3 minOn average, an adult needs 11 mg of iron per day. For children up to 5 years of age, the recommended daily intake is 8 mg. If you convert this to an amount per kilogram of body weight, you will find that children need much more iron than adults.
Curious to know why? Read on to find out!
In this article, you will learn
- Why children need more iron than adults
- The important role of iron in growth and development
- How to recognise and prevent iron deficiency
- Five practical tips on iron-rich foods and absorption
Growing up is no child's play
Children are developing rapidly. From birth to the first year of secondary school, they triple their height. This is a huge achievement for the body! Not only that, but their thinking skills and muscle strength also make enormous leaps.
Iron transports oxygen in our bodies via the blood and therefore plays an important role in supplying oxygen to all cells. Oxygen is literally vital for healthy and optimal development, particularly of the brain and our muscular system.
Insidious deficiencies, lingering symptoms
Toddlers are often not the best eaters and need relatively large amounts of iron. This means that this group can easily develop a deficiency, often without anyone noticing. This is because the body first uses up the reserves it received at birth. As with many other vitamins and minerals, your child will not quickly notice an iron deficiency. Moreover, the symptoms are not immediately alarming, so it may take a while before you realise that your child is not feeling well.
Common complaints include fatigue, listlessness and, for example, palpitations during sports or intensive play. You may also notice a pale complexion and poor blood circulation in the lips and the inside of the eyelids.
Five facts about iron
There are quite a few misconceptions about iron and its absorption. Below are five useful facts to ensure that iron is absorbed properly through food.
- Sesame seeds are at the top of the list as a healthy source of iron. Consider adding sesame paste, or tahini, to your child's diet. It has a distinctive taste, but children also enjoy it with some coarse sea salt, honey or both. It is also delicious in dressings or soups.
- Meat and fish are known to be important sources of iron. Animal iron is easily absorbed by the body. But to get the recommended daily amount, your child would need to eat almost a kilo of meat or fish!
- Did you know that tea and dairy products inhibit the absorption of iron? This also applies to soya milk. Vitamin C, on the other hand, stimulates absorption.
- Spinach is rich in iron. However, oxalic acid in spinach makes it less easily absorbed by the body.
- There are two types of iron in food: haem iron and non-haem iron. The first group is of animal origin, the second of plant origin. As mentioned, haem iron is more easily absorbed by the body. Iron-rich and super-healthy non-haem iron sources include sesame seeds, cashew nuts, dried figs and green vegetables. Surprisingly, boiled eggs also contain non-haem iron!
