5 Ways to get more energy out of your food

Tips for boosting your iron intake — even if you aren’t deficient.

Eating iron rich foods often becomes a focus for people when they have low iron levels or an iron deficiency (or iron deficiency anaemia). But, even if you don’t have low levels, there’s a few ways you can make sure you’re getting enough throughout the day to maximise your energy and support a strong immune system.

Here’s our top tips for getting the most out of your food*

1. Eat a variety

Like a lot of foods and nutrition, eating a variety is key. So eating a variety of meats or legumes (beans and chickpeas), tofu, nuts, seeds, eggs and some seafood (salmon, oysters) across the day and your week will help you get a variety of iron and other essential nutrients like protein.

We’ve added some tips below on examples of how you can meet your needs across the day.

2. Eat plenty of colourful veggies in your meals

Veggies — particularly orange, red and green vegetables with vitamin A and C — act almost like a key to the door, with the door being our iron foods. They help unlock iron in foods like listed above, so we can absorb more and get more bang for our buck. Try adding sweet potato or carrots with steamed broccoli or spinach to your meals…and add a drizzle of lemon over.

3. Swap your cereal for eggs in the morning

A great way to start your day with a boost of energy (aka iron) is by eating eggs. You can boil them in advance, poach them, scramble them… however you like! They’re rich in iron and protein, and when served with some veggies, beans or grain bread, they help set you up for the day — whether it’s 7am or 11am. You don’t have to do this every day, but a few times a week is helpful. If eggs aren’t for you, you can go for another iron rich option like peanut butter on grainy toast or an iron-fortified cereal.

4. Use a lucky iron fish

A handy way to boost the iron of foods and meals is to use a food-safe piece of iron, called a lucky iron fish (or leaf). This is not sponsored, we just find it super convenient to add to pastas, soups, and curries, to get a little bit more iron in (particularly for fussy eaters!)

5. Be mindful of some drinks

Coffee, tea and red wine have tannins which can interfere with iron absorption. You don’t have to cut these out of your diet (I won’t be giving up my morning coffee that’s for sure!), but be mindful not to drink these with every meal. This is why we aim for variety across the day, so you can meet your needs and enjoy your food too… because having these drinks 2 hours before or after a meal just isn’t practical for everyone.

It’s important to check in with your GP and get regular routine blood tests to monitor your iron levels. Sometimes, it can be helpful to take iron supplements or get regular infusions depending on how well your body stores iron.

Looking for more tips on how to boost your iron? We’re running a free webinar this week (29th October, 9am AEST) on all things self-managing low iron. Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/122505839263

Happy eating,

Christie