“15 Signs You May Have an Iron Deficiency”

GOT IRON? MANY WOMEN DON’T: Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency in the United States, and women are among those at greatest risk. Iron is critical for producing hemoglobin, a protein that helps red blood cells deliver oxygen throughout your body. So without it, everything suffers—and can lead to anemia. Check out these symptoms of iron deficiency and, if you have them, see your doctor and request a ferritin test, which measures your body's iron stores.

YOU’RE EXHAUSTED: The most common symptom of iron deficiency, it's also possibly the most difficult one to detect. "Women are so used to having frenetic lives and feeling tired," says Nancy Berliner, MD, deputy editor of Blood, the journal of the American Society of Hematology. "They often just dismiss being tired as part of life." However, iron deficiency causes less oxygen to reach your tissues, so your body is deprived of the energy it needs. If your "normal" fatigue is coupled with you feeling, weak, irritable, or unable to focus, iron (or a lack thereof) might have something to do with it. After all, there's a reason people whose iron deficiency progresses into anemia are often said to have "tired blood."

YOU HAVE HEAVY PERIODS: In women, the number-one cause of iron deficiency is too-heavy periods, says Jacques Moritz, MD, director of gynecology at Mount Sinai St. Luke's Roosevelt in New York City. "They lose too much blood, replace about half of it, and then lose too much again the following month," he says. "It's like filling up a car with a small hole in the tank." Your period should only fill two to three tablespoons each month. Try the tampon test: If you have to change your tampon more frequently than every two hours, talk to your gynecologist.

YOU’RE PALE: There's a reason the words "pale" and "sickly" are often used interchangeably. Hemoglobin gives your blood its red color and, thus, your skin its rosy hue. That means that low levels of the protein can suck the color straight from your skin, Dr. Moritz says. If you have a light complexion, it's pretty easy to spot. No matter your skin tone, though, if the inside of your lips, your gums, and the inside of your bottom eyelids are less red than usual, low iron may be to blame.

YOU GET SHORT OF BREATH EASILY: No matter how deeply you breathe, if your oxygen levels are low, you'll feel out of air, explains Dr. Berliner. If you notice yourself getting out of breath doing things that you'd normally handle just fine—be it climbing a flight of stairs or knocking out your usual workout—iron deficiency could be to blame.

YOUR HEART IS POUNDING: An overworked heart can end up suffering from irregular heartbeats, heart murmurs, enlargement, and even heart failure. Before you freak out, don't. For things to get that bad, you would probably have to suffer from iron deficiency anemia for quite some time, suggests a review of cardiomyopathy and iron deficiency in the Texas Heart Institute Journal. However, if you know you have heart problems, it's important to get your iron levels checked as iron deficiency can worsen existing heart problems.

YOU HAVE RESTLESS LEG SYNDROME: Can't stop fidgeting? About 15% of people with restless leg syndrome have iron deficiency, according to John Hopkins Medicine. The lower the iron levels, the worse the symptoms.

YOUR HEAD HURTS: An iron-deficient body will prioritize getting oxygen to your brain before it worries about other tissues, but even then, your noggin will still get less than it ideally should, Dr. Berliner says. In response, the brain's arteries can swell, causing headaches, according to the National Headache Foundation.

YOU CRAVE CLAY, DIRT, AND ICE: Called pica, craving (and actually eating) non-food substances can be a sign of iron deficiency. Iron-deficient people may be tempted to chow down on chalk, clay, dirt, and paper. Luckily, most women opt for ice, says Dr. Berliner, who tells her anemic patients to come back to see her if they start craving ice.

YOU FEEL ANXIOUS FOR NO REASON: As if your life wasn't stressful enough, iron deficiency can trick you into feeling even more anxious. A lack of oxygen revs up your body's sympathetic nervous system, which is kind of like your body's gas pedal, Dr. Berliner says. Plus, since iron deficiency can send your heart racing, it's easy to feel like you're in fight-or-flight mode even when you have every reason to feel relaxed.

YOU’RE LOSING YOUR HAIR: Iron deficiency, especially when it progresses into full-blown iron deficiency anemia, can cause hair loss. "It sends your body into survival mode, so your body channels oxygen to support vital functions as opposed to ones like keeping your hair intact," explains Dr. Moritz. Don't panic if there are a few hairs in your drain, though. Most scalps lose about 100 hairs on a good day.

