Consuming Iron

Since concluding my stance on eating meat and resorting to vegetarianism, I have been advised to search for alternative foods which provide protein and iron. Protein has a role in growth and repair but what is the purpose of iron in our body's physiological functioning?

Between 65-75% of our body's iron is present in our blood in the form of haemoglobin, a protein situated on the red blood cells. Red blood cells carry oxygen to where it is needed. Iron may also be found on myoglobin which provides the oxygen to the muscle cells so obviously, without iron the body will not have adequate oxygen delivery which will result in anemia.

Iron is found in a variety of different foods including fruit, vegetables and whole grains but this doesn't necessarily mean that consuming these products will provide us with the iron that we need.
Iron comes in two forms. First of all, we have heme iron. This is found in products that do not contain meat. Unfortunately, only 3% of heme iron is absorbed. Non-heme iron can only be found in animal sources and 25-35% of non-heme iron can be absorbed.

This raises the question, how can we improve our iron absorption? Here are 2 well known vitamins that can help.

Vitamin C is linked to improved iron absorption whilst taken in the same meal as iron.
Vitamin A is known to release iron from stores so that it may be used by the rest of the body.

In conclusion, vitamin A and C should be used in conjunction with iron in order to ensure healthy functioning of a vegetarian.