Iron supplements are very necessary, especially for pregnant women, mothers or women of reproductive age.
According to the World Health Organization, iron deficiency is the leading cause of anemia in women worldwide, affecting health, working capacity and quality of life.
Amaranth contains heme-free iron - a form of iron of plant origin. Although the absorption rate is not as high as heme iron (found in animal meat), when combined properly, the body can still absorb effectively.
Combining foods rich in heme iron with vitamin C (such as oranges, lemons, guava, or citrus juice) will increase the absorption of iron by 23 times.
How to supplement iron from amaranth
An effective way to eat amaranth to supplement iron is to cook it by boiling, steaming, blending smoothies or juicing.
In particular, you should eat with foods rich in vitamin C. For example, squeezing beetroot juice with carrots and oranges is a popular recipe to help increase iron absorption.
Research shows that consuming amaranth combined with foods containing vitamin C significantly increases the amount of ferritin in the serum - an index reflecting the body's iron reserves.
However, women should not overuse amaranth because the high oxalate content in the ridge can contribute to the formation of kidney stones. Therefore, you should eat about 100150g of amaranth per day and diversify your iron sources such as spinach, lentils and fortified cereals.
Amaranth is a natural choice that helps women supplement iron effectively if eaten properly and combined scientifically.
