Are you feeling fatigued and exhausted all the time?

Iron deficiency Anaemia is a nutritional problem of massive proportions, but somehow it doesn’t get the attention it deserves. 33% of South African women are iron deficient, along with 50% of our children. Fifty-five percent of Australian women are anaemic (iron deficient) and twenty percent of men.

What is Iron?

Iron is a nutrient which is found in every single cell in the body. It is found in larger quantities in the muscle and liver cells.

Let’s make this simple: Iron forms part of haemoglobin in red blood cells. This haemoglobin is what gives red blood cells their red pigment. The haemoglobin within red blood cells is what binds to oxygen, and then transports oxygen to every cell in the body. This is a critical function, because the human body cannot survive without oxygen. This is in essence what keeps us alive and functioning.

Now in cases of iron deficiency, what happens?

The haemoglobin content in your red blood cells will decrease. This means the quantity of oxygen being transported to all your body tissues is decreased. In turn, you have suboptimal body functioning, and you simply cannot operate at maximum capacity.

Symptoms of Iron deficiency anaemia include exhaustion, fatigue, impaired concentration and exercise intolerance. If iron stores are very deficient: decreased immunity, growth abnormalities, pale palms and eyelids, and brittle nails.

Iron requirements (needs) increase in certain phases of the life cycle. Iron needs are higher in growing children and adolescents, especially teenage girls who are losing iron during menstruation. It is critically important to include iron rich foods DAILY during these periods of growth and development. Iron needs increase during pregnancy and lactation (breastfeeding) and most often women are prescribed a supplement to meet this need.

Athletes who partake in long periods of physical activity (endurance) also have an increased iron requirement, due to the increased demand on the body stores.

People are not consuming enough of this vital nutrient!

The most common cause of iron deficiency anaemia is an inadequate dietary intake of iron. Iron deficiency anaemia is a massive global nutritional deficiency. Iron is contained within foods in two forms: Heme iron and non-heme iron. Heme iron is readily and easily digested and absorbed and is found in animal products. Non-Heme iron is far more difficult for the body to absorb and is vulnerable to iron inhibitors.

Many people are choosing to eat a plant-based diet. As a result, they are not consuming food sources rich in heme iron. Although they may be consuming non-heme sources of iron, these food sources of iron are difficult for the body to absorb and therefore this person might well be iron deficient.

“Vegetarians and vegans are at high risk for iron deficiency”

There are certain components in food which inhibit (decrease) the absorption of iron:

• Tannins in black teas (not rooibos) 
• Oxalates found in chocolate
• Polyphenols in coffee
• Calcium
• Phytic acid found in legumes and beans (and wheat)

Make sure to eat these iron-inhibiting foods at least 1 hour before or after an iron rich meal to ensure the iron you are eating is actually being absorbed. Have that after lunch coffee 1 hour after your food.

Vitamin C increases (enhances) iron absorption. If you are taking Vitamin C supplements, take them with your iron rich meal. Alternatively, you can combine iron rich foods with those containing Vitamin C:

• Orange (papaya, oranges, lemons, carrots)
• Red (strawberries, tomato, peppers)
• Green (dark green leafy vegetables: kale, broccoli, cabbage, spinach, Bok-choi).

Use our feature on the app to search how much iron is in your foods. RDA (recommended daily allowance) for iron is 8mg per day for men and 18mg per day for women ages 18+.

By Azeeza Parker, Registered Dietitian

Any relationship starts with a foundation and communication. Responsive Feeding creates one of the first channels of communication between you and your child. Not only does it establish good eating habits at a young age but assertive traits as well, such as indicating their likes and dislikes, listening to their needs and responding appropriately. During this time you learn more about your child and yourself too!

How to Responsive Feed

Never force, simply offer: Give children options and variety during meal times. Observe what they choose and what they ignore.

Distraction free zone: Like any relationship, attention is needed. At meal times, the TV should be off, the phone should be put away (unless you want to snap a picture for nostalgic purposes) and your focus should be on your child.