YOU’RE VEGETARIAN OR VEGAN: All iron is not created equal. Your body absorbs heme iron—which comes from meat, poultry, and fish—two to three times more efficiently than non-heme iron from plants, says nutritionist Rania Batayneh, author of The One One One Diet. You can still get enough iron with careful meal planning. Dark leafy greens, whole grains, and legumes are all rich in iron; pair them with vitamin-C rich foods like bell peppers, berries, and broccoli to boost your absorption.

YOU HAVE AN UNDER-ACTIVE THYROID: Iron deficiency slows your body’s thyroid function and blocks its metabolism-boosting effects, according to the National Academy of Hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism if often missed—six in 10 people with a thyroid disease don't know they have it, according to the American Thyroid Association—so if you notice low energy levels, weight gain, or even a lower body temperature, talk to your doctor.

YOU’RE PREGNANT: Folic acid deservedly gets a lot of pre-natal press, but babies-to-be also need iron, and they can steal mom's stores. What's more, many women lose a substantial amount of blood during delivery, which can lower iron counts, Dr. Moritz says. If you're pregnant with multiples, have pregnancies close together, or regularly vomit because of morning sickness, you may need to boost your iron intake.

YOUR TONGUE LOOKS WEIRD: Besides sapping the color out of your tongue, low iron counts can reduce levels of myoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that supports muscle health, like the muscle that makes up the tongue, Dr. Berliner says. As a result, many people who are iron deficient complain of a sore, inflamed, and strangely smooth tongue.

YOU HAVE CELIAC OR AN INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE: Even if you get enough iron in your diet, celiac disease and inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis can lead to problems absorbing nutrients, iron included. These conditions cause inflammation in and damage to the digestive tract. If you've been diagnosed with any of these GI diseases, talk to your doctor about how you can increase your iron absorption.

YOU TO GET MORE IRON: Iron requirements aren't one-size-fits-all, especially for women. Women between the ages of 19 and 50 typically need 18 mg per day. However, if you're pregnant, that amount bumps up to 27 mg. If you're breastfeeding, you should get just 9 mg. Plus, how heavy your periods are could also alter your needs. Older than 50 and not menstruating? You only need 8 mg per day. That's not a hard target to hit—a single serving of lentils, spinach, beef, nuts, chicken, or chickpeas, will all score you at least a couple milligrams. And when it comes to iron, more isn't necessarily better. "While most the attention is on iron deficiency, there is a concern as well for iron overload, which studies indicate can damage internal organs and may increase the risk of diabetes, heart attack, and cancer, particularly in older people," Batayneh says. Try to hit your RDA of iron, but don't worry about going above and beyond the recommendations.

By: K. Aleisha Fetters, HEALTH

Much Love, Dr.Shermaine #InformativeRead #PleaseShare #HealthyBodySoulAndSpirit #IWantYou2LiveWell

The Goal is to Always Make You Aware of What Concerns Your Body, Soul and Spirit, So You Can Have Open, Honest and Frequent Discussions With Your Physicians and Counselors. You Can’t Treat or Cure What You Don’t Know is Sick.

"It's Not Selfish to Love Yourself, Take Care of Yourself and to Make Your Happiness a Priority. It's a Necessity." (Mandy Hale)

"Self-Care is Not Selfish. You Cannot Serve From an Empty Vessel." (Eleanor Brown)

 The contents of the Health Magazine and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites, such as text, graphics, images, and other material contained on the Health Magazine and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites ("Content") are for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the Health Magazine and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites!

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“Food Cravings That Wreck Your Diet”

The Truth About Food Cravings: Craving a big, fluffy hunk of warm bread does not mean your body is deprived of grains. Food cravings have little to do with nutrients and plenty to do with the brain chemistry of pleasure and reward. Cravings may center on texture (creamy, crunchy) or taste (sweet, salty) but they all have something in common -- overindulging can sabotage your diet.

Ice Cream: People who get cravings tend to have higher BMIs -- no surprise since fattening foods are often the object of desire. The combination of cool, creamy, and sweet makes ice cream an irresistible treat -- but a costly one in terms of calories. A typical serving of vanilla has 230 calories. Better Bet: Half a cup of slow-churned ice cream has less fat and half the calories.

