the contribution of iron that you add in your diet will determine your abilitiesiron is a micronutrient that needs a lot of attention.
Iron in humans
Why is iron important for physical performance?
Avoiding anemia is not a minor issue
When we suffer from anemia the body does not have enough iron,
What is the athlete’s anemia?
consists of a relative reduction of red blood cells that causes the athlete to lose their physical performance
- Low dietary intake of iron.
- Low consumption of foods that contribute to the absorption of iron. Foods of vegetable origin have lower levels than meat.
- Loss of iron through sweat.
Bioavailability of iron
- Heme iron, which is consumed through meats, fish, organ meats, shellfish, mussels, among others, and which has a high bioavailability.
- On the other hand, iron is not heme, which we eat through vegetables, vegetables, cereals enriched with iron, legumes, fried oil seeds, such as nuts, hazelnuts, almonds and pistachios. These are of medium-low bioavailability.
How to avoid iron deficiency?
- Lentils
- Green peas
- Beans
- Chicken
- Red meats
- Liver
- Soy
- Peanut butter
- Plums and raisins
- Spinach
- Kale
- Apricot
- Cockles
- Wholemeal bread
- Oats
Techniques that favor the absorption of iron
- Eat foods rich in vitamin C.
- Soak legumes and cereals for 24 hours.
- Increase consumption of foods with non-heme iron, such as fish and red meat.
- Do not use techniques such as freezing and strong thermal treatments, since they transform non-heme iron into heme iron and hinder its absorption.
- Avoid coffee, tea, chocolate and red wine.
- Reduce the consumption of vinegar.
a good diet should be based on iron consumption if you want to maintain an adequate physical performance