23/09/2009 by admin.

Iron is a very important mineral.  One of its key roles is that it helps the production of red blood cells which help to transport oxygenated blood around the body. 

The suggested intake for men is 8.7 mg and for woman 14.8 mg per day.  Taking vitamin C at the same time as iron helps the body to absorb it, so having fruit juice with your supplement or with your meal is useful.

As a rule it should not be necessary to supplement iron but women often do need a boost.  If in doubt, see your GP’s advice.

Antagonists are tea and coffee so avoid consuming those at the same time as iron and preferrably keep your overall consumption of these to a sensible level.

Iron deficiency can result in anaemia (common in women).  This can result in tiredess and lower resistance to infection.  Other symptoms are irritability, growth problems and reduced bone density.

Good sources of iron are dried fruit, nuts, beans, liver, meat, wholegrains (eg brown rice), dark leafy vegetables, chickpeas, lentils shellfish, egg yolks, mussels, oysters and fortified breakfast cereals.  Pregnant women should not consume liver due to the Vitamin A content.

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23/09/2009 by admin.

Eating a well balanced and healthy diet, together with low stress levels and a sensible exercise regime will no doubt improve your body’s defences. 

Vitamin D helps to protect our immunity.  It can be found in bran, milk, eggs and oily fish.  The main provider of Vitamin D is in fact the sun, however, this doesn’t give us the excuse to fry in the sun for hours on end.  15 minutes of sun 3 times per week between April and September should be sufficient as our body’s have the ability to store Vitamin D. 

We shouldn’t need to  supplement Vitamin D if we are eat a balanced diet and get some sun. 

The people most likely to be Vitamin D deficient are pregnant woman, brestfed babies, people that stay indoors, people of south Asian origin, the elderly and children - because it is needed for growth.

The symptoms of Vitamin D deficiency include pains in the bones especially the hips, back or legs and muscle pains or weakness.  In children weak leg bones or a soft skull are an indication of deficiency. It is best to seek your GP’s advice if you think you are deficient in Vitamin D.

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