Iron deficiency
I was diagnosed as being iron-deficient and so have been taking tablets to get my levels back to normal. The trouble is, I now suffer from severe constipation too. Is there a better way to get the iron I need, say from food?
Iron is one of the biggest nutritional deficiencies, especially in women who, over the course of a month, lose twice as much of this blood-building mineral as men. Only about eight percent of your total iron intake ever reaches your bloodstream and this figure falls even lower if you are lacking in the trace element copper which the body needs to better absorb the iron it does get.
Vitamin C significantly improves the absorption of iron in the body too - some estimates put the figure for increased absorption as high as 30% - so you need to make sure you take both supplements together.
The constipation you complain of is often a sign of high dose iron supplementation so you may need to rethink the dosages you are taking. You do not need more than the equivalent of 18mg a day. Think too about switching to a liquid form of the supplement since, according to George Remon, a US naturopath and the author of Minerals: What Your Body Really Needs & Why “liquid supplements most closely resemble the form you will find vitamins in nature.” If you do switch to a liquid, take as directed on the bottle.
Healthy foods that are rich in iron and which will also work to keep your digestion in good working order include green leafy vegetables, whole grains, tofu, rice, beetroot, lentils, dates, kidney beans, sesame seeds and prunes. The chlorophyll in raw cabbage juice can also help prevent anaemia. To improve the bland flavour, add apples which are high in iron, or cranberries which are high in vitamin C.
Many herbs are an excellent source of iron too. These include alfalfa, fennel seed and peppermint, both of which also aid digestion, lemongrass, horsetail and the sea vegetable, kelp. Some practitioners combine herbs with minerals in an excellent therapy called Phyto-oligotherapy so if you are consulting a nutritionist or naturopath, ask about this technique which you cannot obtain except through a practitioner.
*Minerals: What Your Body Really Needs & Why by George Redmon is published by Avery Press