STORY TO BE TOLD

Iron

What is iron and why is it important?

Iron is a mineral that helps build red blood cells. Most importantly, iron helps your blood cells carry the oxygen that is needed for energy. Getting the right amount of iron can improve your performance in sports and in school.

Iron is an important nutrient for teens, especially for those who have started menstruating. Vegetarians also need to pay extra attention to make sure they get enough iron.

What is anemia?

Anemia is a condition that occurs when you don't have enough healthy red blood cells. This is a problem, because without the right amount of healthy red blood cells, enough oxygen doesn't get into your body. This causes people with anemia to look pale, and often feel weak and tired. The most common causes are not getting enough iron or losing too much iron from heavy menstrual periods. Your health care provider may recommend a multivitamin with iron if it seems like you are not getting enough iron from foods. If you are already anemic, your health care provider will probably suggest an iron supplement.

How much iron do I need?

Iron is measured in milligrams. The amount you need depends on your age, gender, body size, and lifestyle. In general, though, you can use these guidelines to determine how much iron you need.

• Girls age 9-13: 8 mg/day
• Girls age 14-18: 15 mg/day

What foods are rich in iron?

Good sources of iron include red meat, eggs, poultry, fish, legumes (or beans), and fortified cereals. It is important to know that your body absorbs iron from animal sources (known as “heme” iron) more easily than it absorbs iron from plant sources (known as “non-heme” iron). The following table lists some foods that are good sources of iron.

Food	Serving Size	Iron (mg)
Beans and Peas
Baked beans, without pork	½ cup	1.5
Chick peas	½ cup	2.4
Lentils	½ cup	3.3
Red beans	½ cup	2.6
White beans	½ cup	2.5
Cereals
Cheerios®	1 cup	10.3
Cinnamon Life®	¾ cup	7.4
Frosted Miniwheats®	1 cup	15.4
Rice Krispies®	1¼ cup	11.4
Whole Grain Total®	¾ cup	22.4
Dried Fruit
Peaches	¼ cup	1.6
Apricots	4 large halves	0.4
Raisins	¼ cup	.07
Meat, Poultry and Fish
Beef liver, cooked*	3 ounces	5.8
Egg, large	1	0.6
Pork, cooked*	3 ounces	0.9
Salmon, canned*	3 ounces	0.7
Sirloin, cooked*	3 ounces	2.9
Turkey, light meat, roasted*	3 ounces	1.6
Veal, cooked*	3 ounces	0.9
Other
Almonds, whole, unblanched	½ cup	3.1
Prune juice	½ cup	1.5
Spinach, boiled	½ cup	3.2
* Source of heme iron

Nutrition Tips:

• Foods high in vitamin C help your body absorb non-heme iron. Try eating iron-rich foods along with foods that are high in vitamin c, such as citrus fruits and juices, cantaloupe, strawberries, tomatoes, and dark green vegetables. For example, top your cereal with strawberries, add tomato slices to a turkey sandwich, or have an orange with a peanut butter sandwich.
• Choose breads, cereals, and pastas that say “enriched” or “iron-fortified” on the label. These foods have extra iron that can really boost your intake.

Remember: Try to include iron-rich foods in your day to keep your body healthy and prevent anemia.

Written by the CYWH Staff at Children's Hospital Boston

source taken from: http://www.youngwomenshealth.org/

4 Tips To Prevent Childhood Obesity
by Intent.com, on Fri Apr 30, 2010 1:34pm PDT

I struggle almost every day to get my younger daughter to eat fruits and vegetables. Since she was a baby, she has just refused to open her mouth to certain foods, and I have tempted all sorts of games, rewards, punishment, tricks, bribes, you name it.

So I was very excited to speak with Rick Delashmit, one of the first winners of the year-long Pepsi Rerfresh Project as he has a plan to get kids to try vegetables.

Rick will be using his $25K grant to push forward his Taste Buds program, where he drives around in a truck full of fruits and vegetables to different elementary schools and quizzes kids about nutrition facts, where food comes from and the nutritional benefits of different foods. In order to win the game, kids must at least one small bite of three different vegetables and two fruits.

And, if they all try it, they get Vege bucks which they can use at the local farmers market to redeem fruits and vegetables. Its a bit of healthy peer pressure to get them to try something new. I found this tactic actually worked in with Leela! I showed her the bucks that Rick gives out and told her that if she tries some new vegetables, I would ask him for some. And, she actually tried some corn! :)

Click here to listen to the podcast of my conversation with Rick. Rick talks about the original inspiration behind the idea, what he plans on doing with the $25K grant and how crucial it is to get kids to know their fruits and vegetables at an early age.

Childhood obesity is a problem that affects all of us. I invite all of you to read through our exclusive Intent series "How To Prevent Childhood Obesity," where 11 different Intent Voice contributors share their insights on what we can all do to prevent childhood obesity in this country.

Here are my 9 tips for preventing childhood obesity in your household and in your community as a whole. If all of us do our best to raise healthy children, then we are all truly making a difference in raising a healthier generation of kids.

Here are my 9 tips for preventing childhood obesity in your household and in your community as a whole. If all of us do our best to raise healthy children, then we are all truly making a difference in raising a healthier generation of kids.

1. Educate yourself on the facts. Knowledge truly is the first step in galvanizing our communities to solve this problem. Did you know the childhood obesity rates have tripled in the last three decades in this country? More obese children means more obese adults, which means more costs for the healthcare system to treat preventable diseases such as heart disease and Type 2 diabetes, not to mention a much shortened life expectancy. Read Brett Blumenthal's article to get the facts on childhood obesity.

2. Make sure your kids are getting enough sleep. Did you know that quality sleep plays a huge role in helath and weight maintenane for kids? Though we should all focus on what our kids are eating and how much exercise our kids are doing, sleep is also a huge factor in healthy weight control. Read Sleep Expert Nancy Rothstein's article on how sleep is the missing link in preventing childhood obesity.

3. Make brown bagging cool. Explore with your kids fun, easy and delicious lunch recipes that she can eat at school. Read nutritionist Renay Matthew's article for healthy and easy lunch ideas for kids.

4. Shower your kids with love, not judgment. Teaching your kids how to eat healthy and love their bodies should be a fun learning process that raises their self-esteem, not punish them or make them feel bad for not achieving a certain expectation. Read weight loss expert Janice Taylor's tips for raising your kids' self-esteem and health knowledge to prevent childhood obesity in the household.

source taken from: http://shine.yahoo.com/