How to Avoid Excessive Iron Intake

Dietary iron intake should be limited in the presence of any condition that causes the body to absorb too much iron. It stores the excess in the tissues of the heart, pancreas and liver, and even in the skin, where it builds up and can cause damage. hemochromatosis is one of these conditions, and it is hereditary. It affects white people more than blacks or Asians, and is twice as likely to affect men as women. Iron overload can also be from an external cause, such as from transfusions as therapy for other blood conditions such as thalassemia and sickle cell disease. If reducing iron in the diet is not sufficient, other therapies such as regular blood donation or phlebotomy and iron chelation are available.

Instructions

• 1

  Choose white meat more often than red -- red meat is high in iron. Red meat includes beef, venison, lamb/mutton and dark-meat fowl such as goose and duck. White meat includes chicken, pork, veal and fish.

• 2

  Avoid organ meats, such as liver, kidneys and heart, as these are iron-rich.

• 3

  Drink tea and coffee with foods high in iron. The tannins in these can reduce iron absorption by as much as 60 percent. Chocolate also inhibits iron absorption.

• 4

  Learn what foods enhance iron absorption, and do not eat these as part of a meal with a high iron source. They include alcohol, sugar and foods high in Vitamin C such as strawberries, citrus fruits, tomatoes and dark-green leafy vegetables. Have a baked potato, a lettuce and tomato salad and strawberry shortcake with chicken, not with a steak. Eat spinach with fish instead of with lamb chops. Enjoy a beer with barbecued pork ribs, but not with beef brisket.

• 5

  Do not use cast iron cookware. Foods cooked in unglazed cast iron absorb iron from the pan and can contain up to twice as much iron as if they were cooked in a nonreactive pan.