Iron-containing food products

Iron is an important microelement that helps to transport oxygen to the tissues (cells) of the body. For normal life, a person needs 1.5 mg of iron per day, but if you take into account that only 10% of the substance is absorbed upon admission, then the daily intake rate is 15 mg. This amount of trace element can be obtained by using iron-containing products, which are almost always on our table. The main thing is to remember that the lack (like an overabundance) of iron in the body leads to undesirable consequences.

Iron-containing products

Iron from animal products is easier to digest. Especially rich in this microelement are meat and by-products: liver, kidneys and lungs. From seafood, iron is rich enough shrimp, shellfish and black caviar. The iron of plant origin is digested much worse than the animal, but such iron-containing products are more useful considering the content of other groups of vitamins in them:

• Leading among plant foods, rich in iron, are white mushrooms (both fresh and dried). Unfortunately, they can not be considered as products for children, since the children's digestive system, up to 5-7 years old, is not able to absorb fungi, at least with benefit to the body.
• On the second place are legumes: beans, lentils, peas, beans - quite nourishing and available iron-containing products. For pregnant women, they are more related to the banned list, especially in the third trimester, since they contribute to excessive gas formation.
• Among vegetables and fruits, iron-containing products are apples, peaches, bananas, apricots, potatoes, carrots, cabbage, spinach.
• Among berries and nuts - walnuts and almonds, strawberries, blueberries and raspberries.
• And the most saturated with iron cereals are buckwheat and wheat.

  According to the iron content, these products can be roughly delineated according to the following groups (mg per 100 g of product):

• 35 mg - white dried mushrooms;
• 20-10 mg - pork liver, lungs, molasses, brewer's yeast, sea kale, pumpkin seeds, cocoa, lentils, sesame;
• 10-5 mg - liver (beef, chicken), egg yolk, chicken heart, tongue (pork, beef);
• 5-1 mg - rabbit meat, chicken, pork, lamb, beef, buckwheat, quail eggs, peas, black caviar, blueberries, halva, beans, fresh mushrooms, currants, beans, dried apricots, almonds, peaches, rye bread, raisins, Spinach, walnuts, corn, apples, raspberries;
• Up to 1 mg - carrots, bananas, potatoes.

  Assimilation of iron by the body

  Getting iron by using products, rather than vitamin-mineral complexes, it is important to remember the following details:

1. Vitamins C and B12 contribute to the rapid assimilation of iron. So try to choose the right combination of products. For example, if it is a fruit salad, then in addition to bananas and apples, put an orange or mandarin in it, and it is better to combine meat with vegetables, for example, with pepper or cauliflower.
2. Calcium interferes with the assimilation of iron, so do not eat iron-containing foods with protein (cottage cheese, sour cream or milk).
3. Products containing tannins (red wine, tea or coffee) also do not contribute to the full and proper assimilation of iron.