How To Preserve Iron Supplies To Avoid Burnout

Air. Water. Food. Shelter. Sleep. We’re all familiar with our bodies’ basic requirements to survive and thrive. But there’s another more surprising element that is essential to life: Iron.

Found in every cell of the body, this vital mineral helps support immune function, reduces tiredness and fatigue, and plays an important role in normal energy metabolism, oxygen transport, the formation of red blood cells, and cognitive function.

As well as leading to a variety of physical symptoms including headaches, dizziness, impairment of the immune system and fatigue, low iron levels can impact the way that you think and feel.

The tiredness and fatigue caused by low iron levels can also lead to you feeling drained and emotionally low and may even be linked to depressive and anxiety symptoms [i]. When you are feeling low, you may also make choices that don’t support your overall health and wellbeing, further impacting your mood and energy levels.

Whilst you can get a sufficient daily iron intake from a healthy and balanced diet with iron rich foods, iron can be difficult for your body to absorb, and almost a quarter (23%) of the population take iron supplements[1]. Making sure you take a good quality supplement can give you peace of mind that you’re taking care of your nutrition.

How to bring iron into your diet

Belle About Town spoke to nutritionist, and spokesperson for BlueIron, Toral Shah. Here are Toral’s top tips to support iron and mood levels:

If you are an omnivore, ensure that you eat at least one portion of bioavailable haem iron rich foods a day, including organ meats, seafood, beef, tinned or jarred sardines or poultry.

If you are vegetarian or vegan, eat at least two portions of dark leafy greens daily alongside a vitamin C rich food, such as a dressing made with lemon juice or peppers, which supports the absorption of the non-haem iron which is less bioavailable.

Support your gut microbiome and iron levels by eating at least one portion of beans or legumes every day (fresh peas are in season). Each cup of cooked beans can provide up to a third of your daily iron requirement, plus they are fibre rich which supports your gut microbiome which has been linked to mood.

If you are trying to eat more plant-based foods to improve your diet, nuts and seeds are particularly rich in minerals such as iron, so include a small portion of these as a snack daily.

If you are deficient in iron, particularly if you are in a high-risk group, ask your GP to test ferritin levels and consider an iron supplement that is bioavailable and doesn’t impact your digestive health.

BlueIron (RRP: £16.00 250ml) is an iron supplement made with Nordic blueberries. One dose provides the full recommended daily reference intake of iron (RI), to help reduce feelings of tiredness and fatigue. Each dose contains added vitamins, and it’s also suitable for vegetarians, vegans and includes no artificial colours.

[1] Mintel Vitamins And Supplements: Inc Impact Of Covid-19, UK – September 2020

[i] Abbaspour N, Hurrell R, Kelishadi R. Review on iron and its importance for human health. J Res Med Sci. 2014;19(2):164–74.

Emily Cleary

After almost a decade chasing ambulances, and celebrities, for Fleet Street's finest, Emily has taken it down a gear and settled for a (slightly!) slower pace of life in the suburbs. With a love of cheese and fine wine, Emily is more likely to be found chasing her toddlers round Kew Gardens than sipping champagne at a showbiz launch nowadays, or grabbing an hour out of her hectic freelancer's life to chill out in a spa while hubby holds the babies. If only!

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