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Things you should know
Anyone can become iron deficient - men, women or children.
However, women are far more susceptible to iron deficiency than
men (20% of women, 50% of pregnant women versus 3% of men) (3),
in particular: |
|
 Pregnant women (particularly in later stages of pregnancy) |
| Postpartum women |
| Menstruating women (particularly those with heavy periods) |
 |
| Others at risk include: |
Toddlers (especially children under age 3 who are rapidly growing
may have a difficult time keeping up with their nutritional require-
ments) |
| Adolescents |
| Strict vegetarians |
| Individuals with poor diets |
|
| Iron Sources (2, 4) |
| Heme iron (iron absorbed more easily by the body) include: |
| Red meat |
| Fish (tuna or salmon) |
| Chicken |
| Liver |
|
| Nonheme iron (iron that is harder for the body to absorb) include: |
| Whole grains |
| Lentils and beans |
| Almonds and Brazil nuts |
| Dried fruits (prunes, raisins, and apricots) |
| Green, leafy vegetables (spinach, kale and broccoli) |
| Asparagus |
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Try to avoid commercial black or pekoe teas, which contain sub-
stances that bind to iron so that it cannot be used by the body. |
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