buzbites

Saturday, April 29, 2006

Answers to your questions - solutions to everyday living problems.

For every problem there is a workable solution. You may not pick the solution. But, for every problem there is a workable solution. - Author, jc

Pick a topic...ask a question...get an answer. Go on, now. Ask me a question. I'll research an answer. I'll post an answer.

Topics:
nutrition, meal planning, gardening, driving, working at home, from home, away from home, raising great children, talking to...whomever, what to wear, what to eat (I love getting questions about f-o-o-d), snowmobiling, fire safety, camping, boating, traveling, rock climbing, nursing, studying, learning, childcare, healthcare

Be warned though. If you post questions that are seeking advise for life threatening physical or mental health issues, my pat answer to you will be "Seek the advice of trained medical professionals."

May all your problems be your problems; because you can always solve your problems.
jc

posted by JanET at 9:49 AM

3 Comments:

  • I love this!

    I am going into my 5th month of pregnancy and find that my taste for red meat has diminshed...actually, I find that I am repulsed by it. I know that this is a really good source of iron. What else can I eat to get the recommended dose?

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12:22 PM  

  • Thanks for your question. This is a very good question in regards to getting enough dietary iron while pregnant. The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for Iron (Daily) level for pregnant women is 27mg, while the level for women (ages 19-50) who are breast feeding babies is 9mg. Because women need more iron during pregnancy, a daily prenatal supplement containing the RDA for iron is usually recommended. Check with your doctor. Iron supplements are NOT recommended for everyone. Do not take iron supplements unless your doctor tells you to take them.

    Low levels of iron, or anemia, a common problem often caused by pregnancy, blood loss or a diet low in iron. There are a variety of possible symptoms of iron deficiency including lack of energy or tiredness, extreme fatigue, pale skin, light headedness, brittle nails and headaches. Because the typical symptoms of iron deficiency have many causes, diagnosis by a blood test is needed to confirm the presence of iron deficiency anemia. If you think that you may have a vitamin or mineral deficiency or if you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to see your family doctor. If you do not have a family doctor, then visit a nearby walk-in medical clinic for a physician's assessment.

    Also, research has also shown iron deficiency to be associated with impaired brain function, and iron deficiency in infants can result in impaired learning ability and behavioral problems.

    If your diet is high in ascorbic acid (vitamin C), it increases iron absorption up to six times. This makes the absorption of plant-based iron as good as, or better, than animal-based iron. Eating oranges, grapefruits, tomatoes, broccoli, and strawberries with non-meat, fish or poultry
    sources of iron helps with their absorption and usefulness for the body.

    So how will you get the supply of iron you need in your diet while you are pregnant and with your current aversion to eating red meat? There are two types of iron found in foods: heme iron and non-heme iron. Heme iron is better absorbed than non-heme iron. Meat, fish and poultry contain both types. Grains, dried beans and lentils, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds contain non-heme iron only.

    Here is some information on Iron's role and some non-red meat food sources for Iron.

    Iron has 3 main roles:
    1.Carrying oxygen around the body. Every cell in the body needs oxygen. There is iron in the haemoglobin of red blood cells, and it carries oxygen from your lungs to wherever it is needed.
    2.Ensuring a healthy immune system. The cells which fight infection and defend the body against foreign organisms depend on adequate stores of iron. So if your iron stores are low your body is more prone to infections.
    3.Making energy. Iron is essential in the chemical reactions that produce energy from food. So if your iron levels are low then your body may not be able to use all the energy available to it.

    Choose iron-rich foods every day. Eat Vitamin C rich foods at each meal to get the most from your non-heme iron-containing foods each day. Foods rich in Vitamin C (good sources include cantaloupe, honeydew, grapefruit, kiwi fruit, oranges, papaya, mango, most berries, pineapple, citrus juices, other Vitamin C enriched juices, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, peppers, potatoes and tomatoes.)

