Iron deficiency symptoms are more common than you think and when left unchecked will progress to Anemia symptoms.

The word Anemia is a Greek word and means "without blood".

Anemia symptoms would be similar to this sleeping bat turning into Dracula and getting hold of you to suck you dry! 

Not a fun experience and I don't recommend letting iron deficiency symptoms progress that far.

Anemia is a condition in which you have a lower than normal amount of red blood cells. 

And if you don't have enough red blood cells to effectively transport oxygen throughout your body, you are said to have Anemia.

Anemia symptoms and iron deficiency symptoms are usually related to one another as a cause and effect type of situation.

Types of Anemia caused by a decrease in red blood cell production include Iron Deficiency Anemia and Vitamin Deficient Anemia.

You will need iron, folic acid, and vitamin B12 to produce your red blood cells.  And a deficiency of any one of these can result in Anemia. 

Severe Anemia can damage your heart and your brain along with other important organ systems.

Red blood cells not only carry oxygen to your cells, but remove carbon dioxide which is a waste product from your body.

What is Anemia Symptoms:

Another reason for Anemia could be not having enough of "good bacteria" and having too much "bad bacteria". 

A person whose diet contains an ample amount of iron and other important co-factor nutrients should be able to produce enough new blood to prevent Anemia and iron deficiency symptoms.

Tips to Avoid Iron Deficiency Symptoms

Cooking can sometimes result in a loss of heme iron depending on the animal food and cooking method used.  Cook your steaks to medium-rare or rare!

Also, to retain more iron in cooked foods - cook foods in a minimal amount of water to avoid iron deficiency symptoms.

Leavening as well as the fermentation of grains and legumes like soybeans will remove anti-nutrients which helps with the absorption of iron.

Soaking and sprouting your grains, beans, nuts, and seeds will also help to enhance better absorption of iron by removing anti-nutrients like phytic acid which blocks iron.

If you have iron deficiency symptoms, do not eat an excess of calcium, zinc, or magnesium with iron rich foods as they will compete for absorption. 

For example, limit the amount of calcium to about 50 mg. when consuming red meat meals to avoid iron deficiency symptoms. 

Or wait an hour or two after your meat meal before drinking that tall glass of milk which contains about 300 mg. of calcium.

Keep Iron away from the Pathogens!

Low levels of lactoferrin - which is a glycoprotein that binds to iron could help keep iron away from pathogens.

Mother's milk, grass fed raw milk, yogurt, kefir, colostrum, and raw cheese are good sources of lactoferrin.

Lactoferrin can behave like an iron scavenger and attaches with free iron that would otherwise cause problems like feed bad bacteria or pathogens that also need iron to survive. 

Lactoferrin is a prebiotic which also stimulates the production of probiotics - which are the good bacteria.  This also makes it much harder for pathogens to survive.

People that have iron deficiency symptoms may just need to increase their levels of lactoferrin (which your body can also produce).

Then the iron that's consumed can be absorbed and utilized by the body without any interference of harmful microbes. 

Lactoferrin attaches to iron and takes it to where it is needed thus helping to stop iron deficiency symptoms.

What About Too Much Iron?

Sometimes people can end up with too much iron. 

This can occur from either a failure in their body's ability to regulate iron or a genetic condition called Hemochromatosis in which you will absorb more iron than the average person.

This genetic condition appears to be much more prevalent in people of Northern European Descent. 

Consuming the iron bound to protein which is what you'll find with raw meats is usually not the cause of too much iron or iron overload.

However, consuming large amounts of over-cooked or processed meats will create free iron.

Basically, the problem occurs when an excess of "unbound iron" or "free iron" builds up in your bloodstream. 

This type of iron is not bound to a protein like lactoferrin, etc. 

Increased amounts of this type of iron can actually stimulate free radicals to form in your body which can lead to chronic diseases.

Excessive amounts of free iron can damage or oxidize cholesterol in your blood and oxidized cholesterol clogs up vital arteries. 

Too much free iron can be very dangerous to your health.  And unless this iron is released or utilized by your body it gets stored in places like your liver.

What Causes Too Much Iron?

• Exposure to Glyphosate in Roundup
• Living in Highly Polluted Places
• Use of Tobacco or Inhaling Tobacco Smoke or "Other" Smoke
  

• High Consumption of Alcohol especially with Meals
• Alcoholic Cirrhosis and Liver Diseases
• Premature Red Cell Aging or Destruction
• Frequently Receiving Blood Transfusions

• Cooking Acidic Foods in Cast Iron Pots, Cookware, and Frying Pans
• Excessive Amounts of Iron Supplements
• High Intake of Iron Fortified Foods like Fortified Cereals
  
• Drinking Well Water High in Iron

• High Amounts of Fructose from Soda, Fruits, and Sweeteners
• Over Cooking or Over Processing Iron Rich Foods
  
• High Intake of Vitamin C Supplements

Men are more likely to suffer from excess iron than iron deficiency symptoms because they do not menstruate like women. 

As studies have revealed, blood donors seem to exhibit better than average health as blood removal seems to help control iron levels.

Menstruating women, growing children, and people on restrictive diets will lean more towards iron deficiency symptoms rather than having too much iron.

Remember, too much iron or not enough iron can both contribute to health problems that can actually turn into chronic health issues. 

You will need to get a blood test in order to know for sure if you are suffering from iron deficiency symptoms or symptoms of too much iron.

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