Even if you include iron and vitamin B-12 in your diet, it is possible to develop a deficiency. Your body might not absorb enough of these nutrients in the foods you eat due to a number of factors. Deficiencies of iron or vitamin B-12 can both lead to anemia, which is characterized by feeling tired, week, cold and lightheaded with pale skin, fast heartbeat and shortness of breath. Talk to your doctor if you think you have a deficiency.
Sources
Your body absorbs iron and vitamin B-12 better from animal sources than from plants. The two different types of iron are heme and nonheme. Heme iron comes from animal sources like meat, poultry, seafood and eggs; your body absorbs 15 to 35 percent of this type. Your body absorbs only 2 to 20 percent of nonheme iron, from sources like legumes, spinach, raisins and fortified grains. Vitamin B-12 is in animal products like meat, poultry, dairy and seafood. Some plants contain this vitamin, but they are not acknowledged as reliable sources because the vitamin B-12 content in them varies widely. You can obtain vitamin B-12 through fortified foods like grains.
Gastrointestinal Factors
Gastrointestinal diseases like Crohn's syndrome and celiac disease can interfere with the absorption of iron and vitamin B-12. Further, if you have had surgery of your stomach or small intestine, you might develop a vitamin B-12 deficiency if your doctor has not put you on supplements. Talk to your doctor about getting enough iron and vitamin B-12 if you are included in one of these populations.
Iron Considerations
The other foods in your diet greatly affect the absorption of nonheme iron, whereas heme iron absorption is steady regardless of your diet. Avoid certain foods so you can absorb the most nonheme iron. These include polyphenols in red wine, tea and coffee, phytates in legumes and grains, calcium in dairy products and tannins in tea. Vitamin C helps your body absorb nonheme iron, so combine a food with vitamin C, like peppers or orange juice, with foods rich in nonheme iron.
B-12 Considerations
For your body to absorb vitamin B-12, the vitamin needs to attach itself to a protein in your stomach called intrinsic factor. Some people do not make enough of this substance, so their bodies cannot properly absorb B-12. This condition is called pernicious anemia. Talk to your doctor to determine if you have this condition, as you might need B-12 supplements or shots.
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