What is Happening to My Nails?

Your nails say a lot about your health and doctors have actually looked to patients’ nails for clues about their health for centuries. It may seem like a strange connection, but changes in the visual appearance of your nails can be a sign of iron deficiency. The reason for this is that iron helps to carry oxygen throughout the body, including to your tissues. When you’re iron deficient, your tissues and muscles get less oxygen and this can show in your nails.

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Adding ‘Superfoods’ to Your Diet in 2015

Happy to see that you’re out of your turkey coma and ready to get back on track with some healthy choices for the New Year!

You’re not alone in wanting to eat better – most of us crave a healthier diet after a December of making merry with sweets and other holiday goodies. Even those who have made the effort to eat iron-rich foods over the holidays have probably managed to over-indulge in even these foods. ‘Tis the way of the season, it seems! You can have too much of a good thing though, and eating loads of red meat and other iron-rich foods, depending on how you prepare them, fat content, etc., can actually be a not-so-healthy choice.

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Vegetarian or Vegan Doesn’t Have to Mean Iron Deficiency…

Are you a vegetarian, vegan, or flexitarian? What’s a flexitarian, you ask? According to the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary that officially listed the word in 2012, a flexitarian is “one whose normally meatless diet occasionally includes meat or fish”, in other words, a semi-vegetarian!

With an estimated 4% of Canadians living a vegetarian lifestyle, as many as 40% of North Americans living a flexitarian lifestyle, and an unknown (but growing) number of people following vegan diets, iron deficiency in these groups is worth a mention – allow me to explain why…

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A Quick & Easy Guide to Choosing the Right Iron Supplement

So, you’re in need of an oral iron supplement and head to the pharmacy where you’re greeted by an overwhelming selection. How do you pick the right one without resorting to an impromptu game of eeny, meeny, miny, moe? Keeping in mind that every body is different (and a one-size-fits-all iron supplement does not exist), I recommend that the “right” iron supplement is one that patients can tolerate with the least amount of side effects.

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Unusual Cravings to Consume Ice, Dirt or Clay Could Point to Iron Deficiency Anemia

We all remember that one kid growing up who would gross out the class by eating something that was never meant to be eaten, like dirt or sand at recess. You probably chalked it up to the kid being “weird” or “gross” and likely figured they were just doing it for attention, right? Well, what if I told you that eating these types of non-food materials could actually be a sign of iron deficiency or related anemia? Continue reading

Are You a Blood Donor? You May Need to Replenish Your Iron!

Each year, Canadian Blood Services (CBS) collects about 950,000 units of blood from approximately 600,000 donors. That’s a lot of blood, and a lot of lives that can be saved because of it! Did you know that a single donation can save up to 3 lives?

While donating blood is an extremely generous act to help others who are in need, it is also important to take care of yourself in the process. Continue reading

So, I’m Feeling Fine… Should I Stop Taking My Iron Supplement?

You know how the doctor always stresses that you should finish a round of antibiotics even if you feel better, yet you still sometimes stop the second your symptoms are gone? That’s pretty much how it goes for iron supplements too. People tend to take them as advised because they feel run down, but as soon as they start to feel like themselves again, they might push their iron supplement to the back of the medicine cabinet. Continue reading

How Many Children Are Iron Deficient?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency in the world as well as the leading cause of anemia.  Unfortunately, children are among the most affected and the prevalence of ID and IDA in children is high. The following statistics will give you a better understanding of just how big a problem iron deficiency is among children in Canada and the world.

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