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Focus
on Iron This article was provided by: Note: The information on this website is presented for educational purposes only.
Who hasn't heard the old refrain that vegetarian children are pale, thin and unhealthy-looking? You and I know that doesn't have to be true, so why is it such a widely held belief? It's probably connected to anemia, or iron deficiency. One of the symptoms of anemia is pallor, or pale skin. Anemia may also cause a child to be irritable or tire easily. Many people believe that meat is the only good source of iron. If that were true, we'd be able to pick the vegetarians out a crowd by the unhealthy pastiness of their skin! On the contrary, some of the healthiest, glowing people I know are vegetarians. The truth is that anemia is a widespread condition, but it's one that affects vegetarians and meat-eaters at about the same rate. Other factors besides whether or not a child eats meat are connected to anemia. Consider this: children who drink large amounts of milk are prone to iron loss through bleeding in the intestinal tract. In light of this, most people would do better to add some plant sources of iron to their diets. For the parents of vegetarian children that task may seem harder than it really is. Maybe you aren't sure what foods are high in iron, or maybe your child refuses to eat the foods that you do know are good iron sources. Following are a few things you can do. First, start children out right by breastfeeding. Though some parents worry that their breastfed babies aren't getting enough iron from breastmilk, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, this is unfounded. They state that before solids are introduced around 4-6 months, no supplement is necessary. They recommend starting your baby on an iron-fortified cereal when you do start solids. La Leche League, the world's foremost authority on breastfeeding, states that a healthy, full-term baby has enough iron stores to last for the first 6 months of life. They go on to say that the iron in breastmilk is more readily absorbed than the iron in formula. Once your baby starts eating solids on a regular basis, how much iron should be in his diet? An even more important question is: In today's busy world, how do parents ensure that their babies and toddlers are getting enough iron without having to count milligrams and memorize the food chart? One easy way is to choose several iron-rich foods that your child likes and serve them every day. Try oatmeal with blackstrap molasses and wheat germ, prune juice mixed with apple juice. On those days when your toddler refuses her oatmeal (what self respecting toddler doesn't refuse her favorite foods from time to time?) serve fortified packaged cereal, like Cheerios or bran flakes. Keep avocado slices on hand (they can be frozen) and offer green leafy vegetables for lunch. Whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds and dried fruits are also high in iron. Follow up meals with melon--or some other high vitamin C fruit--for dessert. Iron absorption is improved by serving iron-rich foods with ones high in Vitamin C. Another trick is to cook your child's meals in an iron skillet. Believe it or not, this boosts the iron content of foods. Print out the following list and place it on your refrigerator to remind you--and others--of all the great vegetarian iron sources available! Sources of iron:
BESTblackstrap molasses 40% bran flakes GOODbaked goods with carob or soy flour wheat germ mustard greens asparagus navy, kidney and soy beans tofu split peas or lentils dried apricots and raisins strawberries tomato juice FAIRenriched rice, pasta and bread bananas and avocados cranberry juice apples and oranges broccoli, tomato and carrots green beans and peas peanut butter
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