Iron and the Irish Jig

When the Irish dance group “Riverdance” first became popular I used to joke that I had the upper-body part of the dance down pat but needed to work on the intricate foot movements. Of course, holding your arms straight down by your side doesn’t require much talent, but the steps require both talent and energy. I bet you dollars to doughnuts that there wasn’t much sprightly dancing going on when the Irish were enduring the potato famine.

Well sure, you think, when a person doesn’t have enough to eat they don’t much feel like dancing. But there’s more to it than simply not having enough food…the kind of food makes a difference as well. Even if the Irish had had enough calories supplied by their blighted potatoes, one of the main nutrients necessary for “get-up-and-go” is iron…and potatoes just can’t cut it. Don’t get me wrong: potatoes are a wonderful food, full of complex carbs, potassium, and even vitamin C. They even have some iron, but unfortunately not enough and the wrong kind.

Let me clarify. When I say “the wrong kind”, it’s not so much that there are right and wrong types of iron, but rather that some kinds are very well absorbed and others are not. The sort of iron that’s found in red meat, for example, is called “heme” iron and it is very well absorbed. Plant and vegetable foods contain “non-heme” iron and its absorption rate is considerably lower. To make matters worse, some vegetables and grains contain substances that interfere with the little iron absorption that might occur and the body ends up getting almost none of it. Spinach is a good example of a food that contains a fair amount of iron but delivers hardly any. Like potatoes, spinach is a terrific food for a variety of reasons, but don’t count on it as a source of iron. The situation is somewhat improved if you have a good source of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) at the same time as you’re eating the spinach because that nutrient will increase absorption somewhat. That’s why it’s a good idea to put some tomatoes or orange segments in your spinach salad, since they’re excellent source of that vitamin.

But back to the Irish and their dancing. Most of those doing the energetic to-ing and fro-ing were young girls. And wouldn’t you know…they’re the ones who need the iron most. (That’s not entirely true—all women in their reproductive years, especially if they’re pregnant have high iron requirements). At any rate, a young woman with an iron deficiency is not likely to be doing much high-kicking! Skip ahead a few centuries and we find that many of today’s young women are flirting with iron deficiency as well and they have plenty to eat besides potatoes.

No, famine is not the problem, but life-style might well be. I’m not going to launch into a rant about vegetarianism here because, with appropriate supplements, a vegetarian can be well nourished. The problem is that many young girls who give up meat aren’t getting the appropriate supplements to satisfy their iron requirements. Another recent and interesting development is the increased consumption of tea. Certainly research has shown a number of positive aspects to tea drinking, but the fact is that the tannic acid in tea reduces the amount of iron absorbed from a meal. And tea has become very “cool”.
So just a word of caution. Young girls and women, whether they’re Irish or not, are particularly vulnerable to low iron intake and iron-deficiency anemia. This can lead to health problems such as apathy, exhaustion, impaired immune function, headache, delayed cognitive development and poor academic achievement. While liver is the very best dietary source of iron, it’s not a big seller these days. Next to liver comes red meat, then chicken and fish. Enriched cereals make a significant contribution as well, and anyone following Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating should be well served in the iron department. If you suspect that a young girl in your family isn’t getting sufficient iron and she isn’t willing to improve her diet, have a doctor do the appropriate tests before starting on supplements. Iron supplements can be tricky…best taken with some medical guidance.
Well-nourished young women make the best dancers!