Iron in your Diet

Iron is found in which type of food ?

• Coke and soft drinks

• Meat and Alternative

• Cakes and biscuits

• Icecream and sluchies

Iron is important for

• Forming part of Haemoglobin which carries oxygen round the body

• Helping us see well in the dark

• Helping us go rusty when we go swimming.

• Making strong teeth and bones

Iron, along with zinc is important for

• Helping us sleep well.

• Helping us keep our immune system strong.

• Helping us get a good sun tan.

The best sources of iron are

• Vegetables like silver beet

• White meats like chicken or fish

• Red meats, like beef, venison or mutton

Which Vitamin helps Iron be absorbed ?

• Vitamin C

• Vitamin D

• Vitamin E

Why do teenage girls and adult women need more iron in their diets?

• They are hungry and it helps them not to snack between meals.

• They enjoy steak, chips and salad.

• They lose blood and therefore iron each month when they have their periods.

Too little iron in the blood can lead to

• Lower resistance to illness, such as infections, coughs and colds, is also weaker.L

• Paleness, tiredness and lethargy, making it harder to concentrate, and affecting our performance at school or work.

• All the answers are correct

• Feeling cold

There are two types of iron in food: haem iron (absorbed very well) and non-haem iron (not absorbed very well).

Which statement is correct?

• Meats, fish and shellfish all contain haem iron

• Vegetables contain

  non haem iron

• Both answers are correct.

What are 2 good ways of increasing the amount of iron you absorb?

• Have vitamin C-rich foods – such as oranges – at the same time. For example, topping with your breakfast cereal with kiwifruit will increase the iron absorbed from the cereal.

• Combining haem foods with non-haem foods also increases the absorption of iron.  For example, adding lean meat to a salad sandwich increases the amount of iron absorbed from the bread and salad.

• Answers 1 and 2 are correct

• Try to cook all your meals with as little fat as possible, so that you will be lowering your colesterol