Pumping Iron Requires an Intake of Iron

Let's face it, you need energy to get through everything from your daily workouts to stressful situations at work and home and making sure you’ve met your iron intake is key.  There are so many things that cause us to tire or lose energy so be a step ahead and combat it by doing something simple as making sure to intake enough iron each day.

Inside your body, iron is used to make hemoglobin, a protein needed to carry oxygen to all your vital cells. If you’re not getting enough, you’re more likely to feel sluggish and tired out long before it’s time for bed. Even worse, an iron deficiency can result in anemia, which is often marked with decreased performance and immune function. I personally found out I am slightly anemic after experiencing symptoms below during my workouts.  Many people suffer from anemia, sometimes minor anemia, and don't even realize it. Symptoms are typically:  fatigue, weakness, dizziness, fainting, breathlessness, difficulty sleeping, pale complexion, ringing in ears, rapid heartbeat, brittle hair or hair loss, difficulty concentrating, spoon shaped nails, depression, cravings for ice, intestinal inflammation.

How much do I need?

Women aged 19 to 50 need 15 milligrams of iron daily, and the recommendation goes up to 30 milligrams daily if you’re pregnant.  Men and women over 50 need about 10mg per day.  For women, talk to your doctor if your periods are heavy or if you’ve got celiac disease – your levels might be affected.

Eat up

Contrary to the eating habits of Popeye, spinach isn’t the only dietary source of iron. There are actually two forms available for consumption: heme and nonheme. Heme iron comes from hemoglobin, and is found mainly in animal products such as chicken liver, oysters, beef and tuna. Nonheme iron, on the other hand, comes from plant products such as soybeans and lentils. It’s not as easily absorbed by the body, so if you’re skipping meat, you might need a little extra. You might also want to try pairing your iron-source with vitamin C to help with absorption.

Avoid foods that are "fortified" with iron.  They give people a false sense of security that they are getting what they need when in fact whole foods are always going to supply a better ratio of nutrients and a wider array of them." For example, there are 12,000 identified phytochemicals—beneficial plant-based compounds and micronutrients—which are found in tiny amounts in a variety of foods: You simply can't get them all by eating only fortified foods.   (This goes for foods with added fiber, calcium, omega 3's, etc.)

It is always best to get your iron from your food, but if a supplement is needed, discuss with your doctor what type and how much you need to be adding to your diet.  Our bodies do not have a way to excrete extra iron so great care is to be taken when adding an iron supplement to your diet.

Here are a few food suggestions that you might not have realized  have high iron: 

Venison - 7.8 mg iron

Beef - 2.5 mg iron

boiled lentils – 6.6 mg iron

boiled black beans – 3.6 mg iron

Pumpkin Seeds -8.6 mg iron

Dried peaches/apricots 6.3 mg of iron

Dried herbs range from 22.7mg to 124 mg of iron (thyme, parsley, rosemary..etc)

Unsweetened cocoa - 18.6mg of iron

Molasses 14.9 mg of iron

Oatmeal 6.3 mg of iron