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Iron is an essential nutrient; your body needs iron to help carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of your body and helps produce energy. When you aren’t consuming or absorbing enough iron, there can be significant consequences to your health, energy levels, appearance, ability to concentrate, and so forth. There are a few … Continue reading Symptoms or Winter Blahs?
The holiday season is upon us and this often means many parties, potlucks, and social gatherings. So, if you’re going to bring a yummy treat to share, why not give the gift of iron? Here are a few ideas for you: BLACK BEAN CAKE (1 cup black beans = 9.7 mg of iron) Substituting black … Continue reading 5 Iron-Rich Snacks & Treats for Holiday Parties
Content and advice provided on The Iron Maiden is for information purposes only and should not serve as a substitute for a licensed health care provider, who is knowledgeable about an individual’s unique health care needs. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the individual authors and does not necessarily reflect … Continue reading Happy 10 Months: The Iron Maiden’s Top 10 Articles
If you’ve been diagnosed with iron deficiency, you have a few different options when it comes to treatment. It is likely that your doctor will recommend a combination of an iron-rich diet along with an iron supplement. Here’s an overview of the options so that you, together with your doctor or pharmacist, can come up … Continue reading I’m Iron Deficient… What Are the Treatment Options?
Vitamin C helps your body to better absorb iron – both from the iron-rich foods you eat and from iron supplements – along with all kinds of other great health benefits! In past articles, I’ve mentioned that to enhance absorption you can consume non-heme foods with a good source of Vitamin C, and you can … Continue reading Enhance Absorption with These Top 10 Vitamin C-Rich Foods
In honour of International Women’s Day (March 8th), I thought it was fitting to make today’s post all about the ladies. Did you know that simply being female puts you at a higher risk for developing iron deficiency? It is estimated that 20% of women of childbearing age are iron deficient and 50% of pregnant … Continue reading A Woman’s Need for Iron Throughout Her Life
Most of the time, your primary care physician will be the first doctor you see about iron deficiency. Depending on your symptoms, blood work results, and cause of your iron deficiency, you may be referred to a different healthcare professional or specialist. Let’s take a look at which healthcare professionals may be involved in diagnosing … Continue reading Who Do I Need to See to Diagnose & Treat Iron Deficiency?
As the recipient of 70 units of blood last year (for bone marrow failure), I know first-hand how important blood donation is, and I am forever grateful for those who helped me when I was in need. On the weekend, I heard an announcement from Canadian Blood Services (CBS); while they are always in need … Continue reading I Wonder if MY 70 Blood Donors Know The Importance of Post-Donation Iron Supplementation
Got a picky eater on your hands and want to make sure they’re getting enough iron? Forget a nightly standoff between you, your child, and that plate of kale and try some of these clever ways to get more iron into your child without a fuss. 1. Cereal-Breaded Chicken Nuggets I bet your child loves chicken … Continue reading 10 Clever Ways to Get More Iron into Your Child’s Diet
We’ve talked about the impact that chronic iron deficiency can have on your heart and now, continuing on with our series of Iron and Your Heart (in honour of Heart Month), I want to talk about the effect that too much iron – also known as hemochromatosis – can have on your heart. What … Continue reading Iron & Your Heart Part 2: Hemochromatosis
As I begin to close out my posts related to Heart Month, health and iron deficiency, I want to take this opportunity to share with you my own personal health story. This is possibly one of the most difficult articles I have written. I live my life by a very simple guideline; I face each … Continue reading My Story: From the Bottom of My Heart…
We’ve been talking about heart-related issues in honour of Heart Month, and this particular article may be among the most important of all because it will give you a look into the impact of iron deficiency anemia on your heart. I want to ask you a question: How quickly would you get yourself to a … Continue reading Iron & Your Heart Part 1: Chronic Iron Deficiency
I imagine with Valentine’s Day upon us and romance in the air – not to mention all the chocolate – many hearts are probably beating faster. If, however, you feel your heart aflutter when it shouldn’t be, then you might be experiencing heart palpitations… read on for the heart-pounding details! What is Heart Palpitation? … Continue reading Is it Just Valentine’s Day or is Heart Palpitation Sending Your Heart Aflutter?
Today, in honour of Heart Month, I want to talk about the link between iron deficiency and heart failure because it’s far more common than you might realize. According to a paper published in the Cardiology Journal Heart, iron deficiency is present in 30 - 50% of patients with heart failure and has been associated … Continue reading The Connection between Iron Deficiency and Heart Failure
If you didn’t already know, February is Heart Month as marked by the Heart and Stroke Foundation. Right now in Canada, heart disease and stroke take one life every 7 minutes and 90% of Canadians have at least one risk factor. Started in 1958, Heart Month is an opportunity to raise awareness of the risks … Continue reading Interesting Heart Facts In Light Of Heart Month
Getting more iron by eating iron-rich foods and taking an oral iron supplement are effective ways to treat iron deficiency, and while this is the preferred method of iron therapy, there are certain circumstances where intravenous (IV) iron may be necessary. IV iron therapy is beneficial when iron supplements are unsatisfactory or impossible, such as … Continue reading Getting Your Iron Through IV Injection
Whole grains have been given a bad rap in recent years because of the whole gluten-free craze. Don’t get me wrong, I am fully aware of some people’s needs to eat gluten-free and I’m happy to see this craze leading to a bunch of new options for people. The reason I refer to it as … Continue reading In the News – Whole Grains
Celiac disease is a digestive disorder in which gluten – a protein found in wheat – damages the lining of the small intestine, which is the same part of the gut that absorbs nutrients from food. According to the Canadian Digestive Health Foundation, it is believed that 333,000 Canadians (approximately 1% of the population) are … Continue reading What’s the Link Between Celiac Disease and Iron Deficiency?
Need to up your iron intake? Well, this list of the top 12 iron-rich foods should help! Generally speaking, foods with an iron content of 1 - 5 mg per serving size are considered to be “good” sources of iron, and those with more than 5 mg of iron per serving are considered to be … Continue reading 12 Iron-Rich Foods to Add to Your Diet Pronto
It’s scary isn’t it: going to the bathroom, glancing down before you flush, and seeing that your poop is as dark as a thousand midnights? You’re not alone in your horror. I can’t even begin to count how many times I get asked whether dark stool is a common side effect of taking iron supplements. … Continue reading Why Is My Poop Dark?