When a two-year-old baby has a pale and listless complexion, it is necessary to take the baby for trace element testing. Pale complexion is mostly caused by anemia. Mothers can observe whether their baby's lips, eyelids, and palms are pale. Once iron deficiency occurs, it can easily lead to insufficient oxygen supply, which in turn affects the body's immune system. So, what should a two-year-old baby do if they lack iron?
1. Eat more foods rich in iron
There are two forms of iron in food: non heme iron and heme iron. Non heme iron mainly exists in plant-based foods, and due to interference from other food components, its absorption rate is extremely low. The absorption rate of iron in rice flour is only 1% to 3%. Heme mainly exists in animal based foods and is not affected by other food components. Its absorption rate is relatively high, such as the absorption rate of iron in the liver reaching 10% to 20%.
2. Eat more foods that promote iron absorption
Vitamin C can promote the absorption of iron. Vitamin C is a strong reducing agent that can convert iron in food into absorbable ferrous. Fruits and vegetables such as kiwi, citrus, orange, and tomato are all rich in vitamin C.
3. Eating fortified foods
In milk powder, Rice noodles and soybean milk, many of them are specially added with iron. The food label of "iron" fortified food has special instructions, so you can choose the right one. There are currently two types of fortified foods on the market. One is fortified according to the national standard for baby food, containing 6-10 milligrams of iron per 100 grams; Another special type of iron fortified food contains up to 40 milligrams of iron per 100 grams, which is not suitable for infants to consume.
4. Cooking food with iron pots, shovels, etc
Boiling food in an iron pot can allow the iron powder that falls off the pot to combine with the food, increasing iron intake.
5. Do not over supplement iron
Excessive intake can easily cause iron poisoning, which may directly corrode the gastrointestinal mucosa, leading to symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, black stool, abdominal pain, and gastroenteritis. Excess can also easily cause the metabolism of trace elements such as iron, zinc, and copper to lose balance in the body.
