Iron deficiency: what tricks to adopt in the diet

It could be anemia, or an inadequate diet . In any case, iron deficiency can be very harmful to health in the long run.

In fact, iron - inside hemoglobin - is used to transport oxygen (and therefore life) to all the cells in our body. We have to run for cover as soon as possible to deal with the lack of iron.

There are some small tricks that alone could help a lot . Here are some tricks to adopt in the diet in case of iron deficiency.

Iron deficiency: why adopt tricks in the diet?

First of all you need to know about iron-rich foods, which can be of animal origin (meat, fish, eggs) or vegetable (legumes like lentils, soy, or wheat germ).

There is also talk of iron absorption and tricks to be adopted in the diet to deal with its deficiency. Have we ever wondered why?

In food, iron is present in two chemical forms: haem iron and non-heme . Haem iron constitutes about 40% of the iron contained in foods of animal origin (meat, fish, eggs); a percentage ranging from 20 to 40% is absorbed and its absorption is not influenced by the general composition of the diet.

However, heme iron constitutes a small portion of food iron .

In fact, most of the food iron is non-heme iron. It constitutes about 60% of the iron contained in the meat and 100% of the iron contained in foods of vegetable origin, in milk and its derivatives. The iron in this form is not very absorbable and influenced by the presence, in foods, of actors favoring or inhibiting the absorption itself .

Within our digestive system, the iron that arrives with food is picked up by the intestinal lumen and transferred into the cell of the intestinal mucosa.

Haem iron is absorbed as such: the entire heme molecule passes into the intestinal cell. Non-heme iron instead undergoes some chemical transformations in order to be absorbed: it must be detached from the original molecule, transformed into bivalent non-heme iron (Fe2 +), and bound to other substances (organic acids, sugars) in order to enter intestinal cells .

Gastric acidity and dietary foods facilitate or prevent the latter process.

Iron deficiency: what tricks to adopt in the diet. No tea and coffee after lunch

Caffeine is a substance belonging to the family of purine alkaloids, a group of compounds very common in plants, such as atropine, nicotine, strychnine, morphine, etc .; it is physiologically active on animals even at very low concentrations; probably it is used by the plant as a defense mechanism against herbivores.

To the same chemical family to which caffeine belongs (mainly extracted from coffee, Coffea arabica, family Rubiaceae), also belong: theophylline from tea, (Camellia sinensis, family Theaceae), and theobromine from cocoa (Theobroma, family Sterculiaceae).

Tea leaves have about twice the caffeine content (2-4%) compared to coffee seeds (1-2%); however, due to the different extraction method, the infusion (tea) contains approximately four times less caffeine than percolate (coffee).

The polyphenols contained in caffeine hinder the absorption of iron in the intestine, so they should be eliminated from meals as they could contribute to worsen iron deficiency.

Warning! Caffeine is not only contained in coffee but is also found in many foods: cola-based drinks, mate herb, chocolate, energy drinks, guarana.

If we really can't do without it, remember to take tea or coffee (or everything that contains caffeine) away from meals (especially those containing plant sources of iron) and avoid prolonging the tea infusion too much (which increases the extraction in water of tannins).

Iron deficiency: what tricks to adopt in the diet. Beware of milk.

There are scientific studies that confirm that casein and calcium contained in milk and derived products are an obstacle to iron absorption.

Therefore in case of iron deficiency we will have the foresight to organize our diet and excluding dairy products from meals that will contain other forms of iron : meat and fish but above all legumes and vegetables, non-heme vegetable iron sources.

Iron deficiency: what tricks to adopt in the diet. Beware of phytates

Whole grains, spinach, walnuts and legumes are abundant sources of phytates, "antinutrient" molecules that hinder the absorption of vital substances, especially iron in non-haem form . In the event of iron deficiency, we therefore advise you not to consume these foods in association with vegetable iron sources, or to soak legumes for a long time or to cook whole grains and spinach for a long time, since soaking and cooking cancel out the action of the phytates.

Iron deficiency: what tricks to adopt in the diet. Green light for vitamin C

Finally good news! There is a molecule capable of facilitating (almost doubling) the absorption of non-heme iron : vitamin C. In the case of iron deficiency, then, green light in our diet for foods rich in vitamin C : rocket, raw peppers, fresh peppers, which contain vitamin C in quantities even greater than those contained in citrus fruits.