Thursday 18 April 2013

Top Iron Rich Foods for Pregnant Women

Having low iron levels can result in anemia - which is especially important to be aware of during conception and pregnancy. When you're pregnant, the baby will drain your iron supplies, leaving the infant happy in your tummy, but causing you to be lightheaded and sluggish. 


Iron is essential for the output of red blood cells that carry oxygen round the body. During pregnancy iron is needed in larger amounts since the mother’s blood volume increases and the baby’s blood is also developing. 

Fish and Seafood

Although oysters, clams, tuna, halibut, crab and shrimp each one is foods high in iron, you should limit your consumption of tuna during pregnancy, due to its mercury content. Seek advice from your doctor about the others. The caliber of the fish and seafood varies widely based on your location. Always eat seafood and fish properly cooked during pregnancy.

Molasses

Use molasses to sweeten pancakes, biscuits along with other foods instead of honey or maple syrup, and you are giving yourself an extra dose of iron. Molasses has 3.5 mg of iron per tablespoon.

Meat

Steak, poultry and fish are suggested food sources of iron for pregnant women. Your body absorbs heme, the type of iron found in meat, more readily of computer absorbs iron from vegetable sources. Beef, buffalo, veal, lamb, pork, chicken and turkey are full of iron, as is egg yolk. 3 oz. of beef tenderloin has 3 mg of iron, within this highly bioavailable form.

Legumes, Beans and Peas

Lentils, soybeans and tofu, kidney beans, lima beans, navy beans and many other beans are good vegetable causes of iron. Just 1 cup of boiled lentils has 6.6 mg of iron.

Fruits and vegetables

Iron is present in spinach, tomatoes, berries, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, collard greens, turnip greens, apricots and lots of other fruits and vegetables. A half cup of boiled spinach, probably the most iron-dense of the common vegetables, has 3.2 mg of iron. Bear in mind however that spinach has other components, including calcium, which block iron absorption, which fruits and vegetables have a less bioavailable type of iron.

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