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Iron intake?

18 replies

LuckySalem · 15/02/2009 15:36

Ok,

Now I know they do it so you'll buy their product BUT I'm just worried about the intake of Iron in my daughter's (1) diet.

Can you let me know what has Iron in it as I dont think she gets enough.

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Itsjustafleshwound · 15/02/2009 15:40

Red meat
Dried apricots
Dark leafy veggies (I think...)
Liver
Fortified cereals

LuckySalem · 15/02/2009 15:41

She doesn't have ANY of that... I was right to worry then.

What damage does the lack of Iron do? Can it be rectified?

Should I buy follow on milk just to make sure?

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HeadFairy · 15/02/2009 15:43

I think baked beans are a good source too, as are other pulses. Any kind of meat has iron, but red meat is richer in iron, mince etc... If she's one, what milk has she been having, breast or formula? Because both have a lot of iron in too.

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LuckySalem · 15/02/2009 15:44

She was BF till 5 months then bottle fed
Now she's on cows milk.

She has LOTS of baked beans (at least twice a week if not more)

We try and give her some sort of meat each night

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HeadFairy · 15/02/2009 15:45

I'm fairly sure eggs are another good source.. I'll double check..

LuckySalem · 15/02/2009 15:45

Oh lots of eggs here too. Maybe its not as bad as I thought then.

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HeadFairy · 15/02/2009 15:47

I was wrong about the eggs, but here's a list I found. Meat is the best source of iron as it's the most easily absorbed, but here are some other sources... Read the bit about vit c at the bottom too as Vit c helps the body absorb iron.

FISH
Tuna, salmon, mackerel, sardines, pilchards or kippers are all sources of iron.

BREAD & CEREALS
Iron fortified breakfast cereals are a popular choice with children (eg Weetabix, Rice Krispies, Shreddies). Wholemeal bread, brown pasta and brown rice all provide more iron than the white types.

DRIED FRUITS
Peaches and prunes are great sources. Dates, raisins and currants also contain some iron. Try these as snacks instead of sweets.

PULSES & LENTILS
Baked beans, kidney beans, lentils and soya beans are good sources of iron. If you eat curries, try giving him more dahl. Try lentil or bean soup.

GREEN VEGETABLES
Spinach, broccoli, spring greens, kale, okra, watercress and rocket all contain some iron.

Please note: cooking vegetables for too long destroys their vitamin C content, so try steaming or stir frying instead.

NUTS & SEEDS
Most nuts and peanut butter contain iron. Cashew nuts, sesame seeds and tahini are particularly good sources.

OTHER FOODS
Quorn and tofu are particularly good sources of iron for vegetarians. Bombay mix, plain chocolate, liquorice and treacle all contain iron - but should only be eaten in moderation, as they are high in fat and sugar.

Some foods help the body to use iron, while others slow down the rate at which your body absorbs it. So you should give your son a source of vitamin C with each meal e.g. fruit or diluted, unsweetened fruit juice to maximise the absorption of iron. All fruit, especially citrus fruits such as oranges, kiwi fruits and blackcurrants are great sources of iron. Fresh and frozen fruit are richer in vitamin C than tinned.

LuckySalem · 15/02/2009 15:49

Thanks for this headfairy.

She eats a lot of that list and always has juice during her meals.... I'm feeling better now.

Wish that "formula" adds weren't' allowed to advertise like that as it really worried me.

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HeadFairy · 15/02/2009 15:50

Baked beans are great, and the breast milk and formula she's been having will have given her plenty of iron.

I have trouble getting my ds to eat meat too, I usually make a bolognaise sauce and give it to him with pasta so he can have some red meat, but other than that he's not brilliant at it. Next week I'm going to make some burgers and make some tiny ones for him, he's very in to using his hands to eat at the moment so I figured a burger would be fine for that. I'm going to do some lamb burgers with garlic and rosemary and some beef ones with onion and herbs. Might make some chicken ones too if I get a chance.

IAteMakkaPakka · 15/02/2009 15:51

I hate that fecking 20 litres of cow's milk shit advert.

Eggs are a great source, as are red wine and dark chocolate ... oh sorry, 1 you say? I like to keep my iron intake up too

I keep dried apricots in the fridge so DS (18 months) thinks he's getting something exciting and forbidden when he rakes in there . Any sort of cabbage, broccoli, spinach is also good. Lentils and beans, most pulses I think. Having fruit juice with meals can help iron absorption because Vitamin C is needed for uptake.

HeadFairy · 15/02/2009 15:53

I agree about the formula ads, they do imply very heavily that if you don't use them your child will grow up stupid and unhealthy, which is such tosh!

Itsjustafleshwound · 15/02/2009 15:54

Glad you are feeling better!!

I think I saw the follow on milk ad about iron - horrendous ...

Didn't know about baked beans - thanks!

HeadFairy · 15/02/2009 15:54

Oh another one I remembered, raisins are full of iron too... I call them sweets and ds absolutely loves them. Bless him though, he thinks they're sweets

LuckySalem · 15/02/2009 15:55

Yeh I like the cow and gate one they used to have with the giggling kids but this one really worried me.

Thanks for these though - looks as though all is ok in the Salem household. She LOVES bolognaise so we have that once a week as well.

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HeadFairy · 15/02/2009 15:55

oops, just noticed raisins were on the list!

LuckySalem · 15/02/2009 15:56

I just bought some raison boxes for her to have as pickins in the hope that we can make her as happy as she is when she gets a packet of crisps Glad they're irony too.

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HeadFairy · 15/02/2009 16:02

Just make sure you call them sweets

LuckySalem · 15/02/2009 16:03

Will try that then!!

The boxes are really colourful so hopefully that will help with the "sweet" idea.

I'm going to try to keep the boxes and refill then from a bag (cheaper)

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