In Awe of Iron!

Last week many people around the world will have celebrated St. Patrick's Day, the commemoration of the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. Whilst many will have attended church services, many others will have spent the day in pubs and bars enjoying a pint of the black stuff; Guiness.

In days gone by doctors would often recommend that pregnant ladies, and those who had just given birth, drink Guiness in order to restore their iron levels. Not only would this not have been good for baby but probably did very little to boost mum's iron intake either. Similarly, vegetarians have been known to suffer anaemia because of the lack of meat in their diet. It would seem that Vegetarians should not be drinking Guiness either due to the likelihood that it contains traces of fish bladder used in the fining process. However, a good vegetarian diet should not have the need for Guiness nor iron supplements just because we don't eat red meat. We now know that a diet of plant foods should be enough to control our iron levels.

Sources of iron rich plant foods are:-

Pulses and soya bean products

Dark green leafed vegetables

Fortified breakfast cereals

Wholegrains

Dried fruits

Black treacle

Plain dark chocolate

Foods containing Vitamin C should be combined with these iron rich foods in order to aid the absorption of the iron.

As well as celebrating St. Patrick's Day this week we could also embrace the First Day of Spring. Yes! For those who enjoy growing their own produce it's time to start chitting those potato seedlings ready for planting out. After all, eating potatoes, especially with their skin on, is a great way to boost your iron intake.