How to Take Iron Tablets

The mineral iron is used in the body to transport oxygen and for cell growth. The McKinley Health Center at the University of Illinois warns that without enough iron from food or supplements you might experience fatigue, lightheadedness, decreased immunity, headaches and trouble sleeping. Taking iron supplements to bolster levels works well, but plan your diet wisely to maximize absorption of the vitamin.

Instructions

• 1

  Determine dosage. Those whose eat red meat consistently, especially liver, are eating the best sources of iron. Vegetarians often eat much less iron than they should. Plenty of non-meat foods have iron in them, but the challenge is that they are not as easily absorbed by the body, making supplmentation more useful. In any case, recommended iron intake for adult males is 8 mg per day. For females it is 18 mg until they reach the age of 51, when the recommended amount also becomes 8 mg a day.

• 2

  Avoid Calcium. Avoid taking iron with calcium-rich meals since calcium interferes with iron absorption. Some foods that are especially rich in calcium are soy, calcium-fortified orange juice, broccoli, leafy green vegetables and dairy.

• 3

  Don't take them at the same time as fiber-rich foods. Taking iron supplements with meals can often block absorption from happening because of the fiber content -- a part of fiber grabs onto iron and takes it right out of the body, leaving much less available to be absorbed. According to Today's Dietitian, bran, beans and whole grains are especially high in fiber.

• 4

  Include a Vitamin C source. The Office of Dietary Supplements at the National Institute of Health shares that including a source of Vitamin C when you take iron supplements will increase iron absorption. Rich sources of Vitamin C are oranges, grapefruits, tomatoes, broccoli and strawberries.

• 5

  Some components in tea block iron absorption

  Avoid taking iron tablets with coffee or caffeinated tea. Each of these hot beverages contains a compound contained polyphenols. The benefit to polyphenols is that they are an antioxidant with potential to protect against disease, but the downside is that they keep iron from being absorbed. Take iron supplements a couple of hours from either beverage to absorb more of the essential mineral.