5 Tips For Boosting Iron In Pregnancy & Postnatally

5 Tips For Boosting Iron In Pregnancy & Postnatally…

Pregnancy can be tiring - even more so if your iron levels are low. Low iron can leave you with less energy, exhausted, or feeling short of breath. So boosting your iron through food can be really helpful - to feel better and help prevent anaemia.

In pregnancy your blood volume increases by almost 50% - so no surprise that you need more iron for healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen around your body.

Routine antenatal blood tests check for anaemia, which may require prescribed iron tablets. These can cause yukky side effects like stomach pain, constipation and even black poo!

Here's some tips to boost your iron gently.

Tip 1 - Combine Iron and Vitamin C

Getting plenty of iron from your food is the best way to boost levels. These foods are good sources:
~ Lentils, beans,chickpeas, tofu
~ Kale. spinach, broccol, spring greens
~ nut, dried fruit like apricots
~ wholemeal grains and bread, brown rice
~ eggs, oily fish, red meat

Plus if you consume iron WITH vitamin C it aids iron absorption by your body. So try having...
~ lentils with tomatoes (in dhal say)
~ tofu with peppers and broccoli in a stir fry
~ a handful of almonds & a kiwi fruit

Tip 2 - Avoid Calcium with your iron

Some foods and drinks contain anti-nutrients that can block or limit iron absorbtion. So it’s also helpful to avoid these at the same time that you’re eating iron rich food:

~ Tea and coffee (including decaf versions)

~ Calcium (so milk, yoghurt and cheese)

Instead get your calcium rich food at a separate time.

Tip 3 - Swap to wholegrains

Make simple swaps to wholegrains in your meals, for example

~ wholewheat pasta
~ brown rice
~ granary bread

~ wholegrain cereals
In addition the extra fibre will help with pregnancy constipation, and boost your good gut bacteria of your microbiome.

Tip 4 - all a good quality supplement

Adding some extra iron in a gentle and easily digestible form can be really helpful.
Good quality and gentle supplements that are widely available are Floradix (liquid or tablet form) and Spatone sachets.
Take them with a glass of vitamin C rich orange juice, or add to my smoothie recipe in the next tip.

Tip 5 - Make an iron boosting smoothie

It can be tricky to always get loads of iron from your meals each day. So another brilliant way to get lots of easily accessible dietary iron (plus fibre too) is an iron and vitamin C boosting smoothie. I drank these almost daily in my pregnancy, and it’s still my go-to when I need a pick me up.
Find the recipe here on my YouTube Channel:

I hope that helps to give you some ideas to boost your iron in a way that’s easy for your body to absorb, and gently on your digestive system too.

Of course this is not meant as a substitute for medical advice, and always speak to your midwife or doctor about any pregnancy concerns.

Susan x