Who ate what in the iron stakes

Average daily iron intake over the week – 11.58mg (the recommended amount is 14.8mg a day).

Eleanor’s main source of iron throughout the week came from her breakfast where she had either fortified cereal or toast.

However, as part of her breakfast, she also often had a cup of tea, which may have decreased the amount of iron her body actually absorbed. Ideally, Eleanor should wait half an hour after her breakfast before she has her morning cup of tea. Including more foods in her meals that are rich in vitamin C, such as tomatoes, peppers or citrus fruits, could also help Eleanor to absorb more iron.

Eleanor said: ‘I did know it was important to include iron in my diet but I’ve never really thought about how much I might be getting or what foods might be rich in iron. I definitely didn’t know that the cup of tea I have every morning would affect my iron levels. I also didn’t know that boosting my vitamin C levels would help.’

Average daily iron intake over the week – 9.27mg (the recommended amount is 14.8mg a day).

Throughout the week nearly a third of Susannah’s iron came from white bread, which she had as toast most mornings.

Other sources of iron were the three portions of beef she consumed and the apple juice she drank most days. Susannah could increase her iron intake by eating more iron-rich meats, such as lamb or beef, plus green leafy vegetables. Substituting wholemeal bread for the white bread would also help boost her iron levels.

Susannah said: ‘When I feel tired or run down I wouldn’t normally think about whether how much iron there is in the food that I’m eating has affected my energy levels. Swapping wholemeal bread for the white bread that I normally eat sounds like an easy way to boost my iron intake. I will also make more of an effort to eat more vegetables and foods that are rich in vitamin C, in the future.’

Average daily iron intake over the week – 9.36mg (the recommended amount is 14.8mg a day).

As a personal trainer, Olivia leads an active lifestyle and consciously tries to include a good number of fruit, vegetables and nuts in her daily diet, many of which are high in iron or rich in vitamin C.

However, her iron intake was still below the recommended daily intake of 14.8mg. Her main source of iron during the week was beef. To increase her iron levels, Olivia could include more red meat and wholemeal bread as part of her lunch or dinner, add a fortified breakfast cereal or poached egg to her breakfast, and have some dried fruit, such as apricots or raisins, after meals.

Olivia said: ‘I do try to eat healthily but I’ve never really thought about how much iron I’m getting and how it might affect my energy levels. Every day I try to eat lots of fruit and veg but in the future I will try to include more fish or meat in my diet. I didn’t realise that dried fruit could help boost my iron levels – they’re an easy snack to eat when I’m on the go so I will definitely try to eat more of them.’

Average daily iron intake over the week – 21.77mg (the recommended amount is 14.8mg a day).

Leah was the only one of our case studies to meet the recommended iron intake.

Her main source of iron during the week was the fortified breakfast cereal she ate every morning. She also got iron from the baked beans she had as part of her dinner a couple of times during the week and from the bread she ate as toast. But even though her diet includes quite a lot of iron, she may not be absorbing it very well, because of the tea she has with her breakfast and also because she eats very little fruit and veg.

Leah should wait for half an hour after her breakfast before drinking tea and should ideally drink a glass of orange juice at the same time as eating her cereal to boost her iron absorption. Leah only had five portions of fruit and veg in the week. We should all aim to eat at least five portions of a variety of fruit and veg every single day. Leah should definitely try to eat more fruit and veg, not just to help her absorb the iron in the food she eats, but also to gain all the other essential nutrients that fruit and veg contain.

Leah said: 'Since doing this food study I have realised how important iron is in your diet and now understand that different foods help you absorb iron better than others, like how having a glass of orange will increase my iron intake instead of having a cup of tea, which will decrease my iron intake. I have now started to eat more fruit and vegetables in my diet and I am hoping this will improve my health, fitness and energy levels.'