Colorless off, fatigue, shortness of breath. And again headaches, irritability, dizziness.
Here are some of the alarm bells of theanemia, a condition in which the number of red blood cells falls below the normal defined values, thus compromising the health of the whole organism.
A problem common that should not be underestimated, because the causes can be different, more or less important and in relation to these the right care must be established.
One of the most common and the iron deficiency and, in this situation, the first intervention to be implemented is on daily nutrition.

An essential mineral

Iron is a fundamental mineral, it consists ofhemoglobin, the protein that brings oxygen from the lungs to the other tissues of the body. It assimilates through what we eat, but not all foods contain an important amount and can sometimes be more difficult to assimilate. deepens Valentina Bolli, dietitian "The need for iron is considerable, especially in women and varies according to age, from 18 mg in fertile age to 27 mg in pregnancy, 11 mg in lactation to 10 mg in menopause. present then that not all the iron contained in food is easily assimilated ".

1) The offal in the first position

In the list of the most iron-rich foods we find first offal. Specific stamps "We refer to, for example, the spleen, beef liver which contains 8.8 mg per 100 gr, or that of pork containing 18 mg. But we must remember that the offal is the organs dedicated to the detoxification of the organism, therefore they must be consumed in moderation ".

2) Mussels in pole position between the catch

Among the seafood are particularly rich in iron mussels (5.8 mg), but also oysters (with 6 mg on 100), caviar eggs (11.8 mg). Clarifies the dietician "Of course, for a careful choice that can really contribute to improve the deficiency status of this precious mineral we must always consider the quantity consumed, to understand the true contribution of iron".

3) Horse meat and bresaola

If we take meat into consideration, he says stamps "Given that the red contains more iron than the white one, it must be said that the primacy belongs to the meat of horse (with 3.9 mg), to bresaola 2.4 mg, to sausage with 2.8 mg. Followed by lamb with 1,7, to the fillet with 1,4. Pork meat 0.8 mg, chicken with 0.6 mg, is much lower.

4) Radicchio on the podium among the vegetables

Among the vegetables instead is noteworthy radicchio with 7.8 mg, although, as evidenced by the doctor "It is very important to keep in mind that the iron contained in plants, is much harder to assimilate because it is bound, it must be freed from the compound in which it is found ".

5) Without forgetting the legumes

Finally they should not be forgotten legumes. Tells the dietician "Among the plants are one of the main sources of iron: i beans with 9 mg and i chickpeas with 6.4 mg. Instead, we debunk a false myth: spinach, although the opposite has always been said, is not so rich in iron: it contains 2.9 mg per 100 gr. Probably this information is due to an error, never corrected over time ".

Smart combinations

It is essential then, to maximize the assimilation of the mineral, to take into account some aspects that can greatly influence assimilation. Explain stamps "There are combinations of foods / substances that they promote absorption of iron and others that can hinder it. Between winning associations there is that with ascorbic acid, or vitamin c (such as the classic bresaola seasoned with lemon). No instead to the combination with calcium (for example, bresaola and goat cheese) or with tannic acid (tea or ciccolato, which counteract its absorption ".

Elisa Nata
February 2019