Iron deficiency anemia is a type of anemia characterized by inadequate levels of iron in your red blood cells' hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen to the body's tissues. Thus, people with iron deficiency anemia have lower oxygen-carrying capacities resulting in symptoms like weakness, fatigue, paleness and exhaustion. The best way to treat and counteract IDA is by following a natural diet rich in iron-containing foods.
Causes of IDA
There are several reasons why your iron levels might be lower than normal and causing you to have a low hemoglobin level, or anemia. If you have experienced heavy bleeding recently or have heavy menstrual bleeding, that might be the underlying cause. Other more common causes include an iron-deficient diet, or a disease causing your body to malabsorb iron, such as celieac disease or Crohn's disease, conditions that affect the lining of the small intestine where iron is absorbed into the body.
How Much Iron Do We Need?
The USDA's Recommended Dietary Allowance recommendations vary by age, sex and whether or not there is gestation present. Adult men usually need to eat around 20 mg or iron each day to meet their recommended needs, as do non-menstruating women. Menstruating women need around 15 mg/day to account for the blood loss during menstrual bleeding. Finally, pregnant and breastfeeding women need around 15 to 30 mg or iron a day to account for growing tissue and milk production. Nevertheless, it is important to customize your diet so that you can meet your own personal needs.
Natural Foods and IDA
Meeting your RDA recommendations by eating only natural foods is extremely feasible. There are two things to keep in mind, though. First, iron that comes from animal sources --- meat, fish, poultry, pork, eggs --- is more readily available and more easily absorbed into the body. Iron coming from plant sources --- such as dark greens, spinach and whole grains --- are also good quality sources, you just have to eat more of them and in greater variety. In general, though, natural foods like fruits and vegetables, whole grains, eggs, milk and milk products all contain some iron and if a variety are eaten they are more than capable of helping you meet your recommended needs. Processed and refined foods, on the other hand, have little to no nutritional value and if they do it is because they have been articifially fortified.
How to Optimize Iron Absorption
There are certain things that you can do to help optimize iron absorption in your digestive system. First, when eating iron-rich vegetables, add lime or lemon juice to them. Citric acid chelates iron and facilitates its absorption in the intestines. Second, avoid drinking coffee, tea or any caffeinated beverages during meals as these have the opposite effect and inhibit adequate iron absorption.
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