By eating soy foods regularly you stand a good chance to get the same amount of iron as a person on a normal diet would. A study from 1999, which was published in the American Journal of Nutrition, proved that there is just a slight difference between the quantity of iron intake from a normal diet compared to a vegan diet.
The problem of a vegetarian diet is rather a problem of storage. Your body stores a huge amount of iron for later use. Vegans use up the same amount of iron as everybody but store a lot less in their body. The iron your body takes form meat is processed much faster than the iron your body takes form fruits and vegetables. Some vegetables also contain some substances that can limit your iron intake. But you will have to eat huge quantities to affect you too much. Also your iron absorption levels are lowered by drinking caffeine beverages and by some spices too.
How do I keep a healthy level of iron in my body? And what does that mean? Believe it or not but a vegan diet can give your body all the iron it needs to be healthy. Having a minerals and vitamin rich diet is important because they make sure you will absorb more iron from the same food: the first and foremost useful is the plain vitamin C. You need to eat foods that are rich in vitamin C and foods that are rich in iron at the same time. You can eat cereals with iron rich soy milk. You can also eat a spinach salad that also contains sesame seeds and oranges. You can also find foods that contain both vitamin C and iron together: broccoli, potatoes.
But you should know that vitamin C isn't the only vitamin that stimulates iron absorption. Copper plays an important role, Magnesium, Vitamin A, D, and the vitamin B complex. Your body is a living machine that adapts to your daily iron intake constantly: if it is too low you absorb more and you absorb less when you have an excess.
It is a good idea, and many doctors recommend it, that you take some iron supplements while you are on a vegan diet. More often than not these provisions are more than sufficient to protect you from anemia. Pregnant women and children should get more iron. To cover the special nutritional needs, they need an omnivore diet.
The recommended daily iron intake for women is of 15 mg before menopause and 10 mg after menopause. The daily iron intake for men is of 10 mg. Men have to be careful and avoid consuming more iron because it can be harmful for them. You have to be very careful with your iron intake if you plan to become a vegetarian.
by: Andrew Raw
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