Iron Man

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency in the United States. I thought it was Twinkies, but that’s just silly me. Apparently there are two kinds of iron - not rusty and shiny. There is heme iron which comes from meat, poultry and fish, and non-heme iron which is why some vegetarian diets are low in iron.

Again, according to the CDC, good sources of heme iron are lean red meat, eggs, salmon, tuna and poultry. In case you don’t know, you can barbeque all of those except eggs. Eggs can be cooked in an iron skillet. Eating these along with beans and leafy vegetables help your body absorb iron from plants.

All this about iron is important because iron is used by the body to make hemoglobin (red blood cells) and myoglobin (found in muscle). Hemoglobin and myoglobin carry oxygen. Oxygen is very important, in case you didn’t know that either.

Iron deficiency can cause one to feel tired, short of breath, irritable or dizzy and even frequent headaches. People with iron deficiency anemia may have cold hands and feet or brittle hair and nails. Severe cases may cause one to crave substances such as dirt or clay. That could cut down on the grocery bill.

Why am I writing about this? To prove that steak, ribs, pork chops, fried chicken and all that stuff is not going to kill you. Moderation is the key. I eat in moderation. One day I have steak, then ribs, then pork chops - well you get the picture. I do not have an iron deficiency.

I am naturally irritable and dizzy. If my hands get cold, I put on gloves.

PMO
©2013