Potato Chips: It's the combination of salty and crunchy that gives potato chips their allure. Depending on the flavor, a 1-ounce snack bag has at least 150 calories. Munch your way through a large 8-ounce bag and you're looking at 1,230 calories -- not counting any dip. Better Bet: Dip celery or carrot sticks in hummus. You'll get a satisfying crunch with fewer calories and more nutrients.

Chocolate: Almost half of American women crave chocolate on a regular basis. There have been many theories to explain why, ranging from magnesium deficiency to mood swings. But one thing is certain: Downing a candy bar is a quick way to add a couple hundred extra calories to your day. Better Bet: Have a small square of high-cocoa dark chocolate. It has less fat than a typical candy bar and may be good for the heart.

Popcorn: Sometimes a setting can trigger a craving, like the desire for popcorn at the movies. Memory plays a big role in cravings -- you've enjoyed popcorn at the movies before, so you expect to again. Popcorn itself can be a healthy snack, but movie theaters tend to pop it in coconut oil and top it with buttery sauce. The result: 400 to 1,200 calories per tub! Better Bet: Skip the butter sauce.

Ballpark Food: If the game's not the same without a corndog, you may be prone to another example of setting-induced cravings. Just seeing or smelling the concession stands can make it tough to resist. But consider these numbers:

• 8 ounces of cheesy nachos - 900 calories
• 8-ounce bag of raw peanuts - 800 calories
• Corn dog on a stick - 400 calories

Better Bet: Corn on the cob with butter has about 150 calories.

Doughnuts: If you're dieting, doughnuts are like the forbidden fruit. That fact alone may be enough to trigger a craving. Research suggests that a yo-yo pattern of eating favorite foods one week and putting them off-limits the next can intensify cravings. If you are really having a craving, better to have just one bite than to put it off-limits completely. The trouble with doughnuts is they offer very little nutritional bang for the caloric buck. Better Bet: Whole-grain bagel with peanut butter.

Red Meat: Do you feel like a meal is not a meal unless it involves a big hunk of meat? The good news is you don't have to give up meat to achieve a healthy weight -- just be choosy about your cuts. A typical flank steak has about 700 calories (more if you don't trim the fat). Better Bet: One lean pork chop has 170 calories, so two chops have less than half the calories of a steak.

Pizza: Pizza is America's favorite food, according to an Oxfam survey. It does have some health benefits: A typical slice has 12 grams of protein and 2.5 grams of fiber.  But pizza also has about 280 calories a slice -- more if you add meat toppings – so the calories add up quickly. Better Bet: Make pizza at home with a whole-wheat crust and a sprinkling of reduced-fat cheese. Top with fresh tomato slices, broccoli, or other vegetables.

Pasta: Pasta ranks among the top five favorite foods in many countries. The trouble is most people eat white pasta, which is made with refined flour. White pasta has only a fifth the fiber of whole-grain pasta, which means it may take more to fill you up. Pasta sauces can be diet-killers, too. A large bowl of fettuccine Alfredo has 800 to 1,200 calories. Better Bet: Eat whole-grain pasta with a vegetable-based sauce.

French Fries: Want some fries with that? This salty side is hard to turn down when ordering at the drive-thru. But a large order of fries can have as many calories as a burger -- about 500 at a typical fast food restaurant. Better Bet: Opt for a side salad or fruit cup, if available. Or if you have willpower of steel, go ahead and order fries but limit yourself to five or six.

Nuts: Whether as a snack at home or party, it's easy to keep dipping your hand into the nut bowl, but all those handfuls add up. A cupful of roasted mixed nuts packs more than 800 calories. Better Bet: Stick to nuts with the shells on. Peeling them will slow you down.

Coffee: Coffee cravings may go beyond your typical food craving, thanks to the addictive powers of caffeine. You may feel you can't fully wake up without your morning dose. Fortunately, coffee has very few calories -- until you load it up with cream and sugary syrups. Large flavored lattes and mochas can have more than 400 calories. Better Bet: Opt for non-fat milk or soy milk and skip the flavors.

3:00 Snack Attack: If the snack machine always calls to you in the mid-afternoon, you may be experiencing a between-meals drop in blood sugar. Unfortunately, a pack of chocolate chip cookies is just a short-term fix, and a high-calorie one at that. Better Bet: Eat snacks that combine a protein with a whole grain, such as reduced-fat cheese on whole-wheat crackers. Healthy snacks can actually ward off food cravings and help you stick to your diet.

