Today’s highly frantic living conditions have seen a noticeable trend develop, where people have become rather careless about the foods that they consume. Most of the fast foods that are readily available do not contain any significant amount of essential nutrients, vitamins or nutrients. Iron is an essential requirement for the optimum overall functionality of the human body and is present in the red pigmentation of the blood. If the body lacks the required reserves of iron, the production of hemoglobin is severely limited, therefore affecting the production of red blood cells. Iron deficiency is a very common medical condition and is known to affect about 10 percent of pre menopausal women and about 6 percent of post menopausal women. The condition is not as common in men, affecting only about 2% of them. The condition is largely prevalent in the elderly as a result of internal bleeding from the development of ulcers, polyps or tumors, rather than because of a lack of iron consumption. Some of the other factors that cause iron deficiency include a loss of teeth, heavy menstrual cycles or pregnancy. The symptoms that are usually observed when a person suffers from iron deficiency include extreme fatigue and a rapid heart rate. One may also experience palpitations as well as rapid breathing as a result of physical exertion. Severe cases of the condition may also result in mucous and progressive skin changes such as the smoothing of the tongue and brittleness of the nails. A lot of patients suffering from iron deficiency also start to develop a craving for specific foods that are not rich in iron such as lettuce and ice cubes.
The most effective way of treating the condition is to be careful about your diet and the kinds of food you eat. Apricots are considered to be extremely beneficial and are probably the most potent source of iron after liver. They are very effective in building as well as replenishing the blood supply. Corn is another food source that is rich in iron as well as copper besides the fact that it also contains significant amounts of vitamin A and C. Increase your intake of eggs as they are rich in almost all minerals including B vitamins and iron – which are the main contributors to the development of anemia. Spinach is highly regarded as a health food and is a very good source of iron as well as vitamin A. Make it a regular part of your meals for effective results.