ASDA Health Matters

Iron deficiency

Feeling tired and irritable? Lost your appetite? Or find yourself unable to concentrate? Then you may have iron-deficiency anaemia. Don't worry, it's quite common and is easy to treat yourself. Just increase your iron intake.

Iron helps our red blood cells carry oxygen around the body. We all lose small amounts of iron naturally every day but because of menstruation, women tend to lose more than men. Women who have particularly heavy periods are at greater risk of iron-deficiency anaemia.

If this includes you then you're not alone. Around 8% of women in the UK suffer from this type of anaemia.

Additionally, 25% of British women don't consume enough iron - particularly women in their 20s and 30s - which puts them at risk of becoming anaemic.

So, how can you boost your iron through the foods you eat? Simple, just try including more of these iron rich foods in your diet:

Haem iron, found in animal foods

Haem iron is easy to absorb by your body. Just increase the amount of lean red meat, liver* and fish to boost your iron stores.

*Liver is a good source of iron but should be avoided by pregnant women because it contains high amounts of vitamin A.

Non-haem iron, found in plant foods

Sources of non-haem iron include lentils, beans, dried fruit and green leafy vegetables, as well as fortified bread and breakfast cereals. However, eating lots more of these won't immediately increase your iron levels. It's a bit more complicated than that because the absorption of non-haem iron is affected by the other foods you eat. Some foods help, others hinder.

So, what reduces absorption of non-haem iron?

• Phytate, a substance found in whole cereal grains

• Polyphenols found in tea and coffee

• Oxalic acid found in tea and chocolate

• Calcium

• Zinc

What increases absorption of non-haem iron?

• Vitamin C!

Here are some simple tips to help increase your non-haem iron intake.

Do: drink orange juice with a meal, or eat iron-rich foods alongside vegetables such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, green peppers or potatoes. These contain vitamin C, which helps the absorption of iron.

Don't: drink tea and coffee within half an hour of eating because they reduce absorption of iron.

Remember - a varied, balanced diet is the best way to make sure you're eating healthily. If you're a vegetarian, careful planning of your diet should help keep your iron levels high.

Try a day's worth of iron-boosting meals:

Fortified breakfast cereal with a handful of chopped dried fruit and a glass of fruit juice (remember to eat half an hour before you have a cup of tea or coffee).

Warm a wholemeal pitta bread - mix a can of sardines in tomato sauce with black pepper and a splash of olive oil - fill the bread with the sardines and a big bunch of watercress - cut in two and serve. Mmmmmm!

Two oatcakes topped with hummus and sliced cucumber and tomato.

Strips of lean beef or tofu stir-fried with beansprouts, mange-tout, broccoli, mushrooms, red and green peppers and any other veggies - add just a splash of sesame oil and soy sauce for a delicious, fresh meal.

Fruit compote - take a handful of fresh or frozen berries, like blackberries, blackcurrants and raspberries then warm through with a splash of orange juice and serve with natural yoghurt. Dried fruits like apricots, figs and prunes work just as well and also make a fab iron-rich and fibre-rich warming breakfast.

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis usually affects older women after the menopause, although men also suffer from it. Bone density reduces and the risk of fractures increases. The good news is teenage girls and young women can reduce their risk of developing osteoporosis later in life just by eating calcium-rich foods, doing more exercise and maintaining a healthy weight.

Both calcium and vitamin D play a role in keeping your bones healthy as you age. You can easily top up your calcium levels by eating dairy foods such as milk, yoghurt and cheese (to avoid saturated fat, choose low fat or skimmed varieties). If you don't eat dairy products, try green leafy vegetables (but not spinach). Soya and almonds also provide calcium. And canned fish, such as sardines, contain calcium-rich edible soft bones as well as vitamin D.

Your body makes vitamin D naturally, using the action of sunlight on the skin. But if you can't get outdoors every day, or usually cover up, you can boost your levels by eating foods such as oily fish, eggs, fortified breakfast cereals and margarines.

Remember, as you get older it's important to keep exercising. Regular brisk walking or climbing stairs are both excellent ways to help keep your bones healthy. If you haven't exercised for some time, or have had a bone fracture in the past, speak to your GP first.

Weight

Maintaining a healthy weight is important for wellbeing, but women receive so many mixed messages about their weight and appearance, it can be hard to know what a ‘healthy weight' really means.

Being thin doesn't automatically mean being healthy, but the fact is that most adults in this country are overweight. If this includes you, you could have a higher risk of developing serious illnesses, such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

There are two main ways to assess your weight in terms of health. The first is your Body Mass Index, or BMI, which relates your weight and your height. Your ASDA pharmacist can give you a free BMI test, or you can ask your GP. However, the BMI isn't appropriate if you're pregnant.

The other method is to measure your waist. Extra fat carried around the waist, rather than the hips and thighs, increases health risks, especially for heart disease. Women should aim for a waist measurement of less than 88 cm (35 inches).

If you do need to lose some weight, focus on eating a healthier, more balanced diet and only eat when you're hungry. Add more physical activity to your daily routine and the weight loss will follow!

Remember to use a reputable source for weight loss tips - fad diets can do more harm than good.

Heart disease

Now for some scary facts; coronary heart disease kills over 47,000 women in the UK each year. In fact, women are four times more likely to die from a heart problem than from breast cancer. The risk factors for women are the same as men: smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, being overweight or obese, and lack of exercise.

Now for some good news; these risks can be reduced by some simple changes to our lifestyle.

Stopping smoking will benefit your health enormously.

Eating a healthy, balanced diet will help by reducing your blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Try to eat more fruit and vegetables, eat more wholemeal and wholegrain products, and cut back on those saturated fats.

Check out the British Heart Foundation website for more information.

Get physical!

Most of us don't do enough physical activity. As adults, we should be aiming to do at least 30 minutes of exercise, five times a week.

If that sounds a lot, try breaking it down into smaller chunks. A brisk 10 minute walk to work and back only leaves 10 minutes of exercise to fit in to your day. Sounds easier now, doesn't it?

Doing more physical activity can help you to lose weight, reduce your risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, boost your immune system and improve your self-esteem, mood and confidence. So it's good news all round!