Iron deficiency in the blood can be very dangerous as it leads to various physical illnesses including anemia. Anemia is a disease which is a result of the lack of iron in the blood. However, today anemia is not as dangerous as it used to be. Scientists and doctors have found through their research a lot of iron rich foods that can actually improve the iron level in the blood.
Along with these natural foods, sometimes doctors also recommend iron supplements to their patients. However, if you know the right types of foods that contain huge amounts of iron, you will definitely be able to keep yourself and your family healthy and avoid becoming anemic.
The deficiency of iron is mostly noticed among young children and infants as most of the time they drink milk and don’t consume enough iron from their food regimen. A clear idea about the available iron rich foods can bring a positive change in their lifestyle and physical health.
Some vegetables that contain high levels of iron include broccoli, parsley, asparagus, spinach, watercress, and soybeans. On the other hand, some non-vegetable foods that are rich in iron are liver, beef, chicken, turkey, pork, clams, shrimp, mussels, oysters, various other types of fish, and egg yolks. All of these foods are very good sources of Heme Iron.
Though infants get their required amount of iron from breast milk, after the age of 4 months they need to eat external iron rich foods. Select baby cereals that contain this nutrient during this period. When the baby grows a little, you should select baby foods that are high in levels or this nutrient.
Sometimes children don’t like the foods that contain iron like clams, liver and some vegetables. However, this problem also has a solution. Now many of the baby foods are iron-fortified – in other words, this particular nutrient is added to these food items. So you can give your baby whatever food he or she likes to eat. Some of the iron-fortified foods include pasta, grits, and raisin bran cereal.
Along with these iron rich baby foods, you should also include vitamin C rich foods in your baby’s diet. Vitamin C actually helps the body to absorb iron from the foods. Citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruit are rich in vitamin C and should be included in the diet so that your children enhance the power to absorb nutrients from various foods. Fruit juices that are iron-fortified are also very good for health. These little additions in your and your baby’s diet can protect you from iron deficiency diseases.