ANEMIA Hints: HEME & Non-HEME Iron (was: Natural Tonics)

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In a message dated 4/25/2004 9:42:42 AM Eastern Daylight Time,

renee_donald@... writes:

Natural ingredients are good, but you may not be getting enough iron to build

up your stores. I too was constipated after taking iron tablets. I've been

fine after switching to slow iron, which I take 3-4 times a day.

is absolutely right.

" Natural " always " sounds " best--BUT be aware that it's pretty difficult to

correct a significant iron deficiency WITHOUT supplementation.

Take note that there are two different types of iron found in foods: HEME

IRON and NON-HEME IRON.

The EASIEST IRON TO ABSORB in foods comes from those containing HEME-iron.

These include meats like beef, chicken and pork.

NON-HEME iron (the other type of iron) is found in veggies, but actually is

MUCH HARDER for the body to release from the food sources. Non-heme iron is

much LESS easily absorbed and is harder to digest than HEME IRON.

Actually, NON-HEME irons (spinach, broccoli, beans, et al.) is absorbed in

the body ONLY by piggy-backing onto phosphates such as those found in ascorbic

acids like Vitamin-C rich foods.

So, our sailor man friend, Popeye, ( " quick to the finish, 'cuz I eat my

spinach " ) was NOT actually getting iron-rich from his spinach!!!!

However, rest assured Popyeye WAS building healthy red blood cells. Spinach

is high in folic acid, an essential ingredient for the health of red blood

cells.

So if you're iron-deficient, make sure your meals contain foods rich in HEME

iron, and make use of a cast iron skillet, if possible.

Don't OVERCOOK your meats, because the more it's cooked, the less iron your

meat retains. So, it's best to go for meats that are cooked quickly (choose

steak over the long-cooking pot roast. Although, you could always try luscious

recipe for pot roast and drench your pot roast with a good red wine, and get

some iron benefit in the process, no???:-))

Consider cooking/utilizing and eating a CITRUS PRODUCT with your meat entree.

(A tomato salad, perhaps???? Why not? Hey, the research Carla cited this

week, indicated that those lyocopene-loaded tomatoes may help reduce the

incidence, size and number of fibroids.

No one on this list actually responded enthusiastically about tomatoes

reducing THEIR fibroids--but-- with respect to eating tomatoes.....

(As Jewish grandmothers say about chicken soup: " It couldn't " hoit!!!! "

If you need to up your iron intake AVOID anything with tannins, (such as tea)

which blocks iron absorption BIG TIME--about 90%!!!

That said about iron, please be aware all of you ladies of the list, EXCESS

IRON can be damaging, and even LETHAL.

NO ONE on this list should be taking oral supplementation, unless your doctor

prescribes it, based on actual DOCUMENTED iron deficiency.

So don't " guess " from symptoms alone what your needs are; get tested (have a

CBC), eat healthfully. If iron-deficient, check with your doctor about the

need for supplementation. Determine what your target blood values will be, and

STOP taking supplementation when those values are reached.

Here's an informative site I found elaborating on foods with heme and

non-heme iron

http://www.mckinley.uiuc.edu/Handouts/dietiron.html

Science aside, gosh, a slow-cooking pot roast and mashed potatoes accompanied

with a glass of red wine on this cold, wet bone-chilling dreary day in the

Northeast...... sure sounds like a prescription for health and well-being, to

me!!!

Buon Appetito! Sangue Sano! to one and all!

-Roast-cooking Roma with an A-ROMA-tic smelling kitchen.......Mmmmmmmmmmm!!

colonicsbyrose waitn4danny@...> wrote:

The iron I'm taking is causing severe constipation so I'm trying some tonic

and smoothie recipes to help things move and give me the iron my body needs in

a

more natural state.