Essential Iron
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Tasty Choices for Iron-Rich Foods
- Meats like beef, pork, liver and poultry
- Broccoli
- Spinach
- Leafy greens
- Collards
- Legumes
- Peas
- Lima beans
- Pinto beans
- Whole-wheat breads and pastas
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Cartoon fans remember Popeye chugging down cans of spinach, growing big and strong on the iron-rich vegetable. Researchers are discovering that iron is even more vital than once thought, an essential early building block for the most peewee Popeyes.
It's so vital, in fact, that dips in an infant's iron supply during the first year to 18 months of life can cause irreversible deficits in cognitive development.
Long-Term Effects of Iron Shortage
"Iron is essential for the nerves in the brain to develop," says Steve Elliott, MD, of Pediatric Associates of Northern Kentucky. "If infants don't get enough iron at the start of life, they can have neuro-cognitive problems for the rest of their lives. These can affect motor skills, reading and math abilities. Even if iron deficiency is corrected, these children do not score as well in standardized tests later."
Some of the signs of iron deficiency that parents may notice include irritability or paleness. If the condition persists, children become anemic, a condition in which the body lacks enough red blood cells to carry the oxygen it needs for fuel.
"Children born full-term have some iron stores in their bodies, but it's vital for a child to take in additional iron through breast milk or fortified formula," Dr. Elliott says.
Iron Sources
Dietary guidelines recommend 8-10 milligrams of iron a day for young boys and girls. Infants usually receive this amount through breast milk or from formula. To assure breastfeeding babies receive adequate iron, talk with your child's doctor. Some breastfeeding infants benefit from supplemental vitamin drops with iron.
Continue to keep an eye on iron intake even as your child transitions from the breast or bottle to whole milk and solid foods. "We recommend not using whole milk before 1 year of age, relying instead on breast milk or formula as a child's main source of nutrition," says Dr. Elliott. "Children cannot get enough iron in the solids they're able to eat before they're a year old.
"Then, after age 1, a child's diet usually includes more foods that naturally contain iron or are fortified with iron."
After age 2, parents can add shellfish – another good source of iron – to a child's diet. Because of the allergic potential, pediatricians advise this wait before introducing it.
After that first birthday, Dr. Elliott recommends 20-28 ounces of whole milk per day. "Too much milk can take away a child's appetite for other foods. Cow's milk also decreases the absorption of iron from other foods. Its proteins also can cause irritation and hidden bleeding in the intestines."
How Much Is Too Much?
Too much iron, on the other hand, can cause bleeding of the gastro-intestinal tract.
"If children are eating iron-enriched cereal for breakfast and chicken for dinner, with a few other servings of iron-rich food, they should be getting enough. With a balanced diet, most children don't need an iron supplement."
Iron is so important to early development that researchers are examining its role in a number of other childhood problems, such as sleep disturbance.
"Iron is amazing," says Dr. Elliott. "The longer it's studied, the more we discover."
