Pump up the iron

My grandson has just turned twenty months old. He is a happy, smiley toddler; people who see him while we’re out shopping invariably want to talk to him – and he always makes them smile.

 

The toddler years are a period of amazing intellectual and communication learning, and while physical growth has slowed down compared to babyhood, nutrition is still key. Now is the time, between 12 and 24 months, when a toddler is adapting to eating the same foods as the rest of the family by trying out new tastes and textures (some not readily accepted, admittedly!).

 

After the first year of getting most of their nutritional needs from breast milk or formula, toddlers usually progress to cow’s milk. Cow’s milk provides calcium and Vitamin D, but it is low in iron – his formula and baby cereal were more than likely fortified with iron – and drinking a lot of cow’s milk can lead to iron deficiency. A child who drinks large quantities of cow’s milk is likely to be less interested in eating iron-rich foods. Milk lowers the absorption of iron, too.

 

Iron is required for the production of red blood cells. These are the blood cells that absorb oxygen and carry it around the body; a lesser supply of red blood cells leads to a lower oxygen supply, which can be detrimental to mental and physical development. What can you do to ensure he gets the recommended 7mg of iron that he needs each day?

 

• Limit your toddler’s milk consumption to 500 – 750ml (2-3 cups or 16-24 fluid ounces) per day.
• Provide iron-rich foods – meat, poultry, fish, beans, tofu, iron-fortified cereal, eggs, broccoli, raisins.
• Serve foods rich in Vitamin C (which improves iron absorption) along with the iron-rich foods - tomatoes, oranges, strawberries, kiwi fruit, berries.

I know. Some days it’s an achievement to get a toddler to eat anything! Just stay patient and keep trying.

 

Never give your toddler a vitamin or mineral supplement without first checking it out with your doctor or pediatrician.

 

 

Growing needs

Babies and toddlers have a high proportion of body fat which begins to decrease once they reach about five. During adolescence the fat increases again – by the end of adolescence boys have lost some of that fat, but girls retain it for the rest of their lives. Isn’t this a good reason to teach your children healthy eating habits from an early age?

Another interesting fact is that, during puberty, girls double their muscle mass, while boys triple theirs! This is the reason men and boys require a greater number of kilojoules/calories per day than women and girls. And now you know why your teenage sons have voracious appetites and seem to eat you out of house and home.

Infancy and adolescence are both times of accelerated growth, so there is a greater need for calcium and iron (particularly for girls). We all think of calcium as coming from dairy products, and yes, it does. But dairy is not the only source – seafood, green vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, soybeans, oatmeal, meat and fish all supply bio-available calcium. And for iron, eat eggs, whole grains, broccoli, spinach, raisins, dates, figs, prunes and apricots.

Iron deficiency

I've been meaning to go and give blood again, the blood bank even phoned me to remind me it was time. That was mmm... must be three weeks ago, and I still haven't got there.

Women sometimes get turned away when they go to donate blood because of depleted iron. Your body uses iron to make haemoglobin - that's the stuff that makes your blood red and is essential for carrying oxygen around the body. If you don't have enough iron, your body makes fewer, smaller red blood cells. Rather like buying an overnight bag when you really need a suitcase - it's not going to hold enough; in this instance, oxygen. You can be low on iron without necessarily being (iron deficient) anemic, and the symptoms may only be mild to begin with, developing slowly.

Symptoms include: feeling weak, fatigue, dizziness, being grumpy, headaches, trouble concentrating, looking pale and shortness of breath. (Most of us suffer with most of these most of the time!)

Who is most susceptible to iron deficiency? Small children, teenagers, pregnant women and women with heavy menstrual flow.

What aggravates iron deficiency? Poor diet, ulcers, pregnancy, stomach surgery or celiac disease.

Can you prevent it? In most cases, yes. Eat wisely and mindfully. Lean meat, eggs, oily fish, whole grains, beans and pulses, spinach, molasses, raisins, figs, seeds, prunes and oatmeal are all rich in iron. Caffeine, calcium and antacids act against iron absorption, Vitamin C improves absorption. The amount of iron your body requires varies with age and gender, but just make sure you get 2 - 3 servings of iron-rich foods every day.

mmm... I think I might have a poached egg on spinach for breakfast, with a glass of orange juice.