We need this essential trace element - our body cannot produce it itself, we have to get it from food. Iron is needed to form hemoglobin. This is a component of red blood cells. With the help of haemoglobin, the blood cells transport oxygen from the lungs to the cells, where it is converted into energy. If we have an iron deficiency, we therefore become listless and tired over time and suffer from poor concentration. The first signs are brittle hair and fingernails, dry skin, pallor and cracked corners of the mouth.
The immune system suffers
The body loses one to two milligrams of iron a day. The body can compensate for a deficiency over a certain period of time, but when the stores are empty, things get serious: anaemia develops, the immune system no longer functions properly, and extreme tiredness and fatigue set in.
Better to avoid coffee and cola
Meat and liver sausage in particular contain iron, as do pulses, beet, broccoli and oats. Vitamin C helps to break down the iron in the intestine: drink a glass of orange juice with your meal or drizzle lemon over meat. Tannin from tea or coffee and phosphates in cola and soft drinks inhibit absorption.