Woman’s Day New Zealand – August 05, 2019

of Kiwiwomen

and1%of Kiwimen

haveaniron

deficiency,according

tohealthinsurer

SouthernCross

If youthinkyou’resuffering
fromirondeficiencyanaemia,
seeyourGPforadvice.
Tomaintainhealthyiron
levelsinyoursystem,it’s
importanttoconsume
enoughironinyourdiet
ortakesomeform of iron
supplement.

IRON-RICHFOOD
A dietthatincludeslean
redmeathaslongbeen
recognisedasa wayof
boostingiron.Industry
organisationNZBeef+
Lambis behindWorld
Iron AwarenessWeek
(August 26 toSeptember
1). Youcanfindoutmore
aboutirondeficiencyand
thebenefitsofeating
meatatironweek.co.nz.

WHATIFYOUPREFER
APLANT-BASEDDIET?
PhilipMcKibbinfromthe
NZVegetarianSocietysays
anyonewhosuspectsthey

haveanirondeficiency

shouldconsulttheirdoctor.

“Vegetarianswhoeata

varied,well-balanceddiet

aren’tanymoreatriskof

irondeficiencythannon-

vegetarians,”heexplains.

Tomakesureyouget

enoughiron,includeleafy

greens(likespinach),

edamame,drybeans,tofu,

tempeh,wholegrainsand

seeds(especiallypumpkin

seeds),inyour

diet.Eating

iron-richfoods,

alongwiththos

thatcontain

vitaminC (such

asfruitsand

capsicum)helps

yourbodyabsor

themineral–

andit’sa good

ideatoavoidte

andcoffeewith

mealsasthese

canhinderiron

absorption.

7%

WHATTODO

How this essential mineral

IRON

Pumping

Symptomsappeargradually

andmayinclude:

✦Fatigue

✦Weakness

✦Paleskin,gums

andnailbeds

✦Reducedability

tofightinfection

✦Difficultyconcentrating

✦Headaches

✦Shortnessofbreath^

whenexercising

✦Angina

SIGNSYOU

MAY

BE ANAEMIC

Everycellin

yourbodyneeds

oxygen.Thereisiron

inthehaemoglobin

f redbloodcellsand

t carriesoxygenfrom

ourlungstotherest

of your body.

OXYGEN

CARRIER

Ironis

essentialforthe

body’schemical

reactionsthat

produceenergy

from food.

MAKING

ENERGY

Irondeficiencymainly

affectswomenandchildren.

Kidsandteenagersgothrough

spurtsofrapidgrowth,which

requirea greatdealofiron.Women

ofchild-bearingagewhoarenot

pregnantcansufferfromiron

deficiencyanaemiawithbloodloss

fromheavyperiods.Theironstores

ofpregnantwomenhavetoserve

theincreasedbloodvolumeofthe

mother, aswellastheneeds of

the growing baby.

WHO’S

AFFECTED Cellsthat

fightinfection

relyonhaving

enoughiron.Ifiron

storesarelow,your

bodyismoreprone

to infection.

IMMUNITY

BOOSTER

F

eelingtiredallthetime?Yes,

you’reprobablyextremelybusy

andhavea lotonyourplate,but

theremaybeanotherreason

• youcouldbelowiniron.It’s
  a mineralessentialforgoodhealthand
  wellbeing.Readontofindoutthemain
  roleofironinthebodyandwhether
  you’re at risk of iron deficiency.

Healthy living

Health Editor Penny Lewis

PICTURES: GETTY IMAGES.

62 Woman’s Day