Iron deficiency

Iron deficiency anaemia is the most common type of anaemia. Iron is present in all the cells of the body and helps to improve the quality of the blood. Iron assists in the formation of haemoglobin and increases resistance to stress and disease.
Anaemia occurs when there is less iron in the body and the symptoms of anaemia are fatigue, headache, weakness, pale skin, dizziness and lack of concentration. The causes for anaemia are low consumption of iron-rich food, excessive dieting, increased iron loss due to heavy bleeding during menstruation or increased iron demand- pregnant and breast feeding women need more iron than the recommended daily allowance.
Pregnant, breast feeding and menstruating women, infants, children, athletes require more iron. Eat iron rich food like clams, oysters, pork liver, meat, fish chicken, leafy greens, broccoli, legumes, fortified cereals, prunes, raisins, apricots and watermelon. Eat iron-rich food with foods rich in vitamin C to aid in absorbing the iron. Avoid drinking black tea with iron-rich foods as the tannic acid in tea reduces the absorption of iron.
Iron is necessary for energy production, for the growth, oxygenation of red blood cells and for the production of haemoglobin. The recommended daily allowance of iron for women is 18mg and for men it is 8mg. However, iron-needs vary based on individual lifestyles and specific conditions.