How to Get More Iron in Your Child's Diet

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1Determining How Much Iron Your Child Needs

2Introducing Iron-Rich Foods

3Adding Other Important Nutrients to Your Child's Diet

4Educating Your Child about the Importance of Healthy Nutrition

5Maintaining Healthy Food Habits

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Parents should take care to include enough iron in their child's diet. This mineral is important in making red blood cells, which carry oxygen to vital parts of the body. When vital organs, muscle, and tissues are deprived of adequate oxygen intake, a host of health problems may result, such as learning disorders, deficiencies in growth, fatigue and weakness, and problems with behavior. Ensuring that we provide our children with proper nutrition requires some planning and a little extra work. Fortunately, there are ways for parents to ensure their children are consuming enough iron.

Steps

Part 1

Part 1 of 5:

Determining How Much Iron Your Child Needs

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   Speak to your child's pediatrician. She will give you helpful tips and determine whether your child needs iron supplements. She may want to take a blood test to check your child's iron levels. Check in with your pediatrician regularly to make sure your child is getting all the vitamins and nutrients he needs. Remember, too much iron can be just as bad as too little.
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   Follow all standard guidelines for children's nutrition. It is easy to focus too closely on one aspect of your child's diet and forget about the rest. Think about your child's daily and weekly consumption to make sure she is getting enough of each food group. Follow the dietary guidelines recommended by the US Department of Agriculture.

   • Fruits and vegetables should constitute half of each meal
   • Choose skim or 1% milk after age two
   • Choose whole grain breads, cereals, etc.
   • Switch up your sources of protein regularly
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   Create an age-appropriate diet plan. Newborns to six month olds rarely need additional iron supplements if they are breast feeding or taking iron-fortified formula. Speak with your pediatrician to find out if supplements are necessary for your child. As your child gets older, his dietary requirements will change, so remember to adjust his diet.

   • Babies between the ages of seven and 12 months require 11 milligrams of iron per day.
   • Children between one and three years old require seven milligrams of iron per day.
   • Children between four and 13 years old require between eight and 10 milligrams per day.
   • Requirements rise as children enter the teenage years.
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Part 2

Part 2 of 5:

Introducing Iron-Rich Foods

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   Get heme iron from meats. Heme is the easiest type of iron to digest and it aids the body in absorbing non-heme iron. Cook lean cuts of meat for your child and use healthy cooking methods such as baking, grilling, or broiling. Avoid fatty meats. Good meat-sources of iron include lean cuts of beef, chicken, and turkey. Salmon and tuna are also good sources of iron.
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   Get non-heme iron from plant sources. Though these are not as easily absorbed by the body, they contain iron and should be consumed for other reasons. Provide your child with plenty of beans and legumes, as well as fresh iron-rich vegetables and dried fruits. Cereals can be extremely iron-rich. Plant sources are an important part of a healthy diet and are easily added to any recipe.

   • Popular iron-rich beans include soybeans, lentils, kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans, and garbanzo beans.
   • Vegetables that are high in non-heme iron include yellow peppers, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, artichokes, tomatoes and leafy green vegetables, such as kale and spinach.
   • Most fruits are not high in iron; however, dried fruits, prunes, raisins, and figs are a good source of non-heme iron.
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   Choose healthier breakfast cereals. Replace high-sugar cereals that have very little nutritional value with healthy, iron-fortified cereals. Check the labels on ready-to-eat cereals and choose one that provides a significant amount of your child's recommend daily iron allowance. Oatmeal and cream-of-wheat are also very high in non-heme iron.
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   Get iron from other sources. There are many iron-rich foods that don't come from plants or meat. Be sure to include these to create a balanced diet for your child. Examples of non-meat and plant iron-rich foods are eggs, hummus, molasses, tofu, and enriched grains.
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   Hide nutrient-rich food in recipes. If you have a picky eater, getting her to consume enough vitamins and nutrients may be difficult. Find recipes for kid-friendly meals that pack a big health punch. Until your child is old enough to realize the value of nutritional foods, you may need to get creative.