Nervous Nibbles: Do you find yourself reaching for the cookie jar before a visit from the in-laws or a presentation at work? Sometimes food cravings are not triggered by hunger but by unpleasant emotions, including stress and anxiety. This is called emotional eating, and if you do it regularly, it's likely to undermine your diet. Better Bet: Replace nibbling with stress management techniques -- take a vigorous walk, do yoga, or relax in a hot bath.

Bad Day Binge: Emotional eating is also common at the end of a bad day. You may use "comfort foods" to soothe feelings of anger or sadness. In extreme cases, emotional food cravings can lead to bingeing -- eating large amounts of food without stopping when you’re full. Better Bet: Look for emotional comfort outside the fridge. Phone a friend, listen to some favorite music, or write in a journal.

Control Cravings, Eat Snacks: If cravings mainly strike when you're hungry, try eating healthy snacks between meals. Carefully planning your snacks can help you keep hunger -- and cravings -- at bay. Portion control is vital -- each snack should be less than 200 calories. Good choices include yogurt with fresh fruit, a hard-boiled egg, a fruit smoothie, or peppers and bean dip.

Control Cravings, Take a Walk: You already know that exercise can help you lose weight by burning calories. But now there's evidence that brisk walking can help you eat fewer sweets. In a study published in the journal Appetite, participants who took a 15-minute walk were half as likely to eat chocolate at their desks compared with those who took a 15-minute rest.

Control Cravings, Low-Carb Diet: Putting favorite foods off-limits can make you crave them in the short-term, but the opposite may be true down the road. That's the conclusion of a study in the journal Obesity. After sticking to a low-carb diet for two years, a group of overweight adults craved carbohydrates and starchy foods less. A second group following a low-fat diet reported fewer cravings for fatty foods.

Control Cravings, Indulge a Little: A taste in time saves nine! Resisting sweets when you're at a party can be tough. Rather than depriving yourself until you cave, try indulging in a small serving of the desired food. You may find that just a taste will satisfy your craving.

Reviewed by Hansa D. Bhargava, MD on April 20, 2012

SOURCES: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: "Chocolate, Anyone?" "Health Tips for Holiday Eating," "Healthy Snacking in a Nutshell," "Nutrition Myth: Snacking Equals Diet Disaster."
Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream: "Our Flavors – Vanilla."
Bruinsma, K. and Taren, D.L. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, October 1999, vol. 99 (10): 1249-56.
Calorie King: "Nathan's Corn Dog on a Stick."
Center for Science in the Public Interest: Nutrition Action Healthletter, May 2006.
Edy's Slow Churned: "Flavor Details – Vanilla."
Hormes, J.M. and Timko, C.A. Appetite, August, 2011, vol. 57(1): 1-5.
Martin, C. et. al. Obesity, October 2011, vol. 19: 1963-1970.
McDonald's: "USA Nutrition Facts for Popular Menu Items."
MedicineNet: "Is Caffeine Addictive?"
MedlinePlus: "Want to Cut Chocolate Cravings? Take a Walk." Nemours Foundation: "Emotional Eating."
News release, Center for Science in the Public Interest. Olive Garden: "Nutrition."
Oxfam: "GROW Campaign 2011 Global Opinion Research."
Pelchat, M.The Journal of Nutrition, January 2009, vol. 139: 3, 620-22.
Snickers Ingredients.
Starbucks: "Explore Our Menu."
USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference.

Much Love, Dr.Shermaine #InformativeRead #PleaseShare #HealthyBodySoulAndSpirit #IWantYou2Live

The Goal is to Always Make You Aware of What Concerns Your Body, Soul and Spirit, So You Can Have Open, Honest and Frequent Discussions With Your Physicians and Counselors. You Can’t Treat or Cure What You Don’t Know is Sick.

"It's Not Selfish to Love Yourself, Take Care of Yourself and to Make Your Happiness a Priority. It's a Necessity." (Mandy Hale)
"Self-Care is Not Selfish. You Cannot Serve From an Empty Vessel." (Eleanor Brown)
The contents of the WebMD and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites, such as text, graphics, images, and other material contained on the WebMD and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites ("Content") are for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the WebMD and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites!

If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately. WebMD and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine does not recommend or endorse any specific tests, physicians, products, procedures, opinions, or other information that may be mentioned on the Sites. Reliance on any information provided by WebMD, WebMD employees, others appearing on the Site at the invitation of WebMD, and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine or other visitors to the Sites is solely at your own risk.