Taking iron supplements can give you constipation, but they are now, regularly formulated with stool softener in them. If you are still getting constipated with the newer formulated ones, you may be taking too much. Read what actually happens when people take too much iron because we only absorb about 10% and sometimes less due to disease, so a doctor should always be consulted and advice not disregarded. Iron is not easily excreted or lost, so we don’t need the same, as say, Vitamin C, that is water soluble and we pee out.
We don’t pee out iron and if it builds up in our system it can cause irreversible liver damage.
Polyphenols block the absorption of Iron.
Check your diet for this compound. It’s sneaky and shows up in the things we love.
Polyphenols are major inhibitors of iron absorption. Polyphenols or phenolic compounds include chlorogenic acid found in cocoa, coffee and some herbs. Phenolic acid found in apples, peppermint and some herbal teas, and tannins found in black teas, coffee, cocoa, spices, walnuts, fruits such as apples, blackberries, raspberries and blueberries all have the ability to inhibit iron absorption. Of the polyphenols, Swedish cocoa and certain teas demonstrate the most powerful iron absorption inhibiting capabilities, in some cases up to 90%. Coffee is high in tannin and chlorogenic acid; one cup of certain types of coffee can inhibit iron absorption by as much as 60%. These foods or substance should not be consumed within two hours prior to and following your main iron-rich meal.
A glass of wine with your steak or iron pill helps and certainly picks up my mood. ‘smile’
Iron enriched cereals are a good source as well. If you get sick of taking your pill with a glass of OJ, try eating a couple fruits high in vit C, like kiwi fruit, strawberries, tangerines, blueberries. (or hee hee, as I said earlier, a half a glass of wine also helps.)
You could buy yourself a cast iron sauce pot and cook up tomato sauce in it. The acids in the tomato carry some of the iron and the acidic sauce helps your body absorb the iron, so it’s a darn good deal all around.
Biochemistry can be boring for most people, but I find it fascinating. There is a lot of quackery out there with so-called nutrition studies that are poorly performed and conclusions drawn for the sole purpose of selling products, so don’t be duped. Stay well informed and I hope the information helps you to make decisions that improve your health.