Contents:

• The role of iron in the body
• Natural sources of iron in food
• Plant-based iron sources in a vegan diet
• How to make sensible use of iron sources in your diet

Iron plays many important roles in our bodies, including: It helps form red blood cells, which make up almost half of the blood volume circulating in the body. However, it's important to know that iron is a component that is best absorbed when it's ingested through food. So, what are the best sources of iron in the diet?

The role of iron in the body

Although iron plays a very important role in the body, problems associated with iron deficiency are very common. Iron is necessary for tissue regeneration, strengthening the immune system, and the production of new red blood cells (erythrocytes). A deficiency leads to a decrease in the concentration of hemoglobin in the blood—whose job is to transport oxygen to the tissues. Meeting the body's iron needs is essential for the proper functioning of muscles, especially the heart.

Natural sources of iron in food

The main sources of iron in the diet of most Poles are many plant products, but especially products of animal origin (so-called heme products). They are considered the best (though not the only) source of iron, primarily due to their high protein content, which facilitates iron absorption. These include:

• Meat and cold cuts – beef, veal and poultry (goose and duck),
• Offal and its products – especially liver (poultry and pork), kidneys and black pudding,
• Fish – mackerel, herring and sardines,
• Chicken eggs.

Red meat, such as beef, can provide the greatest amount of iron, as 100 g contains up to 3 mg of this ingredient. Seafood is much less common in our regional diet. Among them, mussels are characterized by their high iron content.

Plant-based iron sources in a vegan diet

You should also include plant-based sources of iron (so-called non-heme products) in your daily diet, and there's no shortage of them. It's especially worth reaching for the following:

• Cereal products – millet , buckwheat and oat flakes,
• Seeds and nuts – pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds , poppy seeds, sesame seeds, pistachios and almonds
• Cocoa powder ,
• Pulses – soybeans, beans, lentils and peas,
• Herbs – such as parsley and dill leaves,
• Vegetables - potatoes, spinach, broccoli,
• Fruits – dried apricots, prunes, peaches, blueberries and apples.

How to make sensible use of iron sources in your diet

The body's daily iron requirement depends on factors such as gender and age. It is estimated to be approximately:

• 10 mg for men,
• 20 mg for women between the ages of 19 and 50,
• 27 mg for pregnant women,
• 10 mg for breastfeeding women.

If you want to protect yourself from iron deficiency, it's worth paying attention not only to its presence in your diet, but also to ingredients such as vitamin C and B vitamins (especially B12 and folic acid), which facilitate the synthesis of this component. To this end, it's worth resorting to natural supplements and ensuring that our diet contains proteins and products that naturally contain organic acids.

There are also ingredients whose consumption should be slightly limited, as they reduce the bioavailability of iron. These include fiber, ingredients such as zinc, copper, and magnesium, as well as large amounts of polyphenols and tannins, which are found in foods like black coffee and tea. It's also worth watching out for oxalates, which are found in sorrel and spinach. When working on a healthy diet, it's also a good idea to avoid highly processed, phosphate-rich foods, such as convenience foods, ready meals, and low-quality meat.