How important are cereals high in iron to your breakfast experience?

If you don’t eat meat, you’ll need twice as much iron because your body cannot absorb iron from plant sources as well as iron from animals.
If you don’t take in enough iron, you can suffer from an iron deficiency, which can cause anaemia where your body isn’t able to make enough haemoglobin. You may not realise you’re suffering from iron deficiency because you just feel a bit tired and run down. But continued deficiency can leave you feeling breathless, impair your memory and other cognitive functions, and even make you susceptible to infection.

It’s a bonus for your family as research has shown that both kids and grownups who eat fortified cereals are more likely get all the minerals and vitamins they need.

Seeds make a delicious breakfast topper and offer a good iron boost. A tablespoon of pumpkin or flax seeds can add another microgram of iron. Dried fruit is also packed with iron, particularly apricots and raisins. And remember to drink a glass of orange juice with your breakfast or add some blueberries to your cereals. The vitamin C they contain helps your body to absorb plant iron. Did you know that dark chocolate can also be very nutritious? Grate an ounce onto your Nestlé’s fortified cereals in the morning, and you will be adding another 3.4 mg of iron. Yummy! 

The latest National Diet and Nutrition Survey revealed that nearly 25% of women are at risk of iron deficiency and children are also not getting enough iron. So, for an easy boost to your iron intake, consider including cereals that are source of iron such as Nestlé fortified breakfast cereals.