Start your 6-month nutrition program today!
In a previous post, we discussed a short list of nutrients most Americans are deficient in, including Magnesium, Omega-3 fats, B12, Vitamin D, and Iron. (If you missed that blog post, check out The 5 Nutrients You Don't Get Enough Of.)
Today, I want to focus on the most common nutrient deficiency: Iron.
Iron is a nutrient that helps your body create red blood cells (hemoglobin) which deliver oxygen to every cell in your body.
Iron also helps produce hormones, participates in your metabolism, and helps convert blood sugar to energy in your cells.
The most common result of low iron levels is chronically low energy. Without oxygen making it to your cells, you can’t produce enough energy.
Feeling lightheaded and short of breath
Dry, brittle nails
Cold hands and feet
Pale skin
Fast heartbeat
Poor appetite
And, it turns out, your iron levels significantly affect your exercise performance. Studies have shown that even pre-anemic levels of low iron cause us to get tired and our muscles don’t work as hard.
Which makes sense, as we need oxygen to turn glucose into energy and keep us moving.
How do I correct an iron deficiency?
Our primary source for iron is the food we eat. There are a couple of types of dietary iron, heme iron and nonheme iron. Heme iron comes from animal sources such as meat, fish and eggs. This iron is the most bioavailable to us, meaning it is more available for our bodies to use.
Non-heme iron comes from plants, and while there are great whole food sources of nonheme iron it can be difficult for our bodies to use and most of it is excreted as waste.
The best food sources of iron:
Red meat and game
Organ meat, especially liver
Pork, poultry and eggs
Shellfish and other seafood
Beans and leafy green vegetables
Supplements
Another way to add more iron to your diet is to cook using cast iron. Cast iron pots and pans actually increase the amount of non-heme iron in your food by about 16%. Plus, cast iron isn’t coated in toxic non-stick chemicals and they last for generations.
(We cook with cast iron in our house almost exclusively.)
Do you deal with chronic fatigue, cold hands a feet, or shortness of breath? Could be you have low iron levels, or are perhaps iron deficient. Thankfully, there is a simple and inexpensive test your doctor can order to help you determine your iron status.
Even without a blood test, we can narrow down a nutrient deficiency like iron pretty quickly based on your symptoms, your diet and lifestyle.
Thankfully, the solution to iron deficiency is straight forward, and means you get to eat more delicious whole food!
Y’all, if you think you might be low in iron and need some help bringing your nutrients back into balance, that’s what I’m here for!
A big part of my 6-month 1:1 program is determining if you are lacking in any nutrients, and how to correct it.
Trust me, getting enough of those crucial nutrients like iron into your life makes a world of difference in how you feel, how you perform, and how you age.
As a reminder, here is what you get when you join my program:
Food journal and health history analysis
Healthy habit swaps
Bi-weekly support calls
Personalized shopping lists
Personalized meal plan
Personalized exercise / movement plan
Custom weekly calendar / schedule
Diet, lifestyle & supplement protocols
20% discount on supplements
Lifetime access to Facebook group
Accountability & support
RESULTS!
Ready? Let’s go!
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