Thursday, June 02, 2005
Something about Iron
Dietary Iron
Today, I learnt that not all iron in our diet are "equal" or the same. The are 2 forms: haem and non-haem iron.
- Haem iron: Mainly from liver, poultry, seafood and meat especially beef. It is much better absorbed than non-haem (20-30% absorbed)
- Non-haem iron: From dark green veggies, whole grains,legumes, fortified/enriched foods. Only ~7% absorbed
Iron AbsorptionThe amount of iron absorbed from our diet is also affected by other substances. For eg.
- It is inhibited by oxalates (found in spinach, beans, cocoa)
- It is inhibited by phytates (found in whole grains)
- It can be inhibited by tannins in tea by as much as 50%
- And enhanced by vitamin C and haem iron
Posted by LiTTle-FooT at 2:13 PM with 0
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