In common with other B Vitamins, Riboflavin helps to convert food to energy.
It is essential to the functioning of some of the other B vitamins such as Niacin and Vitamin B6.
Riboflavin is also necessary for the formation of body cells (including red blood cells) and for normal growth.
Symptoms of Riboflavin deficiency:
Fissures in the corners of the mouth
A red inflamed tongue
A greasy inflammation of the skin folds around the nose
Watery, red eyes caused by the formation of small blood vessels on the white of the eye-ball
Growth rate of children may be retarded
Wounds and sores heal slowly
Sources of Riboflavin:
Milk (including skimmed milk powder)
Cheese
Yoghurt
Organ meat
Eggs
Fish
Green leafy vegetables (spinach, cabbage, broccoli)
Marmite
Bovril, Oxo, Fray Bentos
Sorghum beer
Stout
Whole-wheat and brown bread
Who develops a Riboflavin deficiency?
Those who exclude milk and cheese from their diets
Those who seldom eat meat, fish, chicken, eggs
Those who seldom eat green leafy vegetables
In a mixed, balanced diet:
Half of the Riboflavin requirement is supplied by two cups of milk
One quarter is supplied by two medium portions of meat, fish or eggs
The rest is supplied by green leafy vegetables, whole wheat or brown bread and other cereals
Some brands of cereals and mielie meal are enriched with Riboflavin
How much Riboflavin is needed?
Depends on your energy requirement
Teenage boys, pregnant and breast-feeding women need the most
Riboflavin losses:
Riboflavin is not susceptible to heat so little is lost during cooking.
Riboflavin is destroyed by ultra-violet light (sunlight)
Riboflavin in destroyed by alkalis (bicarbonate of soda)
Approximately 50% is lost when milk is exposed to 2 hours of direct sunlight
Approximately 20% is lost on a cloudy day
Give preference to milk bought in opaque containers
Don’t add bicarbonate of soda to green leafy vegetables or peas
- Leslie Hand
Homework 5o
Be sure to include Riboflavin-rich food in your diet every day
Monday, May 18, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
EATRITE - 5n - More about Iron
Symptoms of Mild Iron Deficiency
Tiredness, pallor, weakness of the muscles, hyperactivity, decreased attentiveness, loss of appetite.
How much Iron do you need?
Men: 10mg
Women and teenagers: 15mg
The iron in animal foods is most easily absorbed by the body. (There are those who would disagree with this statement.)
A balanced diet will include large amounts of foods from a plant source. This also contributes to your iron intake.
Iron is best absorbed in an acid medium: therefore a meal including sources of vitamin C will enhance iron absorption.
The continuous use of tablets can cause poor iron absorption.
Because women and girls eat less than men and boys, they have difficulty absorbing the iron they need. This applies too for those on a slimming diet.
Those at risk should concentrate on good sources of iron in their daily diets.
As a rule iron supplements are prescribed for pregnant women.
If a Little is Good, is a Lot Better?
The ingestion of an excess of iron is unlikely to occur on normal mixed diets.
Babies can accidentally ingest an overdose of iron if they are give iron supplements meant for adults.
Care should also be taken to avoid overdosing babies with iron drops.
Sources of Iron
Liver
Other organ meat
Lean meat
Fish
Chicken
Eggs
Dry legumes
Nuts
Brown and wholewheat bread
Dark leafy green vegetables
Dried fruit – raisins, apricots, peaches, prunes
- Leslie Hand
Homework: 5n
Include more of these foods in your diet to help prevent the development of anaemia
Tiredness, pallor, weakness of the muscles, hyperactivity, decreased attentiveness, loss of appetite.
How much Iron do you need?
Men: 10mg
Women and teenagers: 15mg
The iron in animal foods is most easily absorbed by the body. (There are those who would disagree with this statement.)
A balanced diet will include large amounts of foods from a plant source. This also contributes to your iron intake.
Iron is best absorbed in an acid medium: therefore a meal including sources of vitamin C will enhance iron absorption.
The continuous use of tablets can cause poor iron absorption.
Because women and girls eat less than men and boys, they have difficulty absorbing the iron they need. This applies too for those on a slimming diet.
Those at risk should concentrate on good sources of iron in their daily diets.
As a rule iron supplements are prescribed for pregnant women.
If a Little is Good, is a Lot Better?
The ingestion of an excess of iron is unlikely to occur on normal mixed diets.
