{"id":286412,"date":"2022-02-09T04:58:39","date_gmt":"2022-02-09T04:58:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/how-red-wine-counts-towards-your-iron-intake\/"},"modified":"2022-02-09T04:58:39","modified_gmt":"2022-02-09T04:58:39","slug":"how-red-wine-counts-towards-your-iron-intake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/how-red-wine-counts-towards-your-iron-intake\/","title":{"rendered":"How red wine counts towards your iron intake"},"content":{"rendered":"

The number of Britons switching to a plant-based diet has nearly doubled in a decade, but some experts believe these diets are contributing to low iron levels.<\/p>\n

In fact, nearly half of girls aged 11 to 18 have critically low intakes of the mineral, due in part to a fall in red meat consumption in recent years, Professor Ian Givens, director of the Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health at Reading University, said in a media briefing recently.<\/p>\n

Teenage girls get only around half of the recommended 14.8 mg of iron a day, while older women fare just a little better, according to figures from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Grape \"Grape <\/p>\n

Grape skins supply iron, and red wine has 15 per cent of your requirement per large glass. But the heart-friendly polyphenols (plant-based compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions) in red wine can reduce iron absorption, so don\u2019t rely on this tipple as your major source of iron<\/p>\n

The data suggest women\u2019s iron intake has dropped by around half a milligram between 2008 and 2019 \u2014 coinciding with the period vegan diets became popular.<\/p>\n

Iron helps us make red blood cells, which carry oxygen around the body. Low intakes of iron \u2014 found in higher levels in meat and fish but also in leafy greens, eggs and pulses \u2014 can lead to anaemia, irregular heartbeat, hair loss, impaired concentration and poor memory.<\/p>\n

Women lose some iron during menstruation, which is why they need more than men, who require 8.7mg a day (although figures suggest men don\u2019t get their recommended daily amounts either). Our collective lack of iron is thought to be linked to the popularity of low-calorie or restrictive diets, as overall, you rack up fewer iron-rich foods. Veganism is problematic because animal sources (meat or eggs, for instance) of iron are better absorbed than plant sources.<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s possible for people who eat a plant-based diet to get enough iron,\u2019 says dietitian Helen Bond. \u2018Eating a variety of grains, vegetables, nuts and pulses will help them meet their needs, while including vitamin C-rich foods, such as citrus fruits, will help to boost iron uptake from plant sources.\u2019<\/p>\n

Here, she suggests simple and surprising ways to get your daily iron. For each food, the percentage of the daily iron recommendation is listed, using the female recommendation of 14.8mg per day, so mix and match to reach 100 per cent.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Pig’s Liver<\/h2>\n

120g serving, 16.7mg<\/p>\n

As well as being a hugely rich source of iron, this portion of liver will also supply all of your daily zinc (needed for healthy immunity, skin and reproductive health) and more than two-thirds of your daily selenium, an antioxidant associated with lower heart disease risk. However, liver should not be consumed during pregnancy.<\/p>\n

\"Pig's \"Pig's <\/p>\n

Pig’s Liver<\/p>\n

\"Mushy \"Mushy <\/p>\n

Mushy peas<\/p>\n

Mushy peas<\/h2>\n

150g, 1.95mg<\/p>\n

Peas are iron-rich pulses and in a half-can serving of mushy peas you\u2019ll get nearly 2mg of the mineral. (Frozen fresh peas have even more, but you tend to serve yourself a smaller portion size.)<\/p>\n

This serving of mushy peas also provides 15 per cent of your daily requirement of zinc, which is needed for immune and reproductive health.<\/p>\n

Tofu<\/h2>\n

100g stir-fried, 3.5mg<\/p>\n

Tofu is a curd made by coagulating soya milk, a process that concentrates the iron found in the soya beans used to make the milk.<\/p>\n

A 100g serving of stir-fried tofu provides as much iron as a small fillet steak, and this serving also provides a sixth of your daily magnesium, which is needed for healthy bones, nerves and muscles.<\/p>\n

\"Tofu\" \"Tofu\" <\/p>\n

Tofu<\/p>\n

Cheerios<\/h2>\n

\"Cheerios\" \"Cheerios\" <\/p>\n

Cheerios<\/p>\n

60g bowl with milk, 7.6mg<\/p>\n

A suggested serving size for Cheerios is 30g but 2021 research found people typically pour themselves double.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A 60g bowl of fortified Cheerios has more than half your daily iron, plus two-thirds of your daily calcium when consumed with milk.<\/p>\n

Note that you also get 22g sugar with this breakfast, 73 per cent of your daily limit.<\/p>\n

Cashews<\/h2>\n

30g, 1.86mg<\/p>\n

All nuts contain iron, but cashews are richest in the mineral, followed by hazelnuts and almonds, which both have about half this quantity.<\/p>\n

A 30g serving of cashews also provides 6.2g protein (around the same as a boiled egg), a fifth of your daily magnesium requirement, and a quarter of a woman\u2019s daily zinc (a fifth of a man\u2019s).<\/p>\n

\"Cashews\" \"Cashews\" <\/p>\n

Cashews<\/p>\n