The Triathlon Rx

Wow, wow, wow. Lots of new readers coming in! I guess that’s what happens when food = free! Hope some of you guys stick around now that the giveaway is over!

Well, given the title of today’s post, it’s pretty clear what we’re going to be talking about – Iron. What [apparently] wasn’t clear was ME!! After posting about my return to eating meat, I read many comments and a couple of emails that made me realize you all thought that I am currently anemic. Not so chiquitos. Although my thought process is often a twisting road, so I can understand if I lead some of you astray. My idea was that in cutting out soy, coupled with the fact that I am bleeding so heavily on my periods, I could easily end up very protein and iron deficient. That is definitely not one of those “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” situations… I want to make sure I take action now to stop it before it happens!! Hence, the return to eating los animales.

Before I jump into Iron 101, you might ask how is the whole meat thing going? Dece. Since Tuesday April 27th, I have consumed beef (just that one night at the ‘potle…) shrimp, tuna, buffalo (!!), chicken, and turkey. It’s still weird to me that I’m eating animal muscles and tissue. To me, that will never be any different than running my own human thigh through a meat slicer, but you know what? You do what you gotta do! My digestive system has taken to it better than I expected – a little gassy at first, and yes, the poo changes a bit, but you can expect that to happen when you make any drastic dietary change.

Here’s a little medterm for ya: Enzymes in the body all have specific jobs, and different enzymes act on different foods or compounds. The suffix –ase typically signals that it is an enzyme, and the root word coming before the –ase signifies what the enzyme is acting on. For example, lactase acts on lactose. Amylase acts on starches. There are a couple of enzymes that end in –in instead of –ase such as pepsin or chymdotrypsin… these are usually pancreatic enzymes. Protease breaks down proteins found in meats, nuts, eggs, and cheese. So although I’ve been a vegetarian for the last eight years, it’s not like I haven’t had protease at work in my body.

We have lots to talk about here though… so let’s get down to bidness.

WHAT IS IRON?

Aside from being a wrinkle remover for clothes, and one of the most bountiful metals on earth, iron is something that is essential to human life. It is a key component of proteins, enzymes, oxygen transport, and cell growth and proliferation. About two thirds of the iron stored in the human body is found in hemoglobin – the protein in red blood cells that carries fresh oxygen to tissues. It is also found in myoglobin, which helps transport oxygen to the muscles.

There are two types of iron: heme iron, and nonheme iron. It’s pretty easy to figure out if you think of it as, “Did this protein source originally ever have hemoglobin?” Or, if you just wanna be real with it, did this protein source ever had blood pumping through it? HEME iron is found in animal foods that did have hemoglobin – think red meat, fish, and poultry.  In contrast, NONHEME iron never had hemoglobin in the first place. Think plant foods – lentils, and beans. Most people argue that heme iron is absorbed better by the body, although most sources of iron in the diet are actually nonheme.

Writing this instantly pops the picture of 400 repeats on the track into my mind. I remember high school workouts, doing the last one all out. I remember my lungs screaming and muscles burning. Just picture the little oxygen molecules working their way to your quads and your hammies. Couldn’t happen without iron!

WHAT IS IRON DEFICIENCY ANEMIA?

Iron deficiency anemia is, as implied, a deficiency of iron in the body resulting in anemia. Anemia in turn is a condition in which the blood lacks adequate healthy red blood cells. Due to the lack of iron, the body isn’t able to produce enough hemoglobin. While I have never dealt with this personally (yet?! Knock on wood!) I know plenty of athletes who have. Some have had to take the season, or multiple seasons off just to get back to a healthy point.

There are several causes that may lead you to become iron deficient:

• Lack of iron in diet
• Blood loss (heavy periods, slow chronic bleeding such as from an ulcer, uterine polyp, cancer, or tumor. GI (gastrointestinal) bleeding can also result from regular use of NSAIDS (asprin, etc.))
• Inability to absorb iron (ie Chron’s disease or celiac disease, which affect your body’s ability to absorb nutrients from digested food.)
• Pregnancy (when pregnant, your body’s iron stores are working overtime to serve both you and your developing fetus.)