Babies can accidentally ingest an overdose of iron if they are give iron supplements meant for adults.
Care should also be taken to avoid overdosing babies with iron drops.
Sources of Iron
Liver
Other organ meat
Lean meat
Fish
Chicken
Eggs
Dry legumes
Nuts
Brown and wholewheat bread
Dark leafy green vegetables
Dried fruit – raisins, apricots, peaches, prunes
- Leslie Hand
Homework: 5n
Include more of these foods in your diet to help prevent the development of anaemia
Thursday, May 7, 2009
EATRITE - 5m - Some Facts about Iron
Iron is the second most common mineral found in the earth’s crust.
Iron deficiency is, however, the most common nutritional deficiency.
500 million people in both industrial and developing countries suffer from iron deficiency or anaemia.
Women aged 15 – 50years, and babies and toddlers, in particular suffer from anaemia.
What does iron do in your body?
Iron forms part of the red blood cells.
It carries oxygen from the lungs to the tissues.
It helps transport carbon-dioxide from the tissues to the lungs.
After 120 days, worn red blood cells are broken down, and the iron is recovered to be used again in new red blood cells.
Iron cannot be manufactured in the body.
Small amounts are stored in the liver, spleen and red bone marrow.
A daily intake of iron is necessary to prevent the development of an iron deficiency, and the resultant anaemia.
Iron is part of an enzyme which carries messages from one nerve cell to another.
Children suffering from an iron deficiency often have problems such as hyperactivity and reduced learning capacity, a shorter attention span and even a reduced IQ.
These symptoms are the first to appear when the body’s iron levels fall, and are among the first to disappear when iron intake is increased again.
The intake of large amounts of iron will NOT raise the inherited IQ.
Who suffers from iron deficiency?
Mother’s milk is a well balanced food for babies, but it contains little iron.
A baby is born with a small store of iron in its liver.
When a baby is about 6 months old, it’s diet should be supplemented with extra iron from sources such as egg yolk, liver or meat.
If no source of iron is included in the diet, an iron deficiency will develop when the baby is about one year old.
The group that suffers most commonly from iron deficiency is girls and women aged 15 – 50 years.
Everyone loses small amounts of iron in urine, stools, perspiration, nails, hair and flaking skin.
The largest amount of iron loss occurs through blood loss in menstruation, chronically bleeding piles, stomach ulcers and regular blood donations.
Pregnant and breast-feeding women, as well as teenagers, have an increased need for iron.
- Leslie Hand
Homework: 5m
Investigate the food you eat every day – learn to meet your iron requirements
Iron deficiency is, however, the most common nutritional deficiency.
500 million people in both industrial and developing countries suffer from iron deficiency or anaemia.
Women aged 15 – 50years, and babies and toddlers, in particular suffer from anaemia.
What does iron do in your body?
Iron forms part of the red blood cells.
It carries oxygen from the lungs to the tissues.
It helps transport carbon-dioxide from the tissues to the lungs.
After 120 days, worn red blood cells are broken down, and the iron is recovered to be used again in new red blood cells.
Iron cannot be manufactured in the body.
Small amounts are stored in the liver, spleen and red bone marrow.
A daily intake of iron is necessary to prevent the development of an iron deficiency, and the resultant anaemia.
Iron is part of an enzyme which carries messages from one nerve cell to another.
Children suffering from an iron deficiency often have problems such as hyperactivity and reduced learning capacity, a shorter attention span and even a reduced IQ.
These symptoms are the first to appear when the body’s iron levels fall, and are among the first to disappear when iron intake is increased again.
The intake of large amounts of iron will NOT raise the inherited IQ.
Who suffers from iron deficiency?
Mother’s milk is a well balanced food for babies, but it contains little iron.
A baby is born with a small store of iron in its liver.
When a baby is about 6 months old, it’s diet should be supplemented with extra iron from sources such as egg yolk, liver or meat.
If no source of iron is included in the diet, an iron deficiency will develop when the baby is about one year old.
The group that suffers most commonly from iron deficiency is girls and women aged 15 – 50 years.
Everyone loses small amounts of iron in urine, stools, perspiration, nails, hair and flaking skin.
The largest amount of iron loss occurs through blood loss in menstruation, chronically bleeding piles, stomach ulcers and regular blood donations.
Pregnant and breast-feeding women, as well as teenagers, have an increased need for iron.
- Leslie Hand
Homework: 5m
Investigate the food you eat every day – learn to meet your iron requirements
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