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Lowering LDL cholesterol is not about avoiding all fat, but about choosing the right type of fat and increasing your intake of fiber-rich foods. The most effective dietary changes are to reduce saturated fat from, for example, butter, cream, fatty cheeses and meat products, and instead choose unsaturated fats from olive oil, rapeseed oil, nuts, avocados and fatty fish. Soluble fiber from oats, barley, legumes, fruit and psyllium can help lower LDL by reducing the body's reabsorption of cholesterol. Plant sterols and plant stanols can provide additional LDL-lowering effects as a complement to a healthy diet. A dietary pattern similar to the Mediterranean diet, with a focus on vegetables, whole grains, legumes, fish and healthy fats, has strong support for both lower LDL levels and a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. In the case of very high LDL values or high cardiovascular risk, dietary changes may need to be combined with drug treatment.
Signs of iron deficiency are often first noticed in everyday life. You have less energy to exercise, become unusually tired after work or notice that you lose focus in situations that were previously easy. Many interpret this as stress, lack of sleep or an intense period in life, but sometimes the explanation is that the body's iron stores have started to run out.
Signs of iron deficiency - and foods that help you get more iron
8 common signs of iron deficiency
Iron is needed for the body to form hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that transports oxygen. When iron is not enough, the body's ability to oxygenate tissues effectively decreases, and symptoms often come on insidiously.
Common signs of iron deficiency are:
fatigue and decreased energy
shortness of breath on exertion
pallor
heart palpitations
headache
difficulty concentrating
dizziness
cold hands and feet
Iron deficiency can also cause more specific problems. Some people experience brittle nails, a sore or burning tongue, cracks in the corners of the mouth or an unusual craving for things that are not food, such as ice. Restless legs can also sometimes be associated with low iron stores.
It is also common for iron deficiency to cause symptoms before the blood count has had time to become clearly low. You can therefore feel tired and lack energy even though you have not yet developed a pronounced anemia.
Why do people get iron deficiency?
Iron deficiency occurs when the body loses more iron than it can absorb. In people who menstruate, heavy bleeding is a common cause. Pregnancy also increases the need, as both blood volume and the fetus's needs increase.
Other common causes are low iron intake, a one-sided diet or the body having difficulty absorbing iron from the intestine. Bleeding from the gastrointestinal tract can also be the cause, especially in adults who do not menstruate or when iron deficiency recurs without a clear explanation.
This is relevant for occupational health because iron deficiency not only affects the individual's well-being, but also work capacity, recovery and concentration. An employee with long-term fatigue may have a treatable deficiency rather than a pure stress problem. This is one of the reasons why blood counts and iron status are often valuable in preventive health checks.
Foods with iron - what should you eat if you have iron deficiency?
There are two forms of iron in food: heme iron and non-heme iron. Heme iron is found in animal foods and is more easily absorbed by the body. Non-heme iron is mainly found in plant foods and is more affected by what you eat at the same time.
Good sources of iron are:
blood and offal foods, such as black pudding and liver pâté
meat and seafood
eggs
legumes such as lentils, beans and chickpeas
whole grains
nuts and seeds
dried fruit
For those who eat mostly vegetarian food, it is absolutely possible to get iron, but it requires a little more planning. Legumes, whole grains, seeds and nuts can contribute a lot, but since absorption is lower, the overall composition of the meal becomes extra important.
In practice, small adjustments can make a difference. Oatmeal porridge with pumpkin seeds and berries, lentil stew with peppers or wholemeal bread with liver pâté and fruit are examples of meals where the iron content is improved or absorption is promoted.
How to increase the body's absorption of iron
The body's absorption of iron is relatively low, but it can be influenced. Vitamin C helps the body absorb non-heme iron, i.e. the form found in plant-based foods. That's why it works well to combine iron-rich foods with, for example, peppers, citrus fruits, kiwi, berries or potatoes.
Fish and meat can also improve the absorption of iron from the rest of the meal. This means that a meal with, for example, beans and a little meat can provide better iron absorption than beans alone.
At the same time, there are things that inhibit absorption. Tea, coffee and some herbal teas contain polyphenols that can reduce iron absorption, and phytic acid in cereals, legumes and nuts can also slow down absorption. This does not mean that these foods are bad, but that the timing and combination matter. Drinking coffee or tea between meals instead of directly with food can be a simple measure for iron deficiency.
Certain food preparation can also help. Fermentation, sprouting and fermentation can reduce the amount of phytic acid and thus improve mineral absorption. Sourdough bread and sprouted legumes can therefore be practical choices for those who want to optimize their iron intake from a plant-based diet.
When should you check your iron levels?
Symptoms are not enough to make a diagnosis. Fatigue, shortness of breath and difficulty concentrating can also be due to lack of sleep, thyroid disorders, vitamin deficiencies, infection, stress or other forms of anemia. Therefore, iron deficiency needs to be confirmed with a test.
When investigating, hemoglobin and ferritin are often looked at. Hemoglobin shows whether you have anemia, while ferritin reflects the body's iron stores. The values must be interpreted in context, as ferritin can rise during infection or inflammation and then appear normal even though the iron stores are actually low. Ferritin is an important marker of the body's iron stores, but the value can be affected by infections and inflammation. Therefore, the results always need to be interpreted based on the entire health picture.
You should consider testing if you have long-term fatigue, become short of breath more easily than before, have heavy periods, are pregnant, exercise hard or eat a diet where iron intake is at risk of being low. Testing is also wise if you have recurrent blood donations or if you have previously had iron deficiency.
If iron deficiency is confirmed, dietary changes are not always sufficient as the only treatment. If iron deficiency is confirmed, dietary changes are not always sufficient to restore the body's iron stores. In many cases, iron supplements or other treatment are needed. It is also important to find out the cause of the deficiency, especially if it is pronounced, recurring or occurs without any clear explanation.
Iron deficiency often develops slowly, which is why it is easy to get used to. What feels like a “normal” low energy level may actually be a measurable condition that can be monitored and treated. A blood test makes the difference between guessing and answering.
