What are its food sources and how to prevent a – xxlnutrition

Iron is an important mineral for athletes, which is involved in the formation of hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is a component of red blood cells and these blood cells are essential for the transport of oxygen in our body. Iron can be obtained from foods of animal and vegetable origin. The type of iron present in animal products is called Ferro Hemine. The type of iron present in vegetable products is called iron does not emine. Are you curious to know the effect of iron on athletes, what are the symptoms of an iron deficiency and what iron -rich foods? In this blog, we will explain everything to you.

What is iron?

Iron is a mineral that performs different essential functions in our body. We will explain these functions below more detailedly. As mentioned above, there are two types of iron:

1. Hemine iron
2. Iron does not emine

Iron Hemine is a two -way iron (FE2+) which is well absorbed by our body. It is mainly found in the meat. The iron does not emine is a trivalent iron (fe3+) which must first be converted into iron hemine from the body before being adequately absorbed. Vitamin C plays a support role in this process by preventing the oxidation of the Emiique iron in non -emic iron.

The culturalists who eat meat mainly obtain iron intake through their diet, especially in red meat where there is a large amount of iron. Iron is also found in legumes and other vegetables, but the type of iron present in vegetable products is less well absorbed by the body. We will say more about this in the rest of this blog. As a vegetarian or vegan, it can therefore be wise to take iron supplements, for example in the form of tablets.

What is iron for?

But what is the Rol of the iron in our body and in the support of our sporting performance? Iron plays a role in the process of growth and development of the fabric. An important iron function is its contribution to the formation of hemoglobin, a component of red blood cells. In addition, iron supports energy levels and helps reduce fatigue and exhaustion.

• Iron contributes to the normal formation of red blood cells and hemoglobin.
• Iron plays a role in the cell division process.
• Iron contributes to a normal cognitive function.
• Iron contributes to the normal cognitive development of children.
• Iron contributes to normal energy metabolism.
• Iron contributes to the normal functioning of the immune system.
• Iron contributes to the reduction of fatigue and exhaustion.
• Iron contributes to the normal transport of oxygen in the body.

What contains iron?

Iron has very important functions in our body. It is therefore important to get enough iron from our diet. But what contains iron and what are the richest iron foods?

Iron iron is found only in animal foods, while iron does not emine is both in animal and vegetable products. The distribution of iron in food is about 90-10, 90 % of which is iron do not emine and 10 % are an Emiique iron.

Beef and Lamb are particularly rich in Emique iron. This form of iron is also found in chicken, fish and pork. The iron does not be found in products such as legumes, nuts, green vegetables, eggs, wholemeal bread and meat substitutes.

Which foods are rich in iron?

In the following table, we listed some examples of iron rich foods. The iron content applies to each product per 100 grams and is indicated in milligrams.

As for the anacardi, we want to specify that we show the amount of iron per 100 grams of product, but in general a handful of anacardi is about 25 grams. So you don’t easily eat 100 grams of Anacardi at the same time.

How many iron you need a day?

Since the table above shows the iron not emine is easier to obtain compared to iron hemine. But how many iron you really need every day? Before determining the amount of iron requested per day, it is important to consider the absorption of the iron by the body. Iron Hemine is really better absorbed than non -Emiique iron (25 % respectively compared to 1 to 10 %). The iron absorption does not emine in the body depends on its solubility in the small intestine. The more iron no more soluble, the better it is absorbed.

The addition of vitamin C can slightly improve iron absorption (not emine), while phytic acid, polyphenols and calcium can reduce it. The phytic acid is in cereals and legumes and polyphenols are present in tea and coffee.

About 3-4 grams of iron are preserved in your body, of which about 25 % in the bone marrow, liver and spleen. The iron reserves of your body determine the amount of iron needed to bring through food. If iron reserves decrease, the small intestine will absorb more iron.

So what is the amount of iron you need every day? The recommended daily contribution is 11 mg for men and 16 mg for women. After menopause, women need less iron, 11 mg per day.

Iron deficiency

Men need 11 milligrams of iron a day and women of 16 milligrams. With a healthy and varied diet, most athletes have enough iron intake.

However, some people are more likely to suffer from iron deficiency. This is particularly true for people with a very monotonous diet. The vegans also have an increased risk of iron deficiency, since they do not consume any product of animal origin and therefore do not read the Emiique iron. Since the iron is not less well absorbed, iron intake in vegans can be lower.

Fortunately, our body is «intelligent» and can improve the absorption of food iron in case of imminent deficiency. If iron intake is regularly insufficient, iron deficiency can cause anemia, characterized by a low level of hemoglobin in the blood.

Anemia due to an iron deficiency can have different causes. In women, it is often linked to blood loss due to abundant menstruation. But intestinal disorders such as celiac disease or Crohn’s disease can also cause iron deficiencies, since food iron is therefore less well absorbed by the intestine. Of course, even a poor iron diet (followed for years) is an important factor.

Symptoms of iron deficiency

The main consequence of an iron deficiency is therefore anemia. But what are the symptoms you can hear? The possible symptoms of anemia are as follows:

• Intense effort
• Quick breath for the effort
• Dizziness
• Palpitations
• Excessive perspiration
• Heachache
• Earring
• Pallor

Do you think you are anemic? Contact the doctor and have a blood analysis conduct.

Is excess iron bad for health?

Excessive iron intake can be harmful to the liver. It can increase the risk of liver cancer, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. If you consume more than 45 milligrams of iron per day, you could suffer from acute gastric disorders, such as diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.

These doses are generally not influenced by the normal diet. This occurs only with the prolonged grip of strongly dosed iron supplements. Your body cannot metabolize this iron, which can irritate the gastrointestinal system and cause symptoms. It is therefore advisable to be cautious when taking iron supplements if there are no medical needs.

Buy iron tablets on XXL Nutrition

For athletes of forces and bodybuilder, it is particularly important to consume enough iron. Fortunately, most athletes get enough iron from their diet. If you have difficulty meeting your daily iron needs, you can buy iron capsules on XXL nutrition.

XXL Nutrition offers iron in the form of capsules. A capsule contains 5 mg of iron, which allows you to easily complete the daily intake of the iron. In addition, our product contains 20 mg of vitamin C, which allows optimal iron absorption by the body.

People who adopt a vegan lifestyle must be particularly attentive to their iron contribution, because it is mainly in animal products. This is the reason why we developed an iron supplement in the form of plant capsules, so that they can also be used as part of a vegan diet.

Important vitamins and minerals for athletes

Iron is not the only important nutrient in the world of fitness and bodybuilding. There are other vitamins and minerals that have a support effect. In XXL Nutrition you will find information on the following vitamins and minerals: