Did you know that iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency in the world?!
But Is low iron really an iron issue?
There’s so much more to it than eating more iron-rich foods or taking iron supplements to help…
In fact, a lot of us are actually eating plenty of iron rich foods, especially if:
you get animal protein regularly
you’re a woman – since women absorb iron much more easily, thanks to our higher estrogen levels
So, if you’re struggling with low, consider these:
1. Your body needs other nutrients
Minerals like copper are essential for iron recycling (aka your body’s ability to reuse the iron that you already have).
In addition, Vitamin A helps to ensure the copper is usable within the body.
2. Your environmental factors (stress, toxins, inflammation)
These factors can increase oxidative damage and a high oxidative stress burden will deplete your iron stores, making it harder to maintain healthy iron levels
3. Gut pathogens, especially parasites
Gut imbalances also contribute to oxidative stress and certain pathogens like parasites will also eat up your own iron stores.
This isn’t an exhaustive list and of course not medical advice! Just some things to consider if you’re struggling with low iron….
We can get a LOT of information from comprehensive blood work to tell us WHY iron is low, instead of reaching for the iron supplements.
With my 1:1 clients we look at functional labs and comprehensive blood work to understand what sort of immune stressors there are, nutrient status, environmental toxins, and gut imbalances that might be impacting not only iron status, but other systems like digestion, immune, and metabolism.
If you’re struggling with low iron levels, and likely low energy or brain fog, digestive symptoms, blood sugar imbalances, or inflammation, schedule a complimentary consult call to learn more about working 1:1.