Do your kids get tired? Are they unable to concentrate or having frequent headaches? They could be needing more iron-rich foods.  Letter-I week continues with how to get more Iron in children’s diet. Children ages 4-8 years old need 10mg of iron per day.  Some of our favourite iron sources include:

• Spinach -with 6.4 mg per 1 cup
• Lentils -have 6.6 mg per 1 cup
• Pumpkin seeds -have 5.2 mg per 1/4 cup.

Why Iron?

The key role of iron is to distribute oxygen to the body.  Without oxygen to all parts of our body, we would be tired and weak!

Types of Iron

Heme Iron is mostly found in animal foods and is easily absorbed by the body. This includes red meat, poultry, fish, and eggs.

Non-heme iron is found in plant sources such as leafy greens, legumes, dried fruits, and breakfast cereals.  You can easily improve the body’s ability to absorb iron from these sources by combining your iron rich foods with foods rich in vitamin C, such as:

• Beans with cabbage
• Raisins with OJ
• Kale with tomatoes

You could also increase the iron in your diet by cooking with a cast iron pan! We made this change several years ago. Here is why I finally bought one:

• When seasoned properly, food does NOT stick to the pan.  And you don’t have to worry about chemically treated pans.
• a cast-iron pan will last a lifetime.
• You can use it in the oven and on top of the stove.
• Heat distributes evenly in the pan.
• Increases the iron available in certain foods.  In a study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, they found 100 grams of spaghetti sauce jumped from 0.6mcg to 5.7 mcg after being cooked in a cast iron pot.
• It was only $18.00, (about £11.20).  Way cheaper than those fancy pans.