June 21, 2001

Prairie Fare: Feeling a Little Rusty?

By Julie Garden-Robinson, Food and Nutrition Specialist
NDSU Extension Service

Has your "get up and go" gone on vacation? Do you ever feel a little run-down? There are many possible causes of fatigue. Sometimes getting enough sleep or finding time to relax will resolve the issue. But there can be an underlying medical cause. It’s always a good idea to discuss persistent fatigue with your healthcare provider.

In some cases, the underlying cause of low energy can be poor eating habits over time. Iron-poor blood, for example, may result in a type of anemia, which can leave you looking pale and feeling weak, irritable and run-down.

Iron is part of hemoglobin, a compound in blood that helps transport oxygen from the lungs to the tissues throughout the body. It also acts as an assistant in many chemical reactions in the body that lead to the production of energy.

Iron deficiency, the most common of nutritional deficiencies, may affect up to 70 percent of women. Among pregnant women, iron deficiency can result in early delivery or low-birth-weight babies. Vitamin/mineral supplements are generally recommended to support the increased needs of pregnancy. Iron deficiency among infants and children can result in developmental delays, poor attention spans, lower energy and less social interaction.

The recommendations vary based on age. The recommendation for adult males and women over 51 is 10 milligrams per day. The recommendation for women of childbearing age is 15 milligrams. The recommendation for pregnant women is 30 milligrams per day.

There are many good food sources of iron from both plants and animals. Animal products like liver, beef, chicken, pork and fish are sources of heme iron. Non-heme iron is found in plant sources such as kidney beans, lima beans, prune juice, raisins and fortified breakfast cereals. Popeye’s old standby, spinach, does contain iron, but the oxalic acid naturally present can reduce its ability to be absorbed. Heme iron is absorbed two to three times better than non-heme iron.

Iron is stored and recycled in the body, but the iron you consume from foods isn’t completely absorbed. Men, for example, absorb only about 6 percent of the iron they consume, while women of childbearing years compensate for iron loss by absorbing 13 percent of the iron they consume. The recommended dietary allowances or RDAs take this absorption level into consideration. The body’s ability to absorb iron varies greatly. If your iron stores are low, your body will absorb the iron you consume better.

There are ways to increase your absorption of iron. If you’re eating an iron-rich food from a plant or animal source, eat it with a food rich in vitamin C, like orange juice, broccoli, cantaloupe or peppers. You’ll absorb iron better from a plant-based food like enriched rice if you consume it with a heme iron source like meat, fish or poultry.

Should you take a supplement? Taking a one-per-day type of vitamin/mineral supplement can be good nutrition insurance especially if you’re not eating a balanced, varied diet. Think food first, though. If you or others in your family take vitamin/mineral supplements, keep them out of reach of children. Iron supplements must be sold in blister packs to help prevent accidental poisoning of children. Always let your healthcare provider know what supplements you are taking.

Iron isn’t the only cause of anemia. Other types of anemia are linked to deficiencies in folic acid, which is found in leafy greens, cooked dry edible beans, fortified cereal products and other sources. A lack of vitamin B-12, which is only found in animal products like meat and milk, can lead to another type of anemia. Medical lab tests are the only way to know for sure whether you have a clinical nutritional deficiency.

Here’s a burrito recipe retrieved from an Internet site, http://www.recipesource.com/, with thousands of recipes. Use planned-over roast pork or substitute chicken if you prefer. Each burrito contains 500 calories, 18 grams of fat, 5 grams of fiber, 4.5 milligrams of iron, and 14 percent of the daily recommendation for iron. The vitamin C in the salsa will promote the absorption of iron.

Pork and Black Bean Burritos

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked pork roast, chopped
1 15 oz. can black beans, Mexican-style
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (or to taste)
8 flour tortillas

Toppings:
8 oz. package cheddar cheese
1/2 cup green onion, sliced
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup lowfat sour cream (optional)
8 teaspoons fresh cilantro, snipped

Procedure:
Combine first four ingredients in one-quart microwavable casserole; cover. Cook on high 4-5 min. or until heated through, stirring once. Stack tortillas on a microwavable plate and cover with a dampened paper towel. Microwave on high for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes until warm. Top each tortilla with about 1/2 cup of the pork mixture, add toppings and roll.

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Source: Julie Garden-Robinson, (701) 231-7187, jgardenr@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Tom Jirik, (701) 231-9629, tjirik@ndsuext.nodak.edu