Getting Enough Iron

GETTING ENOUGH IRON

You don't want to drag around during your pregnancy!
You want to feel GOOD!

And you want to look good, too. So do what it takes to get your iron up!
You don’t have to eat foods you don't like. But you do have to eat right!

What is iron?
Iron is a mineral. You get it from the foods you eat. It becomes part of your blood. It carries oxygen in your body and it carries oxygen to your baby.

You make a lot more blood when you are pregnant.
The baby makes blood, too. So you both need extra iron.

What happens if you don't get enough iron?
The amount of iron in your blood gets low. This is called "iron deficiency anemia" or just "anemia".

If you are anemic, you may be weak, tired and grouchy. You may get sick and catch colds more easily. You just won't feel as good or look as good as you could.

3 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
1. Your body gets iron from FOOD better than it gets it from iron pills!
That is why you need to eat a good, balanced diet with iron in it, even if you take iron pills.

2. Just a little meat in a meal helps your body get iron out of that meal!

But it's not just meats like beef, pork, and lamb.
Chicken, turkey, fish, rabbit and wild game help, too.

Even a small amount helps, like in beans, chili, spaghetti sauce and soup.

3. Vitamin C helps your body get iron out of foods!

Fruits, fruit juices and fresh vegetables all have some Vitamin C.
Remember: 5 servings a day for better health.. and a healthy baby!

GETTING YOUR IRON LEVEL UP:
5 THINGS TO DO

Eat balanced meals! At two of your meals, eat at least a small amount of meat, chicken, turkey or fish.

Cut way down on junk foods and soft drinks!

Don't drink tea or coffee with meals or within one hour after meals. They keep your body from getting iron from foods. Only drink them between meals.

Eat foods high in Vitamin C. Drink juice with cereal. Eat salads and vegetables with your meals. Have fruit for dessert.

Remember to take any vitamin or iron pill your doctor tells you to take.

Foods High In Iron:

The foods highest in iron include:

Beef, pork, lamb, liver, chicken, turkey, wild game, fish, shrimp and oysters.

Here are other foods that provide iron. They should be eaten with one of the foods highest in iron or a food high in Vitamin C.

Beans, dried or canned, all kinds
Peas, like blackeyed peas, field peas
Greens: mustard, turnip greens, spinach
Broccoli
Raisins
Prunes and prune juice
WIC cereals and other iron-fortified cereals

Reprinted with permission from Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, Office of Public Health, WIC Program.

Uplinked 5/12/98

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