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November 18, 2022

How to increase your iron levels when you don’t eat meat

Filed under: Fitness — Tags: — admin @ 4:11 am

Around 2.3 million Australians follow a vegan or vegetarian diet, and that number continues to grow.

And while cutting out meat may have its health benefits, if you’re one of the 20 per cent of people globally who suffer from low iron levels, getting the right amount of iron into your diet is vital.

According to qualified pharmacist Montana Grenfell, although iron deficiency is common, it can be easily managed.

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Common symptoms of low iron levels include extreme fatigue, weakness, or shortness of breath. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Symptoms of iron deficiency

“It’s important to be aware of the common symptoms of iron deficiency. By knowing what to look out for, you’ll know if something isn’t quite right and when it’s time to visit to your healthcare professional,” Grenfell says.

“Common symptoms include extreme fatigue, weakness, pale skin, chest pain, fast heartbeat, or shortness of breath, headache, dizziness, or light-headedness, cold hands and feet, inflammation or soreness of your tongue, brittle nails and dry or damaged hair.”

Here, Grenfell shares four ways vegetarians and vegans can boost their iron levels without eating meat:

Understand the difference between haem iron and non-haem iron

When you consume a meat-free diet, it is important to understand how this will impact the body’s absorption of iron. Firstly, there are two types of iron. Haem iron is found in animal tissue and is the form of iron that is most easily absorbed by the body.

On the other hand, non-haem iron is found in some animal products as well as plant foods and is less easily absorbed. Those that don’t eat meat in their diet may need twice as much dietary iron each day as non-vegetarians due to the consumption of only non-haem iron.

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Assortment of high in Iron sources on dark background: liver, beef, raisins, keshew, buckwheat, spinach, tomatoes, potatoes, dark chocolate, pumpkin seeds, lentil, broccoli. Top view.
Haem iron is found in animal tissue and non-haem iron is found in some animal products. (iStock)

Consume foods rich in iron

If meat isn’t part of your diet, look for fruits, vegetables and legumes with a high iron content and work these into your daily diet. Many breakfast cereals are fortified with iron, and legumes, nuts, raisins and prunes are also foods with high levels of iron.

Dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale, broccoli or bok choy also contain a high amount or iron, as do strawberries and watermelon.

Boost iron absorption through Vitamin C

Although non-haem iron is more difficult for the body to absorb, there are some easy ways to combat this. Vitamin C is the main nutrient that contributes to the body’s ability to absorb iron. To up your Vitamin C intake, integrate more citrus fruits, blackcurrants, red and yellow capsicums, and strawberries into your diet, or consider a daily Vitamin C supplement.

It’s also worth noting that in most cases, cooking foods rich in non-haem iron can boost the amount of iron the body will absorb. For example, the body absorbs 6 per cent of iron from raw broccoli but when cooked, that number increases to 30 per cent.

Consider taking a supplement

If you are concerned your iron levels might be low, visit your doctor who can organise a blood test and determine whether a supplement is best for you.

There are plenty of supplements available that don’t require a prescription such as Ferro Tab or APOHEALTH Iron Tablets which can help prevent and treat iron deficiency and boost your iron levels.

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