Iron Deficiency: Frequent Headaches and Dull Skin? Watch Out For These Signs

Check out how you can increase iron in your diet naturally to deal with iron deficiency.

09 July, 2021
Iron Deficiency: Frequent Headaches and Dull Skin? Watch Out For These Signs

Do not write off your frequent headaches, chipped nails or dull skin just yet. Turns out, these can be signals from your body to increase iron in your diet. 

Fad or crash dieting and skipping meals as well as certain medical issues can cause this condition. So, we spoke to Dt. Lakshita Jain, certified clinical dietician and founder of NUTR, to answer your burning questions about iron deficiency.    

"There are two forms of iron: heme iron animal-based and non-heme iron plant-based. Heme iron is more quickly absorbed by the body than non-heme iron found in plants. Adding both plant and animal-based sources will be beneficial. Foods like oysters, pumpkin seeds, chicken liver, chickpeas, edamame, lentils, black beans, garden cress seeds, rains, and spinach are great sources of iron," she says.

Here are her recommendations of changes to make in your diet to amp up your iron-intake:

Vegetarian Rich Iron sources: 

Amaranth 

Among all the grains like quinoa, sorghum, whole wheat, and barley-amaranth contain the highest amount of iron. Amaranth contains 8.02mg of iron per 100gm. However, it includes iron inhibitors, the most famous of which is phytic acid. Phytic acid reacts to the iron in amaranth, preventing your body from fully absorbing the iron. However, there are certain simple cooking techniques you may use to minimize phytic acid and improve iron absorption. For example, if you're making amaranth soup for lunch, soak it overnight in warm water the night before. It will cook up twice as fast as it normally would, making it both fast food and iron-rich.

 Quinoa can be cooked in warm water overnight before cooking and then rinsed. Soaking reduces cooking time while also lowering phytic acid levels, thereby “unlocking” more iron in the wheat. • Similarly, rolled oats can be soaked overnight. They will cook as fast as quick oats when cooked as a breakfast cereal in the morning. Because oats lack a native enzyme to remove phytic acid, we recommend adding some fresh ground wheat or rye to the oats before soaking in the Iron Rich Foods book.

Lentil 

Lentils are a great source of iron. 100gm of lentils provides 7.9mg of iron. However, beans contain phytic acid, a powerful iron inhibitor that reduces your body's ability to absorb iron. If you rely on lentils for iron, your best hope is to adopt kitchen preparation procedures to minimize phytic acid and liberate the iron in your lentils. A simple method of soaking your lentils in warm water before cooking them will help lower phytic acid and make the iron content more accessible to your body. You can also consume complementing foods like bell pepper and vitamin C-rich citrus with your beans. These foods will help offset the remaining phytic acid in the lentils. 

Seeds

Sesame seeds contain 14 mg of iron per 100 grams. Also other seeds and nuts like garden cress seeds, pumpkin seeds, watermelon seeds, sunflower seeds, cashews, flaxseeds, and pine nuts are great sources of iron. 
Beans
If you cook beans properly, they can help you get more iron in your diet. Natto beans, white beans, soya beans, chickpeas, and kidney beans are good sources of iron.
Soybeans contain a lot of iron only if they've been cooked. Soybeans also contain an inhibitor called phytic acid that keeps your body from absorbing iron. Soy milk and tofu, for example, are not fermented soybeans and hence are not iron-rich beans.

Raisins

Raisins contain 2.5 mg of iron per 100 grams. Raisin water is an old remedy for anaemia. Soak 8-10 raisins overnight with 100ml water and drink the water with raisins empty stomach. Raisins are high in iron and B-complex vitamins. Iron deficiency anaemia can be treated by including a handful of raisins in your daily diet. They're also high in copper, which is necessary for the production of new red blood cells.

Non-Vegetarian Rich Iron sources: 

Goat and sheep spleen- Richest source of iron

100gms of goat spleen has 51.4mg of iron. 1 serving can complete 634% of the iron daily requirement. In India, goat femur bones are known as Tilly. Iron-rich, it significantly raises haemoglobin levels in the blood and eliminates anaemia. Iron and vitamin C are both found in the goat spleen. Tilly fry is a simple side dish that goes well with roti, chapati, biryani, or any other rice. Also, the calf spleen is a rich source of iron. 100gm of calf spleen contains 25.42mg of iron again making it one of the richest sources of iron. 

Liver 

100gms of beef liver contains 16.26mg of iron, beef liver 14.82, sheep liver 6.15mg, chicken liver 9.92mg, and goat liver 6.5mg. The liver is inexpensive, a great source of nutrients, versatile, and easy to cook. It has proven to be a good weapon in the fight against iron deficiency and anaemia. The liver is an excellent source of both iron and vitamin B12, which works in combination to keep your blood cells in good working conditions one of the earliestPernicious anaemia therapies was a habitual consumer of beef liver. 

Iron in different foods: Reference (IFCT, 2017)

• Amaranth seeds (8.02mg)
• Lentil whole(7.9mg)
• Beet greens (5.8mg)
• Gingelly seeds (14mg)
• Niger seeds (19.6mg)
• Chicken liver (9.92mg)
• Goat spleen (51.4mg)
• Goat liver (6.5mg)
• Sheep liver (6.15mg)
• Beef liver (14.82mg)
• Calf liver (16.26mg)
• Calf spleen (25.42mg)
 

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