- lemon water
- Juice - carrot, apple, kale, kiwi... (not sure what else - hubby made it and took off our the door)
- Pear
- raw almonds
- tofu red sauce (from last night), with rice pasta
- carrot sticks & zumus
- almonds
- Tofu teriyaki
- vegetable tempura
- Chia Pudding
- Honeybush Superstar
- Had a blood test yesterday (part of a general check up). Everything is fantastic, right down the centre. BUT! I am low on Iron. I have had an occurrence of low iron in the past as well (about 15 years ago?), but knowing this, I need proper education, as I am obviously not hitting getting my iron allotment. It was interesting to me because I've been training, running around outside in the snow, chasing after a three year old, unloading bails of hay and feel great! Memory though, sometimes I wonder what is going on with my head. Lets hope taking care of the iron levels helps the old noggin. So, that has been a part of my evening - researching iron deficiency, what to do.
- I will also be getting nutritional counseling in the near future too! Non-heme (haem) iron is better absorbed by eating foods rich in Vitamin C (which are certain fruits and veggies), so I need to know which ones to pair with others to get max iron absorption. Kale, broccoli paired with orange...? (good chart on the link below to look in to this question too)
- I calculated I had 22.7 mg of iron today (non-heme, not including anything from my morning green juice). CDC says I require 18mg, but again, non-heme iron is less efficiently absorbed (a non-heme diet for a person of my stats should have approx 33mg of iron per day) which means I'm falling short (depending on how much iron was in my juice) AND, increased iron came today from introduction of tofu too.
- Before the fingers fly on vegetarian or raw food lifestyles, there are factors that meat-eaters have too that diminish the uptake of iron, including lack of fresh veggies and fruit (Vit C). It ain't just the veg-heads in the 12-18% % of women in industrialized countries who are iron deficient. Iron deficiency is the most prevalent nutritional deficiency in the world.
- Yep, cheated at dinner tonight. so full. oh, I had sake too.
- One thing that the past 13 days has taught me is a new definition of moderation. Before all of this, I'd go from meal to meal, not really having a healthy veggie-packed snack in between. I didn't eat as frequently, and didn't have nearly as many fresh foods involved even though I was throwing kale in wherever I could, and ate salads for about 1/3 of my meals. My meals have and will become a lot more clean from what I used to eat - with a ton more fresh, raw produce involved. Having a snack will delightfully mean having carrot sticks and humus, or a smoothie, or some chia pudding. Not sure I will wrap my head around eating some meat sauce today, but as I mentioned earlier, I'm not planning on becoming a strict vegetarian, nor raw foodie. I will have beef in moderation and when I do, it will be organic, free-range happy beef if I can (that probably means back to making my kick-ass pasta sauce). I like raw foods going through my body. It just feels good, like a bunch of tiny toothbrushes with all their fiber scrubbing out all the yucky stuff from the inside out. My digestive system feels great! Juicing 100% will never be for me, nor was it from the beginning, but I do really like our green juices first thing in the morning. LOVE THEM.
- There is also an increase in resilience I feel. I just feel less bogged down by negative stuff. I have a cool playlist of positive energy boppin' along in my head. From my happy veggies, I betcha!
Who is most at risk?
- Young children and pregnant women are at higher risk of iron deficiency because of rapid growth and higher iron needs.
- Adolescent girls and women of childbearing age are at risk due to menstruation.
- Among children, iron deficiency is seen most often between six months and three years of age due to rapid growth and inadequate intake of dietary iron. Infants and children at highest risk are the following groups:
- Babies who were born early or small.
- Babies given cow's milk before age 12 months.
- Breastfed babies who after age 6 months are not being given plain, iron-fortified cereals or another good source of iron from other foods.
- Formula-fed babies who do not get iron-fortified formulas.
- Children aged 1–5 years who get more than 24 ounces of cow, goat, or soymilk per day. Excess milk intake can decrease your child's desire for food items with greater iron content, such as meat or iron fortified cereal.
- Children who have special health needs, for example, children with chronic infections or restricted diets.
Signs and Symptoms of Iron Deficiency
Too little iron can impair body functions, but most physical signs and symptoms do not show up unless iron deficiency anemia occurs. Someone with early stages of iron deficiency may have no signs or symptoms. This is why it is important to screen for too little iron among high risk groups.
Signs of iron deficiency anemia include12
- Feeling tired and weak
- Decreased work and school performance
- Slow cognitive and social development during childhood
- Difficulty maintaining body temperature
- Decreased immune function, which increases susceptibility to infection
- Glossitis (an inflamed tongue)
General Notes:
- Consuming Vitamin C with foods that contain Iron, aid in absorption (recommended to eat fruits or veggies with means)
- Two kinds of iron sources: haem iron (meat, poultry, fish) and non-haem iron (green leafy vegetables and certain grains that conatain iron)
- Tanins from tea inhibit absorption of iron
- If you are doing a vegan/vegetarian lifestyle, you must eat almost twice the amount of iron, as non-haem iron is not absorbed as efficiently by the body
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