Being an Iron-Chef
With fall's shorter days, I'm beginning to feel a bit burnt out. Any ideas on how to eat better to get the energy boost I need?
Being an iron-chef can help. Iron can boost your spirits and your energy levels too...
Did you know
Iron is essential for maintaining your energy - a must especially when life's hectic – and isn't that just about all of the time?? That's because, iron helps carry the oxygen your cells need for energy throughout your body. Not getting enough iron can leave you feeling tired and irritable. So if you start to feel fatigued, aim to include iron-rich foods in your diet.
Go for nature's best
It's worth knowing that some foods deliver more of the iron your body needs than others. Red meats (like beef), poultry, seafood and fish are the only sources of heme iron - the kind of iron that our bodies absorb best.Plant foods such as dark leafy greens (like spinach) provide non-heme iron – the kind of iron that our bodies don't absorb as well as heme iron. So enjoying foods rich in heme iron is a more efficient way to get the iron your body needs.
Did you know?
Beef is one of nature's richest sources of iron. A 100 gram serving of lean beef provides almost four times as much iron as a cup of raw spinach.*
Try these iron boosting tips everday...
- Enjoy foods rich in heme iron such as meat, poultry or fish.
Since our bodies absorb the heme iron in meat, poultry and fish so much better than non-heme iron from plant sources, vegetarians need almost twice as much total iron.
- Include vegetables and fruit rich in vitamin C with your meals.
Vitamin C found in foods like oranges, tomatoes, sweet red peppers, and 100% juices help our bodies absorb more non-heme iron.
*Based on Canadian Nutrient File (2007b) 100 grams cooked lean beef (composite) contains 3.3 mg of iron. 1 cup (250 mL) raw spinach contains 0.86 mg of iron.
Per 100 gram raw lean beef, trimmed of external fat (composite of 26 cuts): 162 Calories, 21 g protein, 7.8 g fat, 0 g carbohydrate. % DailyValue: potassium 9% DV, iron 15% DV, vitamin D 10% DV, thiamine 10% DV, riboflavin 15% DV, niacin 45% DV, vitamin B6 15% DV, vitamin B12 110% DV, pantothenate 10% DV, phosphorus 15% DV, magnesium 10% DV, zinc 60% DV, selenium 40% DV