Top 1. 2 Sources + Infographic. Hi Sweet Friends,I’m often asked if I get enough iron through my plant- based diet. The short answer is heck yeah! But the longer answer, which breaks down why iron is important, where to get it, and what to do if you’re deficient is a bit more complex. That’s why I teamed up with Crazy Sexy RD, Jen Reilly for this blog post. We’ve broken things down so that plant- powered readers can feel confident about meeting their iron needs. New arrival everyday chiffon tops /blouse/ plus size/ off shoulder top/good quality $9.80$4.90. You can now purchase FeGGT LifePro Major Currency Pairs Forex Quotes - forex.tradingcharts.com forex.tradingcharts.com/quotes/major Free shipping on orders of $35+ or free same-day store pick-up, plus free and easy returns. Save 5% every day with your Target REDcard.
First, let’s talk about the basics. What’s iron? So glad you asked! Iron is an essential mineral–a metal to be exact–and its main job is to carry oxygen from our lungs to the rest of our body. Iron is also part of the enzymes that are essential for tip- top digestion and overall body health. Without enough iron, red blood cells are fewer and smaller, which means they’re not transporting sufficient O2 where it needs to go. When this happens, your organs and tissues can’t work as well as they should (keep reading for more on that!). What happens when you don’t get enough iron in your diet? Anemia (aka iron deficiency) is actually the most common nutritional deficiency in the US. It can lead to delayed motor and mental functioning in infants, small or preterm babies for pregnant women, and fatigue, lightheadedness, headaches, grumpiness, inability to concentrate, and impaired mental clarity in adults and teens. If you suspect that you may be iron deficient, make an appointment with your doc. He or she will probably look for signs of anemia such as pale skin, irregular heartbeat, rapid breathing, and do an exam to check for internal bleeding. But, most commonly, iron deficiency is found by doing a blood test that tests for hemoglobin and hematocrit levels. How to eat an iron- rich plant- based diet. Still worried that you won’t get enough iron with plant foods? Studies show that vegans consume as much iron as omnivores, and sometimes more. In fact, foods with vitamin C boost iron absorption big time (we’ll get to that in a jiffy!). First, let’s boost your iron- rich plant know- how with my helpful infographic: Sample Day of Iron for a Menstruating 4. Woman (needs 1. 8 mg iron)Breakfast: . Often this is because of a weakened digestive system due to celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, or other conditions that cause insufficient stomach acid. In these cases, 2. C- rich green juice!) until iron levels hit the recommended range. Always check with your doc for specific recommendations. Do you need to eat animal protein to meet your iron needs? Nope! But I like to give you guys the full scoop, so let’s clarify a few things. There are basically two kinds of iron: Heme iron: Found in meats, fish, and poultry. This type of iron is in foods that contain hemoglobin. The body absorbs 7- 3. Non- heme iron: Found in plant foods. The body absorbs 2- 2. The percentage is lower because non- heme iron is more sensitive to other dietary factors that may limit its absorption (more on how to avoid that in the next section). It’s worth mentioning that while meat protein nearly doubles the absorption of non- heme iron, vitamin C is even more effective in increasing absorption and doesn’t have the associated risk of increasing heart disease risk like the heme iron only found in meat (meta- analysis here). The good news is, iron needs can be met completely with non- heme iron. It’s just important to pay attention to the factors that may affect absorption especially if someone is iron deficient. Plant foods that boost and plant foods that block iron absorption. Iron Booster Superstar: Vitamin C! The absorption of non- heme iron found in plant foods can be enhanced when those foods are eaten with vitamin C- rich good guys like papaya, bell peppers, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kiwi, pineapple, citrus fruits (oranges, grapefruit, strawberries), and cauliflower. Vitamin C is an acid (ascorbic to be exact), and acids increase the bioavailability of the iron. One research study showed that by adding just 6. C (the amount in . Bottom line: Add them to our plate with some iron- rich foods on a daily basis! Iron Blockers. On the flip side, absorption of iron- rich plant foods can be decreased when certain foods are part of the meal. But, keep in mind that unless you’re genuinely iron deficient and needing to maximize iron absorption at every turn, these foods and supplements in your diet shouldn’t make a big impact on your iron status. Tannins found in tea leaves, red grapes, chocolate, and coffee block the absorption of iron by about 5. But, consuming these foods an hour before or an hour after the iron- rich meal has no effect on iron absorption. Phytates are important antioxidants and anti- inflammatory agents found in highest quantities in wheat bran, soybeans, pinto beans, kidney beans, navy beans, and peanuts. Phytates bind to non- heme iron and lower its absorption. But soaking, fermenting, sprouting, and cooking all reduce phytate content by 5. So, the chance of phytates truly affecting iron status is