Iron in the human body is urgently needed for successful hematopoiesis, being part of important enzymes that ensure cellular respiration and the body's defense against free radicals. Its lack can lead to anemia or anemia, being the cause of these diseases in 80% of cases. It is important to know which foods contain this element.
Why does the body need iron
The daily intake of this element depends on the sex and age of the person. For example, an adult man should consume at least 9-10 mg of iron per day, and women, due to menstruation, should consume twice as much, about 18-20 mg per day.
Even more need to consume foods rich in iron, women who are pregnant and lactating. Usually, doctors recommend increasing the daily dose of this element to 30-35 mg, since it is necessary for the correct formation and further development of the fetus. During pregnancy, the baby takes all the iron from the mother's body, which needs to replenish the accumulating deficit.
But pregnant women are not the leader in terms of iron requirements. Due to the intensive growth and development, which occurs with much more difficulty for the body than in the womb, adolescents under the age of 19 should receive a complete diet rich in iron. At the same time, the situation is complicated by the fact that only 20% of the element entered into the body is assimilated.
Foods high in iron
In Soviet times, it was believed that the best food rich in iron was a half-baked liver. But, according to the latest research by scientists and nutritionists, she stopped taking the lead in this ranking, giving first place to boiled veal. Adds pluses to the last product and the fact that up to 90 percent of it is absorbed, respectively, and much more iron gets into the body.
Nutritionists in recent years have urged their patients to give up half-baked liver for other reasons. First, it has a high risk of parasite larvae. And, secondly, the liver is the body's cleansing organ, which can accumulate toxins, salts and heavy metals, as well as the so-called "bad" cholesterol.
Some types of seafood are also rich in iron. For example, mussels and shellfish, 100 grams of which contain 25-30 mg of iron. Much less iron than meat and sea inhabitants, in eggs (about 2-4 mg per 100 grams), fish (0.5-1 mg), milk and dairy products (0.1-0.2 mg). The myth of their benefits for anemia has also been refuted relatively recently.
In addition to meat, with an iron deficiency, the following products can be recommended - various types of legumes (9-14 mg per 100 grams, depending on which beans they are), buckwheat (7-8 mg per 100 grams), wheat bran (12 -14 mg), other cereals (4-7 mg). But the real record holder among such products is porcini mushrooms, in which the iron content reaches 40 mg per 100 grams of dried product!