No rush: Feeding kids should not be a rushed and chaotic event. Easier said than done but rather allow your child to interact in peace with their food than controlling the situation.

Left overs are key: Now, Responsive Feeding may seem like wasting, but it’s not! Whatever your child doesn’t finish, simply keep it for later. This establishes portion sizes and quantities when dishing. Remember as kids grow, they eat more, so their portions will keep changing.

Be creative: Choose different colours, shapes and textures. Rather than loading foods with sugar to make it more appealing, use visual and sensory techniques, so that kids can become familiar with the natural flavours of foods.

By Azeeza Parker, Registered Dietitian

Get yourself out there, we’re told when it comes to meeting new people. Well, the same goes for improving our relationship with food – get yourself into that kitchen! We’ve all seen the representation of cooking, most TV shows highlight the takeout menus stocked in grocery cupboards and burning of spaghetti sauce. These are a few tips to get you more comfortable in the kitchen and with food in general.

Convenience foods and appliances:

If using convenience foods such as pre-prepared veggies or salads will lessen the stress of being in the kitchen, go for it. Diet culture will have us believe that we need fancy equipment in order to be healthy, but at the end of the day these gadgets have no health benefits. However, they can make your life a bit easier by cutting down cooking time or waiting for ovens to heat up!

Think back to childhood favourites:

The easiest way to get into the kitchen is by recreating foods you grew up with. Talk to family and community members about recipes and tricks when it comes to staple foods in your area. Not only does this help you interact with your food but it forms relationships with those around you.

Explore new cuisines or dishes:

Humans love habits and routine – even when we say we don’t. If food becomes mundane, boring and habitual, of course our relationship with it will become a bit strained. Why not pick an item in the grocery store that you’d never thought about using or choosing something different off a menu? Experience builds on any relationship, including the one we have with our food.

Remember, food shouldn’t be fancy or expensive to be wholesome, it just needs love, attention and creativity.

By Mayuri Bhawan, Registered Dietitian

Gluten is something that many people cut out of their diets thanks in part to a lot of fears shared online about its effects on the body. The gluten-free industry has grown rapidly over the last few years but how many people are in fact affected by Celiac Disease?

While around 1 in 100 people are affected, there are many that cut it out with no real understanding as to why or knowing what gluten really is.

What is Gluten?

Let’s break it down…

Gluten is the family of proteins found in grains like wheat, rye and barley. The two main proteins found in this little family are glutenin and gliadin. It may sound like gibberish to you right now but it’s pretty straightforward. It’s there two proteins that cause damage to your small intestine.

How?

By triggering an immune reaction that causes your own body to attack the lining of your gut. This is called Celiac disease, which is a serious autoimmune disease and can only be resolved by following a gluten-free diet. When someone with Celiac eats gluten (a protein found in wheat, rye and barley) their body mounts an immune response that attacks the small intestine. This damages the villi, which are small fingerlike projections that line the small intestine, that promote nutrient absorption. When the villi get damaged, nutrients cannot be absorbed properly into the body. Celiac disease is hereditary, meaning it runs in the family.

Those with celiac (a.k.a gluten intolerance) have to eliminate ALL consumption of gluten in order to avoid the risk of serious effects it may have on their health. While those with gluten sensitivity can get relief by avoiding gluten but don’t face any risk of serious harm.

Sensitivity to gluten can also be the result of various other factors and you should always seek the advice of a registered healthcare practitioner.

So what CAN you eat if you’re Celiac or Gluten Intolerant?

Start by seeking out naturally gluten-free food groups, including:

• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Meat and poultry
• Fish and seafood
• Dairy
• Beans, legumes, and nuts

There are a variety of grains and starchy foods you can still enjoy that are naturally GF from rice, and corn/maize, to soy and buckwheat groats. Others include chia, GF oats, flaxseed, quinoa, tapioca, nut flours, and potato to name a few. You can also find a wide variety of substitutes in your local grocery store and in speciality health stores too.

It’s important to remember that if you are not diagnosed with Celiac or as gluten-intolerant, cutting gluten for no reason actually reduces the quality of your overall health and wellbeing!

Knowit