pretty slim, especially since most plant foods contain some iron and only a few raw plant foods contain notable levels of phytates. Egg Protein (both the yolk and the white)Calcium Supplements and Dairy Foods compete with iron for uptake in your intestinal tract. Zinc and Manganese supplements. Peppermint and Chamomile. Antacids decrease iron absorption because they reduce stomach acid. Iron comes up a lot when you’re talking about a plant- based diet, but I know there are a lot of other questions flying around out there. What curiosities pop up in your conversations about eating a plant- empowered diet (even if you’re not 1. Peace & Popeye,Gain instant access to my digital cooking classroom. Endless delicious possibilities. Chef Sarno and I will help you dice, saut. The Healing Power of Potassium Iodide (SSKI)IODINE IS ESSENTIAL FOR LIFEIodine is a halogen, related to bromine, chlorine and fluorine, all of which are essential for human life to exist. The requirement for iodine ranges from 1. There is no mechanism for conservation of iodine by the kidneys so it must be ingested regularly to prevent deficiency. Goiter is prevented by a daily intake of about 7. RDA is set at 1. 50 mcg. The US diet averages 3. The thyroid hormone, thyroxine, requires four atoms of iodine in order to perform its function of regulating the rate of oxidation in every cell in the body. This is the the essential function of iodine and in case of deficiency the body energy drops and all cells function poorly. This is called myxedema and adults with this condition feel listless and depressed; their skin is dry and cold and the tissues become puffy and edematous. The tongue becomes swollen and the hair and eyebrows thin out so that diagnosis is sometimes obvious from the physical appearance by itself. In children with iodine deficiency, a combination of physical stigmata similar to the above plus severe mental retardation may leave permanent handicaps. Results are more favorable in adults because treatment with thyroxine and/or iodine can reverse the symptoms entirely. Excessive intake of iodine can also cause low thyroid, a paradox called the Wolf- Chaikoff effect, named after two doctors who found that continous intake of high doses of iodine signal the thyroid gland to stop making the thyroxine hormone. This probably occurs due to feed- back inhibition of thyrotropin, also called TSH, short for . Evidently the brain reads high levels of iodine as a signal to turn off the thyroid. This can be used to advantage in cases of Grave's disease, where an enlarged thyroid gland, a goiter, produces a toxic excess of thyroxine. The use of iodide can reduce the size of the gland and its toxic output in a matter of hours. Unfortunately this does not work for long in most cases and it is seldom attempted these days. Goiter can also occur due to iodine deficiency. In this case the pituitary over- reacts to low levels of iodine and sends excessive quantities of TSH to encourage the thyroid to produce more thyroxine. The gland manufactures copious amounts of thyroxine storage protein, enough to swell up the storage compartments of the gland to overflowing, hence the goiter. However, without iodine, the protein is counterfeit, unable to maintain the metabolic chemistry of life. Mountainous terrain and areas that have been covered by glaciers tend to be iodine deficient anywhere in the world. Large areas of the United States, particularly the mid- West and mountain states are our . In particular, cancer of the uterus, ovary and breast all correlate inversely to iodine intake. It may be that low iodine leads to increased pituitary gonadotrophin and increased estrogen, which is a tumor promoter. Before the use of iodized salt in 1. Michigan had thyroid goiters! Recently these are found in 3 percent of American men and 1. There are many more borderline cases that go undiagnosed, despite complaints of fatigue, cold intolerance and low body temperature. The temperature test is not specific to thyroid and in many cases deficiencies of trace minerals, such as copper and zinc, are at fault. Inadequate caloric intake can also cause thyroid activity to drop; so diagnosis is not so simple. WHAT IS THE IDEAL IODINE INTAKEUsing the Cornell Index Questionnaire to measure the number of symptoms in a thousand dentists and their wives Drs. Cheraskin and Ringsdorf found that as iodine intake went up the number of symptoms declined so that the ideal daily iodine intake appears to be 1. RDA, which is the amount contained in most multi- vitamin tablets or in a teaspoonful of iodized salt. Ocean kelp contains about 5. By comparison, potassium iodide, which is available only on prescription, contains 3. Evidently there are benefits from iodine beyond its essential role in the formation of thyroid hormone. In fact, that is the main conclusion of this review: many uses. IS IODINE DANGEROUS? The alcohol tincture of iodine causes painful irritation and tissue damage as the solution penetrates and is caustic. However fatalities are unusual, despite the skull and cross- bones on the label, because few people can down the necessary 2 to 6 tablespoonfuls to achieve a lethal dose. The potassium iodide form of iodine is non- irritating and rarely fatal except due to hypersensitivity reactions. The FDA studies on safety indicate that huge doses of from 4. This does present a hazard in pregnancy, for the baby may