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♪ [music playing- no dialogue] ♪♪.
Hi, my name is Josie and I'm a graduate Dietetics student from
Eastern Illinois University, and today I'm going to talk about
iron deficiency anemia.
First of all, iron is an important mineral that helps
our red blood cells carry oxygen throughout the body.
Iron deficiency anemia is when your levels of iron in your body
are low enough to impact your oxygen-carrying capacity.
So, low levels of iron may be caused by impaired absorption
in the digestive system, inadequate intake,
or other diseases and conditions such as chronic renal failure.
So people who also might be vulnerable to iron deficiency
anemia include infants and young children,
women of child bearing age, and adults with digestive bleeding.
Your body compensates for low levels of iron in three ways.
First, your heart and lungs work harder to deliver more
oxygen throughout your body.
Second, your body shunts blood from your
skin, digestive system, and kidneys
and sends it to your brain.
And lastly, your body produces more hormones
to produce red blood cells.
So with these compensatory methods, your body has signs
and symptoms of iron deficiency anemia such as fatigue,
dizziness, shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, and pallor.
However, iron deficiency anemia can sometimes be asymptomatic in
mild cases, so sometimes it goes unnoticed and underreported.
Iron defiency anemia is common, but it can be easily resolved
with diet or supplements.
If your doctor diagnoses you as being iron deficient,
or if you are at risk of being iron deficient, it is good
to know a few sources of iron-rich foods.
So these foods include red meats, fish, beans, dark green
vegetables, peas, dried fruits, nuts, dark chocolate,
and iron-fortified grains.
So here I have a few of those things.
I have sunflower seeds, cashews, raisins, almonds,
dark chocolate chips, and walnuts.
And my recipe is just a simple trail mix.
So if you just add a lot these things together, you will have
a trail mix that is rich in iron.
Also, when you're eating this trail mix or any other
iron-rich food, it may be helpful to eat fruits,
vegetables, or drink juices that are high in vitamin C,
because vitamin C helps enhance the absorption
of iron in your digestive system.
However, you want to try to avoid
eating anything with dairy.
Also, tea and coffee, because those things may have components
that inhibit iron absorption in the digestive system.
So here you go, a simple trail mix that's rich in iron.
My name is Josie Fehrenbacher and
I hope you found this information very helpful.
Thank you for watching.
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