   • Cut up vegetables in foods your child likes. Pizza and macaroni and cheese are easy foods to supplement with sources of iron. Finely chop vegetables so they are less recognizable.
   • Make a dish that completely incorporates the nutritious food. It is easy to make fruits and vegetables disappear in dishes like soups and even brownies.
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Part 3

Part 3 of 5:

Adding Other Important Nutrients to Your Child's Diet

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   Pair foods rich in iron with sources of vitamin C. These will boost your child's ability to absorb iron. Good sources of vitamin C include orange juice, strawberries, kiwis, grapefruit, cantaloupe, and mangoes. Take a vitamin C supplement if your doctor advises you to boost your intake.
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   Cook food in cast iron pots and pans. This type of cookware contains minute amounts of iron that seeps into food. This is another way to ensure that your child is consuming adequate amounts of iron. Make sure to clean your cast iron cookware properly.
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   Limit your child's intake of milk. Limit milk to 16 to 25 ounces per day. Milk is a low-iron food and can decrease the absorption of iron. Milk also expands your child's stomach, making her feel more full. By limiting her milk consumption, she will be hungry for more whole foods.
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   Avoid giving your child coffee or tea. These drinks contain tannins that can deplete iron stores and block iron absorption. The caffeine content of coffee and tea can have other side effects on your children's health. It is best to avoid their intake of these beverages entirely.
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Part 4

Part 4 of 5:

Educating Your Child about the Importance of Healthy Nutrition

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   Encourage your child to make healthy food choices. Explain the effect that food can have on his or her body. Discuss the negative effects of eating unhealthy foods, and the health benefits of eating nutritious foods. Frame these discussions as making healthy choices rather than taking away junk food. Explain that it is fine to treat yourself once in a while, but to make sure it does not become too frequent.
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   Make it easy for your child to choose healthy foods. Rid the house of unhealthy junk foods and replace them with healthy, iron-fortified snacks and meals. Empty calorie foods have little to no nutritional value and contribute to unhealthy weight gain. Keeping healthier foods around the house will have reciprocal effects on your own nutrient intake.
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   Encourage your child to help you prepare nutritious family meals. Explain the ways in which each ingredient is good for the body. Emphasizing the importance of preparing fresh foods to your children from an early age will instill healthy food habits. They should develop basic cooking capabilities as they age so that they do not resort to preservative-heavy foods in your absence.
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   Include your child in the shopping experience. Bring your child with you on grocery shopping trips. Show him healthy snack options. As you select different ingredients, explain to him how each of those ingredients will be incorporated into a healthy meal. Show your child the variety of nutrients available in the produce aisle rather than packaged foods high in preservatives.
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Part 5

Part 5 of 5:

Maintaining Healthy Food Habits

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   Make an adventure out of eating. Turn shopping and cooking into an event, and make your child a part of it. Find ways to make the presentation of your meal fun, such as using unique food shapes to create a picture on her plate. Remember that children love to dip their food. Assemble some dipping equipment for snacks and other dipped items.
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   Get creative tableware to make mealtime more fun. Children enjoy novelty items such as themed plates, specialty dipping cups, and kid-friendly utensils. These dishes can be found inexpensively and may have an impact on your child's enthusiasm for mealtime. Devoting enough attention to diet is part of a healthy relationship with food, so make sure you cultivate this value in your child.
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   Don't give your child too much iron. Excessive iron gradually builds up in the organs and tissues throughout the body. Though it is unlikely that your child gets too much iron from food, supplements are a different story. Unless otherwise instructed by your pediatrician, make sure your child gets no more than 40mg of iron per day.
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   See a doctor if your child is getting too much iron. It may be difficult to recognize the symptoms because many of them resemble the same symptoms for low iron. However, some common symptoms of iron overload include weakness, fatigue, irritability, and skin discoloration. Make sure your supplements are out of reach of your child if you notice these symptoms, and make an appointment with your pediatrician.
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Warnings

• Lack of iron can cause anemia, which leads to irritability, fatigue, weakness, pale skin, dizziness, cold hands or feet, frequent headaches, decreased appetite and rapid heartbeat.
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• Never encourage your child to take a vitamin supplement as a treat. Children should be taught safety issues regarding vitamin supplement use. Vitamin supplements, including iron supplements, should always be kept out of the reach of children.
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• Although raisins are an excellent source of iron, they can be a choking hazard for young children.
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• Fish and shellfish contain mercury. Children and unborn babies are at a higher risk of harm from mercury. Talk to your doctor about safe amounts of fish and shellfish for your child.
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