public health nutrition

Though we’ve all heard about iron, the prevalence of iron deficiency anaemia is still high around the world. So what more do we need to know about it? Today we welcome back John-Paul from My Passionista, who is becoming a regular feature writer here on Nourish by CH. He shares a bit more insight into how much iron we usually need and why it’s important.

In his last post, John-Paul clarified many myths about carbohydrates and exercise. He’s also just started his own nutrition-related Instagram, Light Wave Fit where you can see him in action teaching us a few techniques with the kettlebell and more exercise and nutrition tips.

So let’s get into it!

Iron is an important micronutrient and has role in producing red blood cells and carrying oxygen to the muscles and the rest of the body. Iron is sometimes known as a ‘trace element’ and is denoted by its chemical symbol ‘Fe’.

Iron in food can be classed as either animal or plant, also known as ‘haem iron’ or ‘non-haem’ iron, respectively. Animal sources of iron tend to be more bioavailable and more easily absorbed by the body. However, if you’re vegetarian of vegan, you can boost absorption of plant-based iron by adding a squeeze of lemon or lime juice to your meals or consuming orange or grapefruit juice with your cereal as this contains vitamin C, known to increase the absorption of iron. Vitamin C is an iron enhancer.