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Iron Rich Foods and Liquid Vitamins

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Iron rich foods that are derived from animal sources are far superior to foods from plants because this mineral from plant foods is less efficiency absorbed than that from animal sources.

The U.S Food Nutrition Board (FNB) has estimated that the bioavailability of iron from a vegetarian diet is only 10% while it is 18% from a mixed diet.

Iron, with perhaps the best described history among all the micronutrients, is a key element in the metabolism of almost all living organisms. In humans, iron is an essential component of hundreds of proteins and enzymes.

Heme is an iron-containing compound found in a number of biologically important molecules. Hemoglobin and myoglobin are heme-containing proteins that are involved in the transport and storage of oxygen.

Iron rich foods that contain heme forms of thismineral come mainly from meat, poultry, and fish. Plants, dairy products, meat, and iron salts added to foods and supplements are all sources of non-heme iron. Iron rich foods are extremely important as a iron deficiency anemia has a long and described history.

This condition is the most common nutrient deficiency in the U.S. and worldwide. Three levels of this deficiency are generally identified:

(1) Storage iron depletion, in which iron stores are depleted but the functional iron supply is not limited

(2) Early functional iron deficiency, where the supply of functional iron is low enough to impair red blood cell formation but not low enough to cause measurable anemia, and

(3) Iron deficiency anemia, where there is inadequate iron to support normal red blood cell formation, resulting in anemia.

Most of the symptoms of iron deficiency are a result of the associated anemia, and may include fatigue, rapid heart rate, palpitations, and rapid breathing on exertion, and iron rich foods and supplementation can help these symptoms.

Iron deficiency anemia impairs athletic performance and physical work capacity in several ways. With this condition, the reduced hemoglobin content in red blood cells results in decreased oxygen delivery to active tissues.

Iron deficiency also decreases the oxidation capacity of the muscle. Severe iron deficiency anemia may result in brittle and spoon-shaped nails, brittle and spoon-shaped nails, sores at the corners of the mouth, taste bud atrophy, and a sore tongue.

Hemoglobin is the primary protein found in red blood cells and represents about two thirds of the body's iron.

The vital role of hemoglobin

in transporting oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body is derived from the unique ability to acquire oxygen rapidly during the short time it is in contact with the lungs and to release oxygen as needed during its circulation through the tissues.

Myoglobin functions in the transport and short term cycle storage of oxygen in muscle cells, helping to match the supply of oxygen to the demand of working muscles.

Iron is required for a number of vital functions, including growth, reproduction, healing, and immune function, and iron rich foods and supplementation will assist this nutrients functions.

In some case, advanced iron-deficiency anemia may cause difficulty in swallowing due to the formation of web tissue in the throat and the esophagus.

Iron rich foods include:

Beef, chicken (dark skin), oysters, shrimp, tuna (light), black-strap molasses, raisin bran cereal, raisins (seedless), prune juice, prunes (dried), potatoes (with skin), kidney beans, lentils, and cashew nuts.

LIQUID VITAMINS

There are several very good liquid vitamin and mineral supplements to choose from that will assist iron supplementation including the following brands:

Mother Nature Liquid Vitamins & Iron Rich Foods