A while ago, a brand launched a snack gift package for men and women, and played the slogan "Gender is different, of course snacks must be different".
Among them, the girls' gift pack includes eight vegetarian dishes such as macadamia nuts, dried mangoes, and potato chips, while the boys' gift pack includes eight kinds of meat, including beef, pork, and duck neck.
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After the product was launched, it caused a lot of doubts: the girls' version is all sugar and starch, and the boys are more meat and soy products.
This design has been criticized by many nutritionists.
From a nutritional point of view, girls should actually eat more meat, "red meat" is an important source of iron.
Women need more iron than men
Usually, many women always have many "incurable diseases" that cannot be answered, some are small problems, and some are very troublesome, and they always feel that this may be "common problems of girls", such as:
- Cold hands and feet
- Headache and feeling lightheaded
- Extreme fatigue, weakness
- The skin, mucous membranes of the lips are pale, and the nails become brittle
- Chest pain, rapid heartbeat, and shortness of breath
These symptoms are likely to be related to one problem - iron deficiency anemia.
Relatively speaking, women are indeed prone to iron deficiency, and iron is one of the few nutrients that women need much more than men.
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This is related to the physiological state and needs of women.
(1) Menstruation leads to increased iron loss
Studies have shown that healthy women with normal menstruation lose an average of 1mg of iron per menstrual cycle[7], which needs to be compensated for by diet.
(2) During the special period of motherhood, the demand for iron increases
During pregnancy, the blood volume and red blood cells of pregnant women gradually increase, and the growth of fetal and placental tissues requires iron, so it is especially necessary to increase iron intake in the second and third trimesters. Breastfeeding mothers have a higher need for iron to provide their babies with the iron they need.
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In order to maintain the normal functioning of the body, the intake and consumption of various nutrients must be balanced, and the same is true for iron.
However, for most women of childbearing age, they may not eat enough iron at ordinary times, and menstruation and childbirth will increase iron consumption, and "iron deficiency" has become a common problem and even a global common challenge:
In 2019, the global prevalence of anaemia among women of childbearing age was 29.9%: 36.5% for pregnant women and 29.6% for non-pregnant women of childbearing age.
Judging from the data, the iron deficiency situation of Chinese women is also not optimistic.
In 2004, a national survey of 3591 pregnant women in 26 cities and counties in mainland China showed that the proportion of iron deficiency (iron deficiency anemia + iron reduction) in women of childbearing age (20~29 years old) and pregnant women was 49.5% and 61.7%, respectively, and about 50% of young women may be at risk of insufficient iron intake.
Behind the iron deficiency problem, "not eating enough" is very important.
The meat is not eaten heavy enough
Make iron deficiency in women more serious
Iron is one of the essential micronutrients in the human body, and insufficient iron intake will affect oxygen transport, and it will be difficult to ensure energy and state.
Meat is the main source of iron in the daily diet. For example, organ meats, animal blood and red meat (pork, beef, lamb) are not only in excellent content but also have a high absorption rate.
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The dietary guidelines recommend that 120~200g of animal food be consumed throughout the day, a whole egg should be removed, and a total of 80~150g of poultry meat and aquatic products should be eaten.
However, in practice, it is too difficult to achieve the recommended amount of dietary guidelines, which exacerbates the problem of iron deficiency in women:
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Eating and drinking can be difficult
Girls have less calories to eat every day, and the total amount of food they can eat every day is less than that of men, and it is difficult to eat more iron with less food. All kinds of snacks and unreasonable takeaways make the daily diet more unbalanced;
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Afraid of fat and afraid to eat meat
All kinds of meat are usually high in calories, and girls who need to lose weight will control their intake and tend to choose lower calorie foods such as vegetables, fruits, soy products, eggs, milk, fish and shrimp; And plant-based foods, even with iron, have a relatively low absorption rate;
With this diet, the amount of iron from food simply cannot meet daily needs.
Fortunately, in addition to iron deficiency caused by some special diseases, daily iron deficiency problems can be easily solved as long as you are aware of them:
Red meat and offal are good sources of iron, which are not only excellent in content but also highly absorbed, so it is important to pay attention to "eat more animal foods" and eat more meat.
Image source: giphy.com
Girls, eat more meat in moderation
Since iron deficiency is a health hazard and women are at high risk of iron deficiency, how do we assess our iron intake?
It is recommended that you review your diet and make a simple assessment of your eating habits, here are 6 questions that will help you easily determine if you are eating enough iron.
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If you find that you do have an iron deficiency in your daily diet, start adjusting it today.
Meat is the best source of iron, and it is recommended that girls eat enough 80~150 grams of meat per day according to the recommendations of the dietary guidelines: there is some meat at every meal, and at least one meal is red meat at the palm size of each meal.
If your daily diet really doesn't meet your needs, consider taking an extra supplement.
Note that iron is the only nutrient that adult women need more than men, and eating meat well is an important and long-term task for girls.
The life of eating meat is a lot of fun.
This article is a collaboration with experts
This article is reviewed by experts
bibliography
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[7] Napolitano M , Dolce A , Celenza G , et al. Iron-dependent erythropoiesis in women with excessive menstrual blood losses and women with normal menses. [J]. Annals of Hematology, 2014, 93(4):557-63.
[8] Qi Weiwei, Shao Zonghong. Interpretation of Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Iron Deficiency and Iron Deficiency Anemia in Pregnancy[J]. Chinese Journal of Practical Internal Medicine, 2014, 35(2):136-138.
[9] Mao Yu, Chen Bo, Gu Ning. R&D status and development trend of oral iron supplements[J]. Pharmaceutical Research, 2017, 36(11):6.
[10] Benson CS, Shah A, Stanworth SJ, Frise CJ, Spiby H, Lax SJ, Murray J, Klein AA. The effect of iron deficiency and anaemia on women's health. Anaesthesia. 2021 Apr; 76 Suppl 4:84-95. doi: 10.1111/anae.15405. PMID: 33682105.
[11] WHO Global Anaemia estimates, 2021 Edition
[12] Iron deficiency anemia - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic
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