    Examples of food combinations that help get the most iron from foods:
    a. Split pea soup (non-heme iron source) with a small amount of ham (heme iron source
    b. Iron fortified breakfast cereal (non-heme iron source) with an orange or half a grapefruit (Vitamin C source)
    c. Whole wheat pasta with lentils (non-heme iron source) and tomato sauce (Vitamin C source)

    Here are groupings for iron sources you may find useful:

    Good sources
    Prune juice 250 ml, 11.0 mg
    Peaches, dried, uncooked 250 ml, 10.1 mg
    Farina (cream of wheat) 125 ml, 7.9 mg
    Pumpkin/squash seeds 125 ml, 6.5 mg
    Chick peas (200g or 7oz) 6.2 mg
    Bran flakes (45g or 1�oz) 5.3 mg
    Clams, canned, drained 1 can, 5.5 mg
    Dates, pitted, cut 250 ml, 5.3 mg
    Bran Flakes Cereal with Raisins 200 ml, 5.0 mg
    Lima beans, cooked, drained 250 ml, 4.6 mg
    Lake trout, broiled or baked 90 g, 4.5 mg
    Split peas 250 ml, 4.5 mg
    All Bran Cereal 200 ml, 4.3 mg
    Red kidney beans, cooked, drained 250 ml, 4.3 mg
    Soya beans 250 ml, 4.3 mg
    Spinach cooked 250 ml, 4.2 mg
    Sunflower seeds 125 ml, 4.1 mg
    Almonds, shelled whole 125 ml, 4.0 mg
    Baked beans (225g or 8oz) 3.2 mg
    Green peas 250 ml, 3.0 mg
    Scallops 6 pieces, 3.0 mg
    Cashews, roasted 125 ml, 2.8 mg
    Muesli (60g or 2�oz) 2.76mg
    Ham, lean and fat, roasted, 6 mm thick 2 slices, 2.7 mg
    Sardines, canned in oil 7 medium, 2.5 mg
    Brazil nuts 125 ml, 2.3 mg
    4 Dried figs (60g or 2oz) 2.1 mg
    8 Dried apricots (50g or 1�oz) 2.1 mg

    Fair sources
    Pork chop, thick, with bone, lean and fat 1 chop, 1.9 mg
    Tuna, canned, drained 90 g, 1.7 mg
    Egg, boiled 1.3 mg
    Turkey 90 g, 1.6 mg
    Chicken, dark meat 90 g, 1.5 mg
    Chicken, white meat 76 g, 1.3 mg
    Avocado (75g or 2�oz) 1.1 mg
    Asparagus (125g or 4�oz) 1.1 mg
    1 slice wholemeal bread (40g) 1.0 mg
    Broccoli, boiled (100g or 3�oz) 1.0 mg
    Brown rice (200g or 7oz) 0.9 mg
    Peanut butter (20g or �oz) 0.5 mg

    Poor sources
    Banana (120g or 4�oz) 0.48 mg
    Yoghurt (150g or 5�oz) 0.36 mg
    Cow's milk (� pint) 0.14 mg
    Hard cheese (30g or 1oz) 0.12 mg

    If you have symptoms such as the ones noted here in this reply, or you think that you may have a vitamin or mineral deficiency please do not hesitate to talk with a doctor about your concerns.

    Yours in wellness,
    JanET

    By Blogger JanET, at 2:59 PM  

  • WOW! Thank you very much for your thorough answer. I have found this information very helful and will speak to my doctor about getting a blood test, as I do have frequent headaches. They say that headaches are normal in pregnancy, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. I woudl not want my fetus to be affected in any way.

    I do happen to eat a lot of the vitamin C rich foods you mention (I recently found out that Kiwi has the highest vitamin C content in it - surprising to say the least), so am confident that the iron I do consume is being absorbed more readily than if I as not getting that vitamin on a regular basis.

    I will also begin to focus on eating foods with more non-heme iron for better absorption.

    Thanks again, this is most wonderful!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 1:36 PM  

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