Symptoms of iron deficiency anemia include:

• Extreme fatigue
• Pale skin
• Weakness
• Shortness of breath
• Headache
• Dizziness or lightheadedness
• Cold hands and feet
• Irritability
• Inflammation or soreness of your tongue
• Increased likelihood of infection
• Brittle nails
• Arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat)
• Unusual cravings for non-nutritive substances, such as ice, or dirt
• Poor appetite, especially in infants and children
• Restless leg syndrome

Like many things, iron deficiency anemia is not something you should self-diagnose or treat. Iron supplements should be taken only under a doctor’s recommendation and supervision. An excess of iron in the body can cause liver damage and other non-fun complications.

WHAT IS THE CURRENT RECOMMENDATION FOR IRON INTAKE?

The current RDI for Iron is 18 milligrams per day for adults and children over 4 years old. For pregnant women, the Office of Dietary Supplements says that the RDI should roughly double, jumping to about 27 milligrams per day. When you’re looking at a “daily value” (%DV) keep in mind that that is based on a 2,000 calorie/day diet, so individual needs may be more or less.

WHERE CAN I GET ME SOME?

Thanks Office of Dietary Supplements! Here’s a little fact sheet for ya: (Based on the FDA’s Daily Value (DV) of 18 milligrams, and percentages based on a 2,000 calorie diet.)

Food sources of HEME iron:

• Chicken liver (3.5 oz) – 70% DV
• Oysters (6) – 25% DV
• Beef, lean (3 oz) – 20% DV
• Clams (3/4 cup) – 15% DV
• Turkey, dark meat (3.5 oz) – 10% DV
• Turkey, light meat (3.5 oz) – 8% DV
• Chicken, dark meat (3.5 oz) – 6% DV
• Tuna, bluefin (3 oz) – 6% DV
• Chicken, light meat (3 oz) – 6% DV (not sure why the discrepancy in serving size..?)
• Halibut (3 oz) – 6% DV
• Crab meat (3 oz) – 4% DV
• Pork (3 oz) – 4% DV
• Tuna, white (3 oz) – 4% DV
• Shrimp (4 large) – 4% DF

Food sources of NONHEME iron:

• Ready to eat, 100% iron fortified cereal (servings vary) – 100% DV
• Oatmeal, instant, fortified (1 cup) – 60% DV
• Soybeans, boiled (1 cup) – 50% DV
• Lentils, boiled (1 cup) – 35% DV
• Beans – kidney, lima, navy – boiled (1 cup) – 25% DV
• Beans – black, pinto – boiled (1 cup) 20% DV
• Molasses, black strap (1 TBSP) – 20% DV
• Tofu, raw, firm (1/2 cup) – 20% DV (varies greatly by brand/type!)
• Spinach, boiled and d rained (1/2 cup) – 20% DV
• Raisins, seedless, packed (1/2 cup) – 8% DV
• Whole wheat bread (1 slice) – 6% DV (varies by brand/type!)

So where does that leave me? Well, as I said last week, I’m not going to be eating solely meat for my protein sources. Its ALSO not like because I’m cutting out soy, I’m going to cut all sources of nonheme iron. That would be a) nearly impossible, and b) ridiculously stupid. It’s a good thing I LOOOVE spinach because 20% DV in one teeny half cup cooked is no problemo for this Popeye lovin’ lady! I have been trying many new foods lately, and honestly I feel like my options are endless. I will be 100% honest and say that it feels really good to be able to go out to eat and have more options than iceburg on a plate with mushy tomatoes. If we’re buds on facebook, you might have noticed I recently tried this:

READER QUESTIONS:

What are your favorite sources of iron? Please believe me.. the lists above are very inconclusive! And most importantly, do you have any CostCo recommendations for me? That’s where I’m headed as soon as I hit publish. And do core. And take a shower.

I’m out! Happy Saturday, and an early HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to all my madres out there, especially my own! I love you mom!

-E

SORCES:
Mayo Clinic – Iron Deficiency Anemia
Office of Dietary Supplements – Iron