IRON is beyond ESSENTIAL

IRON:

THE most important mineral in the diet.

Why do I feel so strongly about IRON? The answer lies within that question. What is IRON’s effect, or is it affect, on overall health? (I like to not look up stuff like that & just leave it for the “grammar 5-0”)

I feel so strongly about IRON because low IRON has a negative effect on STRENGTH.

IRON affects ENERGY. IRON affects my RUNS & LIFTS, in essence, IRON, or lack there of, affects my HAPPINESS.

Because I am dead set on upping my IRON levels by increasing food sources of IRON, and because I’m not the only one in this low IRON boat, I thought I’d share my epiphanies along the way.

This is not just about me and my perception of IRON. It is known that IRON deficiency causes more health problems worldwide than any other lacking nutrient.

However, excessive IRON intake can also pose health problems. Therefore, the key, as always, is balance.

All of our body’s cells require oxygen for LIFE. Our red blood cells contain an IRON-RICH protein called HEMOGLOBIN, which is like the UBER-Uber driver for oxygen, both picking up and dropping off oxygen passengers along the way. This makes for very HAPPY / ENERGIZED cells.

Men have about 2 grams, and women have about 1.6 grams, of IRON in the blood at any one time. If dietary IRON drops below daily needs: 15 grams & 18 grams respectively, exercise performance will decline.

Low IRON is called anemia. But you can also have anemia from low B12, folate, copper and vitamin A.

B12 deficiency is the second most likely cause of anemia related to poor B12 intake in overly restrictive diets amongst people under 50.

Those 50 and above can be B12 deficient due to a poor diet and/or an alteration in absorption related to aging.

So YAY! More good news for me as I’m now approaching 51. 🙄

Aside from transporting oxygen, IRON   is necessary for our cells to convert calories to ENERGY, aka our METABOLISM.

Therefore, we have TWO ways in which low IRON stores could potentially effect our ENERGY; poor oxygen delivery to muscles (and to all cells), and poor conversion of calories to useable energy (METABOLISM)

And I don’t know about you, but I HATE having low ENERGY!

You will likely feel a drop in energy  even before your blood tests indicate low IRON stores. Which is why it is good to know, and listen to, your body, and to be aware of your dietary intake of IRON rich foods.

When we talk about ENERGY, it’s not just physical energy, we are also addressing mental fatigue. So if you find yourself being physically AND mentally fatigued, this might be a good time to evaluate your diet.

A REGISTERED DIETITIAN can be very helpful at this juncture.

PLEASE forgive my ad lib video, and excuse my impromptu high pitched voice at the beginning. The effect of Avery LeClaire’s (Michelle Williams) voice (from “I Feel Pretty”) is that it affected my spiel on IRON.

But I like being goofy, making up stuff as I go while trying to keep some fun nutrition facts in check.

Hopefully you get the importance of IRON in your diet.

Over the next few weeks, I will give you more “spiels” & more recipes on the importance of IRON so that you can easily meet your IRON goals each day.

I hope my information affects your food choices and that the effect is GOOD ENERGY… vibrational or otherwise…

IRON-Rich Sesame seeds w/ Eggs, Bok Choi, Red Onion, & Corn on the Cobb

$1.97

476 calories

23g Protein

54g Carbs

6g Fiber

15g Fat

Vitamin A 41% • Thiamine 11% • Riboflavin 46% • Niacin 25% • B6 24% • B12 21% • Vitamin C 65% • Vitamin D 65% • Vitamin E 8% • Folate 33% • Calcium 17% • Copper 37% • Iron 88% • Magnesium 13% • Manganese 24% • Phosphorus 28% • Potassium 15% • Selenium 78% • Zinc 17% • Omega-3 Fats 720mg

2.46:1