Cooking in an iron skillet helps iron too as iron is leached into the food while cooking BUT, the pan should be cleaned using salt instead of detergent otherwise, the film left by the soap creates a barrier.
Cover the dirty pan with a layer or more of salt, depending on what in it, put it on a hot burner for a bit, then remove from heat and rub it clean with a rag. After the salt cools, brush out the nasty's, rinse the pan, and dry (to prevent rust.
Excess iron can be very dangerous for adults and it is why donating blood once a year is good for many people
I have my doubts about iron from a cook pan. I want iron that is in a chelated mineral form that only plants can do. Iron supplements like ferrous gluconate and other stuff the doctor tells you to take causes constipation almost routinely! along with black stool. But if you take iron from a plant based product like Nature Sunshine IX formula or the Iron supplement from Flora you get the absolute best without all the nasty side effects from a mineral that is not in the right form. I tested IX formula with pregnant women who tend to get anemic. Their iron levels went up faster than on the pills and with no side effects.
For babies blended beets is an excellent choice.
__________________ "The nurse should be cheerful, orderly, punctual, patient, full of faith, - receptive to Truth and Love" Mary Baker Eddy
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Its interesting you mention taking an iron supplement and its possible side effects. I supplement with a ferrous sulfate tablet once every 3-4 days since I don't eat much red meat. keep in mind I'm 26 and active so I could be under-supplementing but as they say in nutrition, "a little is good, a lot is not better."
As far as sources of iron, meat products are the best bet since plant sources are non-heme based so your body will either need more plant sources or a combination of them (similar to having a complete protein from plant sources alone).
Arrowind is right, to much iron can be dangerous and its always amazed me that people when they get a bit of fatigue start taking iron supplements without getting checked to see if they actually are low on iron. To much iron as well as to little can cause fatigue.
One of the reasons men die 7 years sooner on average than women, is iron buildup starting after puberty. Surplus iron oxidises and causes internal rusting which can lead to heart disease and cancer.
Women lose blood throuigh menstruation regularly which prevents iron buildup until menopause which helps to protect them against these diseases, but after menopause they become susceptible to heart disease and cancer in the same way as men.
Bill Sardi
The Lew Rockwell website recently linked to an article by New York Times staff writer Roni Rabin about men being the weaker sex and having more disease than women.
The editor of a new journal for male health is quoted in Rabin�s article as saying "We�ve got men dying at higher rates of just about every disease, and we don�t know why." Sometimes the obvious escapes attention.
The suggestion that that the federal government establish an office for men�s health is unlikely to reveal a fact that is well hidden in modern medicine � that males have higher iron stores and higher risks for disease and shorter lifespans.........
The very best way to chelate iron is with the IP6 supplement.
Phytic acid [IP6] (inositol hexaphosphate), found naturally in seeds and bran, is nature�s most potent iron chelator (remover). [Cancer 56:717-8, 1985. Free Radical Biology Medicine 8:61-9, 1990; J Biological Chemistry 262:11647-50, 1987] It is available as an extract from rice bran, identified as IP6 in health food stores. Use of IP6 with water on an empty stomach will maximize effect. Periodic use of IP6 rice bran extract by full-grown males or post-hysterectomy/post-menopausal females, should reduce the risk of harboring mycobacteria like tuberculosis.
Foods Rich in Iron?
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