be born with a goiter if mother takes too much iodine. Large doses of iodine are not recommended for pregnant women. Long term ingestion of large doses of iodide may cause symptoms of metallic taste, runny nose, headache, acne and 'iodine mumps,' ie. These symptoms of iodism give fair warning and they clear up when iodine is stopped and cleared from the system. Single doses of iodide are safe even at megadoses up to 4 grams, ie almost 3. RDA. Note: this refers to iodide, as potassium iodide, not iodine nor tincture of iodine. Potassium iodide is generally very safe and hyper- sensitivity reactions occur rarely, only about one case in a million, and then mostly in those predisposed to edema of the face, lips and tongue. However iodine- containing radiocontrast materials for X- ray diagnosis are much more toxic and cause adverse reactions in 5 to 8 percent of cases. About 1 in a 1. 00 patients risk anaphylactoid reactions, with hives, facial swelling, airway obstruction and/or vascular collapse. Iodides should not be used in pregnancy (unless the mother is herself iodine or thyroid deficient) nor for patients with goiter, where iodine may promote excess thyroxin production. Those with acne are wise to avoid iodine, even the small amounts in vitamin pills. DOES FLUORIDATION INTERFERE WITH IODINE? While fluoride is antagonistic towards iodine and is known to inhibit various steps of thyroxine biosynthesis in animals, this occurs at fluoride doses greatly in excess of the 1 ppm used to prevent caries. The weight of medical opinion at the present time is that fluoride does not aggravate iodine deficiency, not even in populations with low iodine intake. Nevertheless, there are some unanswered questions. Some reports indicate that at concentrations of 5 ppm, fluoride does depress thyroid activity in humans and measurements in fluoridated communities find that thyroid tissue concentrates fluoride to an average of 5 ppm, more than double the amount found in kidney, the organ of excretion. Fluoride is more reactive than iodide and forms stronger chemical bonds. It seems logical that ingesting 2. On the other hand, Drs. Hillman, Bolenbaush and Convey found that fluoride mineral supplements did interfere with thyroid in dairy cattle. Cattle afflicted with fluorosis suffered from low thyroid, low blood count and an excess of eosinophil cells, indicative of inflammation. These cattle excreted 5 ppm fluoride in their urine, only 4 times more than is found in humans whose water is fluoridated water. The blood levels of thyroid hormones, thyroxine and tri- iodothyronine, decreased and eosinophils increased in proportion as urinary fluoride increased. USE OF IODINE FOR CARIES AND DENTAL INFECTIONSOn the positive side, Drs. Caulfield and Wannemuehler found that both fluoride and iodide, were able to kill Streptococcus mutans, the bacterium that causes dental caries, and they were more powerful when given in acidic solution. Indeed, topical application of potassium iodide is invaluable in treating gingivitis and pyorrhea. This is very useful after dental hygiene and scaling of plaque, a process that often inflames the gums for many days after. The use of SSKI minimizes the risk of infection in these damaged tissues and I certainly recommend it as a routine in dental care. Iodine is valuable in more extreme cases as well. For example, one of my patients came to me after a prolonged alcoholic binge. His gums were purulent and teeth so loosened that they were shifting out of place. His dentist advised removing all of them. Within a week of my applications of potassium iodide to his gums along with giving megadoses of vitamin C and a nutrient support regimen, his gums were completely healed and his teeth were almost back to normal strength in the socket. He lost none of them. USE OF IODINE AS AN EXPECTORANT AND MUCOLYTICThe textbook on pharmacology by Goodman and Gilman refers to sodium or potassium iodide in a dose of 1. These iodides are especially useful in bronchitis, bronchiectasis and asthma. By the way, Coindet referred to . Despite the advances in antibiotic therapy for all these diseases, iodine should be kept in mind as an adjunct, particularly because of its recently revealed beneficial effect on the immune system. And in the case of sporotrichosis there is no other anti- fungal drug therapy as powerful as iodine. That it is the last ditch defense against sporotrichosis tells something of the inherent potency and validity of antifungal and antimicrobial iodide therapy. One of the most dramatic cases ever in my 5. The granulation tissue grows from below, the wound fails to close and the tissue takes on the appearance of a growing mass. Such was the condition that brought one of my patients to me in a desperate attempt to avoid surgical removal of her upper lip. Her dermatologist had treated a canker sore by applying silver nitrate several weeks ago. The combination of caustic tissue damage, virus re- growth and secondary infection had made an ugly mess of her lip. It looked like a rapidly growing cancer. A surgical resection would have altered her facial appearance forever so there was little to lose by trying something as benign as local application of potassium iodide. Nevertheless, I was cautious and kept sterile water on hand to rinse the area if she recoiled in pain.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
June 2017
Categories |