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IRON Although iron is considered a trace element, the small quantity of iron in the diet is essential for the formation of hemoglobin, myoglobin, the cytochromes and iron containing enzymes. The vast majority of iron in the body directly participates in the transportation and utilization of oxygen. Iron actually forms part of the hemoglobin in the red blood cells. Hemoglobin carries the oxygen from the lungs throughout the body to wherever it is needed to release the energy from the food that you eat. Too little iron in the diet is a common nutritional problem for women and children in Canada and the USA (Haymes, E.M. 1987. Nutritional concerns : Need for iron. Med Sci Sports Exerc Vol 19(5) S197-200). Too little iron can lead to iron deficiency anemia which may make individuals feel weak, tired, and irritable. They may also have trouble paying attention. Athletes suffering from iron deficiency may be too tired to train and may have trouble with increasing the intensity of their training sessions. The majority of studies suggest that iron depletion may be more common in those athletes involved in endurance physical activity (e.g. long distance running) than in the normal population. Reasons for this diminished or low iron status may be nutritional in nature (Clement, D.B. and L.L. Sawchuck, 1984. Iron status and sports performance. Sports Med. 1:65-74) or due to decreased absorption/or increased excretion (Ehn L. et al. 1979. Iron status in athletes involved in intense physical activity. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 12:62-64). The bottom line is eat iron rich foods to maintain and/or attain optimal iron stores in your body. There are two types of iron in foods: heme iron and non-heme iron. We in fact get most of the iron in our diet from fortified breads and cereals (non-heme iron). Health Canada has legislation for iron fortification of these foods so choose those fortified products (e.g. pasta with iron, cereals with iron). Heme iron is found in animal products (red meat, fish and poultry). This heme form of iron is the most available form of iron for us. Include 3 serviAWS, girls body image,where to play sports, girls self-esteem, girls soccer, girls cycling, girls and nutrition, nutrition for active girls, Canadian Association for women and sport, girls@play, snowboarding, skating, boarding, girl site, sports girl, extreme girl, mountain biking, skateboards, surfboards, X Games"> ngs or more of lean red meats each week as an easy way to help "meat" your iron needs. Non-heme iron is mainly of plant origin (vegetables, fruits, grains) and is not as well absorbed. However if you are vegetarian, this is where you will get your iron from. No need to worry though, because most cereals and other grain products such as pasta, are fortified with iron. So look for these products and consume them instead of non fortified choices. To maximize your absorption of iron choose foods with higher iron content more often (clue here is to choose the more colorful foods, such as dark green vegies, ruby red meats, brown whole grains).Regardless of the form of iron you choose to eat, include iron enhancers- consume the iron containing food with Vitamin C rich foods to enhance its' absorption. Examples include tomato meat/bean sauce for spaghetti, a bowl of iron enriched cereal with strawberries, or beef sirloin strips and spinach with orange slices. Finally, be aware of those types of foods that inhibit iron absorption (high fibre content, oxalates in spinach, and phytates in whole grains all inhibit the absorption of iron from these foods). Sources of Dietary Iron Iron
requirements per day: Please note that this information is intended to provide general information on common nutrition/physical activity/medical topics. It is not a comprehensive medical review and does not include all the potential medical conditions, issues, or considerations. Therefore it cannot and should not be relied upon as a substitute for seeing an appropriate health care professional (who can provide individualized and comprehensive assessment and advice).
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