Welcome to Sunday Supplement! Today, I want to talk about Iron. This is a mineral that many people are deficient in, but its important to the human body for a number of reasons.
Iron is required for the production of red blood cells and transporting oxygen around the body, so that in itself shows how important iron is. In terms of sport and athletes, iron is crucial as it is involved in converting blood sugar into energy, which is obviously vital to that athlete to perform at his best. Iron can also help you recover from being ill or from strenuous exercise.
Iron plays a role in physical and mental growth, so for toddlers and pregnant women, iron is a must. I have seen surveys that have shown many pregnant women being deficient in iron, this is down to having a tiny human growing inside you, but also women in general are more at risk of being deficient in iron. Your iron levels can deplete in a variety of ways - sweating, urination, defecation, exfoliation and bleeding. As women go through their monthly cycle, bleeding occurs, which is a way of iron escaping, so I would advise women to get their levels checked if you are not already supplementing with iron or have a solid diet containing plenty of iron.
If your levels of iron are low, that means the transportation of oxygen will be lower, leading to the following symptoms:
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
- Light headed
- Difficulty focusing
- Apathy
- Breathlessness
- unusually pale skin
- brittle nails
- Lower immunity (getting ill more often)
- Reduced performance for athletes
If you have any of the above, I would advise you to see your GP and get checked out. Iron really IS important to your health.
Top iron rich foods:
- Spinach
- Chicken breast
- Lean sirloin- Lean ground beef
- Salmon
- Pumpkin seeds
- Broccoli
- Beef liver
Remember, FOOD BEFORE SUPPLEMENTS!
Since we cannot produce iron ourselves, it is extremely crucial that we either consume plenty of iron, or supplement with iron. As always, try and get it from food first, and if you need a top up, then go and get yourself a supplement, DONT just rely on a supplement.
(I am not endorsing the product in the picture above, it's simply there to show the supplement)
