High Iron Cereal

One of the essential nutrients that our bodies need for growth and development is iron. It’s a mineral that can be found in a variety of plant and animal foods, but most people don’t get enough iron in their diet. With iron deficiency becoming more common in the population, Nestlé® fortified cereals can be a solution to help you increase your iron intake. 

Iron is important because your body needs it to create haemoglobin which is an essential component of red blood cells [1]. It transports oxygen around the body. You also use iron to make myoglobin, which carries oxygen into your muscles. It’s also a part of several hormones.

You need sufficient oxygen to reach your cells for them to function, so having enough haemoglobin is crucial to good health. It’s even important in brain function..

According to the Malaysian  Recommended Nutrient Intake (RNI, 2017), an adult man needs about 14mg  of iron while women requires double of that [2] . And if a woman becomes pregnant, her demand for iron soars,  requiring 100mg of supplemented iron, and in case of anemia,  an even higher dosage is required. Menstruating women will also need an iron-rich diet because of blood loss. 

If you don’t eat meat, you’ll need to consume more of the iron rich foods from plant- based sources because your body cannot absorb iron from this sources [3] as well as the animal sources.

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.

NESTLÉ®  STARTED ADDING IRON TO CEREALS IN THE 1920’S IN A PROCESS CALLED FORTIFICATION TO MAKE OUR CEREALS A SOURCE OF IRON. 

It’s a bonus for your family as research has shown that both kids and grown-ups who eat fortified cereals have improved their nutritional intakes especially in vitamins & minerals [4,5]. 

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® fortified cereals in the morning, and you will be adding another 3.4 mg of iron [6]. Yummy!

According to the Malaysian National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS, 2019), the prevalence of iron deficiency anaemia among Malaysian female adults was 29.9% [7] whilst, the prevalence of iron deficiency among  kids was 4.4% [8] . So, for an easy boost to your iron intake, consider including cereals that are source of iron such as Nestlé® fortified breakfast cereals.