IRON

Iron is an essential mineral found in every cell of your body. Canada’s Dietary Guidelines set out by Health Canada provides the guidelines and considerations for healthy eating for Canadians. The objectives of the guidelines are to promote healthy eating and overall nutritional well-being, and support improvements to the Canadian food environment. Dietary choices made on a regular basis form a person’s pattern of eating over time. The new Canada Food Guide guidelines recommend eating a variety of protein foods and encourage including plant-food sources of protein often. It is important to recognize that the foods represented in the Protein food category do not all offer the same nutrient benefits, each having a unique set of nutrients that they champion. Plant-proteins are high in fibre and provide folate. Animal sources of protein, and red meat in particular, is an excellent source of protein and one of the best food sources of iron in a form that is easiest to absorb. So it is not a matter of swapping one protein food for the other, but benefiting by eating a variety from the group. There are often benefits of eating foods in combination as there are synergistic effects of the nutrient combinations. Iron is a mineral vital to the proper function of hemoglobin, a protein needed to transport oxygen in the blood.  Iron also helps to preserve many vital functions in the body, including general energy and focus, the immune system, the regulation of body temperature, and gastrointestinal processes.  The benefits of iron often go unnoticed until a person is not getting enough, and in the worst case, iron deficiency anemia can result. Iron deficiency anemia is one of the world’s leading nutrient deficiencies.

IRON Materials Requisition Form

CDHF, in partnership with Canada Beef, have selected key informational resources from an education program, thinkbeef.ca, that addresses the value and benefits of iron for infants, teen-age girls, and the entire family, and are included in this package: protein food guidelines, nutritional facts and recipes, and a ‘window-cling’ infographic for your clinic.

*Please be advised that the resources will be delivered to you from Canada Beef.