10 Iron Mineral Facts

Iron is a mineral that is important to many, but may be cause for concern for others. Here are a few helpful facts about iron:

1. Iron is needed and essential for the formation of hemoglobin found in our red blood cells.  
2. Iron promotes transport of oxygen in the muscles through formation of myoglobin, also in the blood.
3. Iron helps prevent anemia...a result of iron deficiency...and helps to stimulate the immune system.
4. A lack of iron can cause fatigue.
5. Iron is found in organ meats such as the liver, heart, kidneys, shellfish, and in vegetables such as whole grains, dried beans, fruits, leafy dark green veggies, nuts, and black-strap molasses...oh, and from cooking with cast iron.
6. Though there are vegetables that contain iron, some on vegetarian diets may benefit from iron supplements.  
7. Iron deficiency is usually called Anemia, and some symptoms that may indicate it are pale appearance to skin, fatigue, labored breathing when exerting oneself, and heart palpitations...as always, these symptoms can be caused by other things, but it's worth considering if you are suffering from all of these symptoms together...your doctor can determine this through blood testing.
8. RDA for men is less than woman - for men it's about 10 mg and women, 18 mg especially when menstruating.  Men are best off getting iron from their daily diet....do not take excess iron.
9. Vitamin C improves absorption of Iron, so you may want to take your iron with vitamin C supplement or drink of fruit juice like orange juice.
10. Use organic iron, not inorganic (ferrous sulfate) which destroy Vitamin E. Organic irons include ferrous fumarate, ferrous citrate and ferrous gluconate

For more mineral facts, click the link below or in the right margin under "Categories" for "Mineral Facts".

 

Posted 8/23/20

Image by Bru-nO on Pixabay 

Mineral Facts - Chromium and Glucose Tolerance

Chromium is a wonderful trace mineral that has a reputation for helping to maintain blood sugar levels that are already at a normal range. It is believed to work by helping the glucose find it's way from the blood into the cells. It is needed so that the liver can manufacture fatty acids, lecithin, cholesterol, and lipo-proteins.

Foods that contain this trace mineral include:

• Brewer's Yeast
• Black-strap Molasses
• Black Pepper
• Liver especially, but also in other meats.
• Whole Wheat Bread and Whole Grain Cereals
• Broccoli
• Cheese
• Nuts
• Legumes
  
• Beets
• Mushrooms

If you are unable to eat these foods for any reason, or if you are not getting enough of them in your daily diet, you can use a Chromium supplement. 

Look below for a growing list of Vitamin Facts and Mineral Facts.

Added 11/27/18

12 Healthy Facts About Magnesium and 8 Food Sources

Magnesium has many helpful functions in the body. And this is the start of a series of "Mineral Facts". 

As more posts are added on the topic, you will be able to find them listed below, under this post, under the heading "Mineral Facts".




Here are some Magnesium facts:

1. About 60% of this mineral is found in our bones
2. Magnesium is needed so our bodies can metabolize (use) Vitamin C, phosphorus, potassium and sodium.
3. Take with calcium, it helps the calcium utilize calcium properly, some suggest taking magnesium:calcium in a 1:2 ratio. So if you're taking 250 mg. Calcium, take with 125 mg. Magnesium
4. Magnesium benefits the bones and teeth.
5. Consider this mineral if you are having trouble with restless leg syndrome.
6. Enzymes are important to our bodies, that's a topic for another post. For now, just know that over 300 enzymes are made more useful to the body by magnesium.
7. Helps with insulin production.
8. Magnesium comes in different forms, two of the best are Citrate and Malate. 
9. Magnesium has a relaxing affect on the smooth muscle tissues in the body, which may account for the following benefits:
10. May reduce the frequency of migraines
11. May reduce severity of asthma attacks
12. May help with PMS symptoms

Food Sources for Magnesium:

1. Green Leafy vegetables (central atom in the chlorophyll molecule)
2. Figs
3. Grapefruit (remember, Grapefruit is contraindicated with many meds...visit this link for more information on this)
4. Apples
5. Lemons
6. Peanuts
7. Whole-Grain Bread
8. Natural un-refined Cereal

350 mg. is the generally agreed to be the maximum to take in supplement form, this can vary depending upon the individual. Excess amounts may cause diarrhea, start with less and increase if you are concerned.

Updated 11/27/18

Image Credit: Aixklusiv on Pixabay