Your choice of meal-time drink may be doing you more harm than good. Everyday drinks such as tea, coffee and milk tend to interfere with your body's iron absorption.
Iron is vital for women. Over 40% of British women under thirty-four are at risk of iron deficiency anaemia. As a woman, you lose at least 50% more iron than a man due to menstruation.
The symptoms include tiredness, breathlessness, a pale complexion and increased susceptibility to infections and viruses. Sufferers often feel constantly tired, as less oxygen reaches the major organs.
Tea and coffee
Any caffeinated drink (including fizzy drinks) makes it harder for your body to absorb iron. Tea and coffee reduce iron absorption by over 50 %. Caffeinated drinks also affect the absorption of calcium and zinc.
Calcium is needed for healthy teeth and bones, blood clotting and muscle strength. A deficiency is shown by soft and brittle bones, osteoporosis, fractures, back pain and muscle weakness. Calcium can be found in foods such as dairy products, milk, yoghurt, salmon and sardines.
When to drink it
It is best to drink tea and coffee in moderation, but if you must drink it, make it at least an hour before or after a meal to stop it hindering the absorption of minerals such as iron, calcium and zinc.
Milk
Milk itself contains some iron, but not a lot. Essentially, it is the calcium and phosphates contained in milk and other dairy products which reduce iron absorption, and this is why you should avoid drinking milk with meals. Milky tea and coffee with your meal is best avoided too - since both milk and caffeinated drinks deplete iron reserves, it is not advised to combine the two at mealtimes!
When to drink it
As with caffeinated drinks, leave at least an hour before and after a meal containing iron. If the meal contains calcium but no iron, it is fine to drink milk with it to aid the calcium absorption.
Orange juice
Drinking any vitamin C drink at mealtimes will aid iron absorption. The ascorbic acid found in vitamin C promotes iron absorption. It is important that the iron and vitamin C are consumed together, so drink the orange juice whilst you are eating for optimum iron absorption. Vitamin C is an antioxidant, and is vital in keeping the immune system healthy.
As well as drinks, you could include foods with your meals that are rich in vitamin C. Add some fresh green salad, as leafy green vegetables are rich in iron, but the best bet is cauliflower as it can increase iron absorption by as much as three-fold.
When to drink it
With a meal
Alcohol
There's a good reason why the French drink wine with their meals - it helps iron absorption and contains some iron itself. Finally, a good excuse to get the wine in!
Generally speaking, alcohol is best avoided at mealtimes. It contains no vitamins or minerals itself, and over a long time period, it tends to deplete the body of most vitamins, especially the B vitamins. Alcohol causes vitamin B6 to be parted from its protective binding protein, thus destroying it. It directly hinders vitamin B12 absorption from the intestine into the blood.
When to drink it
With a meal (wine), or at least an hour after eating (all other alcohol).
