Iron

Iron is best known for the part it plays in helping red blood cells transport oxygen around the body as an essential element in haemoglobin. Indeed, almost two thirds of all the body’s iron is found in the blood.

However, it has other, equally important roles...

It helps protect us from infection and if we become short of iron, we can very quickly become tired and weak.

Because pregnancy uses so much of the body’s reserves of iron, it’s important to make sure you have enough iron rich food each day to reduce the risk of iron deficiency, or ‘anaemia’.

Which foods are rich in iron?

There are two kinds of iron found in foods; haem, which is readily absorbed by the body, and non-haem, which has a slightly different chemical structure and is less easily absorbed.

Good sources of haem iron include liver, lean red meat, chicken, fish, shellfish and eggs.

However, you should avoid eating liver or products containing liver such as paté when you are pregnant as they contain high levels of vitamin A which over time may damage the health of your unborn baby.

Non-haem iron can be found in dairy products, wholegrains, beans, pulses and lentils, brown rice, dried fruit, broccoli, spinach and asparagus.

If you are a vegetarian or vegan, then obviously your choices are limited to foods containing less readily absorbed non-haem iron. Including plenty of vitamin C rich fresh fruit and veg in your diet, however, can significantly increase your uptake of non-haem iron and of course, you can choose iron fortified breakfast cereals and iron supplements from your local health food store to boost your intake.