If you don’t eat meat, your complexion is pale or pasty, or if you simply lack energy, it could be because you’re not getting enough iron in your diet. Many people assume that a vegetarian diet is a healthier way of eating, but this may not be the case if the diet is not balanced. Vegetarians need to make sure that they eat more of the good foods to replace nutrients not being acquired from meat.
Overall some 20% of women and 13% of men choose vegetarian diets. Many teenage girls are also vegetarians. Interestingly, 25% of teenage girls opt for a vegetarian diet, but often ignore the importance of iron needed for growth and menstruation.
Rosemary Stanton looked at the role meat plays in our diet, and at the sort of quantities of other foods that are needed if you decide to forego meat either as part of a vegetarian diet or because you are dieting.
Iron
Iron is important in many ways. It is involved in chemical reactions which produce energy and is found in haemoglobin in the blood where it is used to carry oxygen to all body tissues.
Symptoms of a lack of iron (iron deficiency) include a washed-out feeling, weakness, fatigue and a decreased ability for physical activity. Iron deficiency can lead to anaemia with symptoms of weakness, shortness of breath, coldness, palpitations and pins and needles. Anaemia can also lead to death.
The amount of iron that you need each day depends on your gender and your age. Generally men have a lower need for iron than women. Pregnant women have the highest need for iron.
women to age 54: 12-16mg
women during pregnancy: 22-36mg
teenagers (both boys and girls):10-13mg
women over age 54: 7mg
children (boys and girls): 6-8mg
men: 5-7mg
Note: These amounts of iron assume a diet that contains both plant and animal foods.
If you adopt a vegetarian diet but do not replace iron-rich meat with other iron-rich foods such as chick peas your body will quickly lack iron. Meat also provides protein, fibre, vitamins and components which fight illness. These too must be maintained from other food sources when meat is no longer eaten.
Vegetarians and iron
Meat (such as red meat, chicken and seafood) is a rich food source of iron, that is absorbed very well by the body. This type of iron is called haem iron. For example, a dozen oysters has 6.8mg of iron, 100g of mussels has 5.8mg and 100g of liver has 8.8mg.
Cereals, fruits, vegetables and eggs, which also contain iron, have a different form of iron. This form is called non-haem iron. It is not absorbed as readily by the body however its absorption is increased by the presence of haem iron or foods containing vitamin C.
It is not sufficient to take an iron pill, or eat a lentil burger once a month instead of eating meat. Iron is required in regular amounts on a daily basis as it is lost from the body in various ways (including through menstruation).
Note: Iron supplements may be recommended for some people. Those which also contain vitamin C are best as the vitamin C will allow the iron in the tablet to be more readily absorbed.
Putting more iron in your diet
People who don’t eat meat need to eat lots of vegetables, legumes, grains, seeds, nuts and foods such as tofu. The vitamin C in fruits and vegetables helps your body to absorb iron from other foods that you eat. Vegetarian meals should contain foods that are rich in iron as well as those that provide vitamin C.
Iron content of some common foods
FOOD IRON CONTENT (mg) rump steak, 150g 4.2 chickpeas, cooked 200g 3.6 breakfast cereal, av. serve 2.5 chicken, 150g 1.4 broccoli, 100g 1.0 almonds, 25g 1.0 egg, 1 1.1 salad vegetables, av. plate 1.2 brown rice, cooked, 1 cup 0.9 asparagus, 5 spears 0.8 wholemeal bread, 1 slice 0.7
Lack of calories
A lack of iron is not the only reason that you may feel a lack of energy. Anyone, including vegetarians, may feel a lack of energy if they eat too little food. This commonly happens with young girls who try to get by on a reduced diet. When you don’t eat enough, your body does not receive enough calories which means it has nothing to convert to energy.
Further information
If you are concerned that you may be lacking in iron your doctor can tell you with the aid of a simple blood test.
Further reading
For more information about a good vegetarian diet consult the recently released book Healthy Vegetarian Eating by Rosemary Stanton (Allen & Unwin, 1997, rrp $6.95).
For more of Rosemary Stanton’s advice on food and nutrition consult the revised edition of Rosemary Stanton’s Complete Book of Food and Nutrition (Simon & Schuster, rrp $29.95), the recently released book Good Fats and Bad Fats (Allen & Unwin, 1997, rrp $6.95) and a book on flatulence by Rosemary Stanton, Wind Breaks , (Allen & Unwin, rrp $12.95).
