Have you been told you have low iron?
Something our team regularly help people with is learning about what is happening inside their body when they are told they are low in iron.
First up, we strongly encourage you to learn more before reaching for an iron supplement.
Our bodies do not work in isolation, so being “low iron” is often flagging other imbalances that are present in the body beyond there purely not being enough iron present. The iron you have, likely can’t move around because you don’t have enough bio-available (functional) copper, and retinol, and your body is in a stressed situation metabolically.
Adding more iron as a supplement is not going to solve the underlying imbalance.
When you first get told that you are low in iron, or that you ‘must be low iron’ because of a symptom you have, we encourage you to consider learning more before reaching for iron supplements or multivitamins.
Here are a few things to consider…
1. Have your hemoglobin levels been tested, or just ferritin?
2. Have you investigated your other minerals to understand the full dynamic of what is going on?
3. Are you just trying to manage one thing in isolation?
4. Have you been consuming plenty of whole foods, including “heme” iron?
5. Have you been consuming natural sources of vitamins and minerals?
6. Have you been consuming plenty of pre-formed retinol in your diet?
7. Do you consume retinol food sources (vitamin A)?
8. Have you been consuming synthetic vitamins and/or “fortified” foods?
Your focus should be on food-based ways to improve your iron availability. Book a consult to learn more, and to explore how this applies to you.
– Kristan
Not all sources of vitamins and minerals are created equally. You need to find the right ones for you and your body to ensure that you’re gaining the maximum benefit. If you’re ready to get tailored support for your body then book in for a free 15 minute zoom call with one of our team. We’ll discuss your situation and what you’d like to achieve.