Final answer:
To obtain more iron, North Americans should include iron-rich foods such as shellfish, red meats, and fortified breakfast cereals in their diets. Iron absorption can be improved by eating vitamin C-rich foods, and people should be aware that only about 10% of ingested iron is absorbed. Daily requirements vary, with pregnant women needing the most iron.
Step-by-step explanation:
Ensuring Adequate Iron Intake
To ensure that you are obtaining enough iron in your diet, especially if you are a North American, it's important to include iron-rich foods. Individuals have different daily iron requirements depending on their age and gender. For instance, boys and girls between the ages of 9 and 13 should aim for 9 mg daily, while girls 14 to 18 years should get 15 mg and boys in the same age range should get 11 mg daily. Pregnant women require the most, with a recommendation of 27 mg of iron per day.
Some rich sources of iron include shellfish, such as clams and oysters, as well as red meats like beef. For those who do not consume meat, seeds, nuts, and legumes are good non-animal sources of iron. Many breakfast cereals have fortified iron added to them to increase their nutritional value. Consuming vitamin C with iron-containing foods boosts the body's ability to absorb this essential mineral, although it's important to note that only about 10% of ingested iron is absorbed by the body.
Iron deficiency can occur if the diet lacks adequate amounts of iron or if the body has issues absorbing it. This is more common among women of childbearing age, where 20% are affected by iron-deficiency anemia, often due to blood loss during menstruation. The intake of iron is crucial for everyone, and understanding the mechanism of iron absorption is important for addressing dietary needs. Anemic individuals tend to absorb more iron than those who are not anemic.