How Much Iron Do Moms and Babies Need?
Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Flora Health. I received financial compensation from the brand featured in the post for their inclusion. The thoughts contained within the post are purely my own and I am a regular user of Flora Health Ferritin+.
How Much Iron Do Moms and Babies Need?
Trying to determine how much iron you should be getting can be confusing for moms and those figuring it out for their babies. Here’s what you need to know when it comes to calculating iron intake from foods and supplements.
How Much Iron Do I Need?
Iron deficiency is the most common micronutrient deficiency worldwide...but you probably never thought much about iron until you were an adult. For some women, the first time iron comes into their consciousness is when they’re recommended to take a prenatal vitamin. Prenatal vitamins contain valuable micronutrients, including folic acid (for neural tube defect prevention) as well as iron.
During pregnancy your iron needs increase by 50% and that is due to the increase in blood volume of approximately 50% that women experience during pregnancy. Dilutional anemia is a normal part of pregnancy.
The Dietary Reference Intakes for women age 19-50 are:
18 mg per day when not pregnant
27 mg per day when pregnant
That jump from 18 to 27 mg iron per day represents a 50% increase. And it’s all but impossible to get that much iron from a typical diet. While eating iron rich foods can help, it’s important to take your regular prenatal vitamins. Most prenatal vitamins provide 27 mg iron per capsule.
In your post-partum state iron is still important. Although iron needs go back down to 18 mg per day, many women are not consuming that much from foods alone. Look for a supplement that provides around your daily needs for iron, so anything around the 18 mg iron level is ideal when you are no longer pregnant.
While you still will be obtaining some iron from foods in the diet, adding supplemental iron from a trusted source can help supplement that amount and ensure you’re meeting your needs. Flora Health Ferritin + is a plant based iron that provides 20 mg iron in the ferritin form from peas.
How Do Plant vs. Animal Sources of Iron Differ?
Maybe you’ve heard there are 2 types of iron: heme and non-heme iron. Heme iron comes from animal foods and is known to be well absorbed by the human body. Non-heme iron sources include plant foods, and although they are less well-absorbed by the human body, non-heme iron can still be beneficial in helping you meet your iron needs, especially for those following a plant-based lifestyle.
While some supplemental sources of iron can be tough on the gut, Flora Health Ferritin+ is a plant-based ferritin-iron made with organic peas. Ferritin is a naturally protein-coated form of iron found in legumes that allows for controlled release and efficient absorption, which helps to minimize digestive upset.
Flora Health’s Ferritin+ is a naturally enteric coated form of iron that releases iron slowly, which is more gentle on the gut. You take 1 capsule per day and it’s gluten-free and vegan, not to mention easier on the stomach than other iron supplements.
What Makes Iron More Bioavailable?
There are certain compounds in foods that make iron either more or less bioavailable. This means that depending upon what else is in your diet, your body may absorb more or less of the iron from foods you eat or supplements you take.
When it comes to food-based sources of iron, eating iron foods along with vitamin C containing foods can help increase absorption. Vitamin C is found in nearly all fruits and vegetables and vitamin C helps your body absorb more of the iron from other foods in the diet.
When choosing a supplement, it’s helpful to know that ferritin is the most bioavailable type of iron supplement. The ferritin in Flora Health’s Ferritin+ supplements is more easily digested by the body; it moves easily through your digestive tract, helping you to avoid constipation and other side effects often associated with iron supplementation. On top of that, this breakthrough plant-based iron supplement is clinically proven to increase ferritin iron levels.
I’ve been on iron supplements almost my entire adult life, and I think I’ve tried every product out there. The Ferritin+ product really works for me because it’s so gentle on the gut, and I only need to take 1 capsule per day. With 7 little kids to get ready and keep up with, I also know I need that daily iron boost to keep my energy levels high!
How Much Iron Does My Baby Need?
Your iron levels as a parent are important...but your baby needs iron too.
Babies receive the majority of their iron transfer at the tail end of pregnancy. That iron from mom lasts the baby about the first 6 months of life. Then around the 6 month mark, the iron stores from mom start to dissipate.
No problem though because it’s right around that time when your baby begins to eat solid foods. The weaning diet should include foods that are rich in iron. You can include fortified foods if you want, but please know babies can eat both heme and non-heme sources of iron from real foods, and do not require fortification or supplementation.
Babies who are 6-12 months of age need 11 mg iron per day. Some of that will come from breastmilk and/or formula, and as your baby learns to eat more foods, increasingly more of that iron will come from solid foods.
Good first foods for babies that include iron are egg yolks, legumes (like dried peas and beans and lentils), meat (like beef and chicken or pork) and other plant based foods like tofu and whole grains.
For more information on how to increase your baby’s iron absorption, check out this episode from my BABY-LED WEANING MADE EASY podcast called “3 Easy Ways to Boost Your Baby's Iron Absorption”.
Thank you to Flora Health for sponsoring this post. Learn more about Flora Health’s Ferritin+ breakthrough iron supplement here.
