For most of us breakfast normally consists of cereal and/or bread. This includes breakfast, a meal at which many people most commonly consume tea and coffee. This is roughly the length of time food and drinks sit in your stomach before they’re fully absorbed. So it’s best to avoid tea and coffee while eating and for two hours before and after the meal. The stronger you make them, the greater the effect will be. A cup of tea reduces iron absorption by about 75%-80%, and a cup of coffee by about 60%. Tea and coffee are considered the strongest inhibitors of iron. Tea and coffee contain tannins, which inhibit iron absorption. And the chlorogenic acid in coffee is also an important inhibitor of iron absorption. Unfortunately the news is no better for coffee drinkers - coffee contains tannins too. Kombucha, a popular fermented tea drink, still contains some tannins. It’s also found in many foods including cocoa, almonds, grapes, berries, pomegranates, and spices (for example, vanilla and cinnamon), which may find their way into drinks like smoothies. Tannin is classed as an organic compound called a polyphenol. But tea contains a bioactive compound called tannin, which is an inhibitor of non-haem iron absorption. Tea is a popular drink with meals and is often enjoyed with Asian cuisine. Keeping this in mind is particularly important for people who don’t eat meat, as all of their dietary iron will be non-haem iron. This is roughly equivalent to what you’d get from one glass of orange juice. In one study, 100mg of vitamin C increased iron absorption four-fold. I've been diagnosed with iron deficiency, now what?Ĭhoosing a drink that contains vitamin C - such as orange, tomato or grapefruit juice - around the time of your meal will increase the amount of the non-haem iron you can absorb. Non-haem iron is found in plant foods, like grains, beans and nuts, and is less easily absorbed. Haem iron is found in animal sources of food, like meat, and is more easily absorbed into the body. Haem is an iron-containing protein that forms part of the haemoglobin, a protein in your red blood cells that transports oxygen around your body. There are two forms of iron in our diets haem iron and non-haem iron. If you’re worried you may be iron deficient, you can get a blood test from your general practitioner. It’s more common in women, and can cause weakness and fatigue, among other symptoms. Iron deficiency can develop when we don’t get enough iron, or don’t absorb iron to the extent our body needs.
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