Iron deficiency anemia (IDA), the most prevalent anemia worldwide, has a significant impact on human health.¹ A normal diet provides 13 to 20 mg of iron per day2 but only 1% to 40% of it is absorbed by our body.³ Therefore diets should be improved by including iron-rich foods and by altering meal patterns.³

Iron-rich foods include non-vegetarian foods, like meat and organs from cattle, fish and poultry and vegetarian foods, like green leafy vegetables and legumes.4 However, it is not enough to consume iron-rich foods. There are certain dietary factors that either inhibit (calcium, cereals, tea and coffee) or enhance iron absorption (vitamin C).^5,6 You may consume the necessary amount of iron but if it is eaten along with inhibitory factors, the total iron absorption will be insufficient. So, whenever you plan a meal with iron-rich foods, it is also important to know about the inhibitors and enhancers.

WHO recommends some changes to the meal pattern to maximize iron intake:³

1

Drink tea or coffee
one or two hours after a meal.

2

Include fruit juices like orange juice or other sources of vitamin C like cassava, tomatoes or carrots with the meal.

3

Milk and milk products like cheese should not be included within a meal but should be taken as snacks between meals.

4

Foods containing inhibitors should be eaten at meals with low iron content. For example, eat bread with tea or milk products. This ensures that calcium intake is not affected and iron nutrition is also maintained during other meals.

Additionally, cooking in iron-pots increases the iron content of the food.⁴ Sprouting legumes or fermenting foods helps better iron absorption.³

It is possible to boost iron levels by diet management. Let’s combat IDA by knowing what to eat and when to eat!