Facts & Myths

Sources of iron

Iron per 100g

Animal-based sources
Liver pate 5.9mg
Beef 3.6mg
Eggs (fried) 2.2mg
Prawns (boiled) 1.1mg
Plant-based sources
Chickpeas (boiled) 2mg
Kidney beans (canned) 2mg
Fruit, nuts and seeds
Figs (partially dried) 3.9mg
Apricots (partially dried 3.4mg
Almonds 3mg
Peanut butter 2.1mg
Hazelnuts 3.2mg
Sesame seeds 10.4mg
Sunflower seeds 6.4mg
Vegetables
Broccoli (boiled) 1mg
Spinach (boiled) 1.6mg

Iron Food Fact Sheet, British Dietetic Association www.bda.uk.com/foodfacts © BDA September 2017. Review date September 2020.

Having low iron, how does it look like?

Tiredness and fatigue, which do not relief by sleeping

Shortness of breath in exercise or even daily life

Being pale

Brittle nails & hair

Palpitation

Weakness

Feeling cold all the time

Poor sleep

Restless legs

Low efficacy in school, work or daily life

Weak immune system

Funny eating habits, ex soil, chuck and…

Iron deficiency in United Kingdom:

Substantial proportions of the UK population appear to have iron intakes below dietary recommendations for iron.

Teenagers between 10 to 18 years of age in the United Kingdom have the lowest iron intake in comparison with 4 other European countries (Germany, Ireland, France, Italy)

Girls between 11 to 18 years old have the most risk of iron deficiency in United Kingdom.

48% of girls between 11 to 18 years old have iron intakes below the amount that is estimated to be sufficient for only 2.5% of the population.

A women can lose up to 1.92 mg iron per day on a menstrual cycle

UK men above 75 years of age have the lowest iron intake in comparison with 4 other European countries (Ireland, France, Sweden, Italy and United Kingdom).

Iron deficiency myths to consider:

If you are tired all the time it means you have iron deficiency

If you are iron deficient it is necessarily because of your poor diet

If you are an athlete or you have a healthy life style you won’t suffer from iron deficiency

If you are iron deficient you necessarily have anemia

If you don’t eat meat, you will be iron deficient

If you eat meat, you won’t be iron deficient

If you are vegan or vegetarian, you will be iron deficient

Who need iron supplement?

Infants aged between 6 to 24 months

Children and adolescents, who need more iron to support rapid growth

Adult menstruating women and adolescent girls

Pregnant women

Long-distance runners and other endurance athletes

Dieters and vegetarians, particularly premenopausal women

People taking proton pump inhibitors and H-2 blockers for reflux disease

People who suffer from certain diseases like parasite infections, chronic diseases, patients going through chemotherapy, patients who lost blood due to trauma, operation and..

Anyone who lives in an area where iron deficiency prevalence is beyond 40%, may need iron supplementation