Iron in Your Diet

More housewives have become more concerned with how much iron there is in the food they give to their families. Rightly so, they have reason for the concern. Iron is as essential to the health of the family as are calcium, phosphorous, iodine and vitamins. Iron is a builder of red blood corpuscles. Without a sufficient amount of it, one develops anemia, resulting not only in paleness but also in a lack of energy.

So little iron is stored in the human body that the supply should be replenished daily. Unfortunately, the average Filipino diet is deficient in iron. But we can put enough iron into our diet and body. Iron-rich foods includes stewed prunes, baked beans, red beans, red mongo, oatmeal, raisins, egg yolks, dark-green leafy vegetables like spinach, ampalaya leaves, malunggay leaves, gabi leaves and camote leaves. Three tablespoons of dark molasses can supply a third of a person's iron requirement in a day. Molasses can be used in baking, on cereal, or in place of other syrups on waffles or griddle cakes.