IRON IN PREGNANCY Are you getting enough? - enough? - BEEF + LAMB NEW ZEALAND
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IRON IN
IRON IN
PREGNANCY
PREGNANCY
Are you getting
Are enough?
you getting
enough?
recipes.co.nz
Why do pregnant women need
the most iron?
Women are particularly vulnerable to iron deficiency and anaemia How can I get enough
during pregnancy. This is because the body must undergo dramatic Signs & Symptoms iron during pregnancy?
changes to support the growth of a healthy baby. Iron is needed to
grow a healthy placenta which is how the baby receives its nutrients. Iron is needed for many The most common cause of anaemia
It is also needed to make extra red blood cells to deliver oxygen to the functions in the body and low in pregnancy is insufficient dietary
mother’s tissues and the baby. iron can greatly impact the iron. The best way to prevent iron
way you feel. deficiency anaemia is a healthy,
iron-rich diet. However, if a woman
If you have low iron levels, enters pregnancy with low iron stores
Because iron requirements
FACT Did you know you have you may: she may not be able to meet the
increase markedly during
around 30% more blood in pregnancy, it’s very important increased iron requirements from
your body while pregnant? • Feel fatigued and diet alone. These women may be
women enter pregnancy
This extra blood and the lethargic prescribed oral iron supplements
with plenty of iron stores.
increasing demands from the • Become easily irritated from their LMC or doctor.
If a woman has low iron stores,
growing baby and placenta • Look pale or washed out
or low levels of iron in her blood,
• Have heart palpitations Everyone benefits from eating a he
requires more iron than usual. it can be very easy for her to
(the feeling of your heart althy, well-balanced diet.
become iron deficient or develop
beating abnormally
anaemia during pregnancy.
Iron is an essential mineral needed fast or with an irregular A healthy eating pattern includes
for good health and is found in rhythm) food from the following food groups
One in 14 New Zealand women
every cell in the body. It’s needed • Feel dizzy each day:
are low in iron and many
to make haemoglobin which • Be unable to catch your
experience issues with anaemia
transports oxygen around the breath or feel breathless • Fruit (at least 2 serves) and
during pregnancy. • Feel run down and more
body in our blood. Iron is also vegetables (at least 5 serves)
important for heat and energy prone to colds and with a variety of colours
production, plays a role in the FACT Iron is needed for a infections • Legumes, nuts, seeds, fish and
immune system and is essential for healthy immune system. You • Feel light headed or other seafood, eggs, poultry or
brain development and function. are more prone to infection if experience headaches red meat with fat removed at
your iron stores are low. least 3.5 serves
It is not uncommon to feel • Grain foods at least 8.5 serves
tired or lack energy when • Milk and milk products at least
pregnant, so it can be hard 2.5 serves
Daily Iron Requirement for Women to know if it is normal or a
FACT
symptom of iron deficiency.
During
You should always talk with
pregnancy
your lead maternity carer FACT To get enough iron each
you need
(LMC) or doctor if you day, you should eat a variety
more iron
are concerned. of foods from each of the four
than at any
food groups.
other time
in your life.
19-50 years Pregnant Breastfeeding
18mg 27mg 9-10mg
2 3
Iron: where is it? For top iron intake: Iron deficiency during
All women in New Zealand are
pregnancy offered antenatal blood tests at
While iron is found in a number • Eat regular iron-rich
their first appointment with an
of foods, some are better sources foods rather than one
All women have an increased risk LMC or doctor and this is when
of iron than others. There are two iron-rich meal per day.
of iron deficiency anaemia over the full blood count is tested.
types of iron: haem and non-haem. Small but frequent
the course of their pregnancy. This includes haemoglobin,
consumption is better.
Risk factors include gestational platelet levels and white cells.
• Haem iron is found in animal • Drink tea and coffee
diabetes, teenage pregnancy, a Haemoglobin determines how
foods such as beef, lamb, between meals rather
poor diet, twins, smoking and much iron is in your blood. A
liver/kidney*, poultry, pork, than with your meal as
some chronic diseases. Women normal haemoglobin level means
venison, fish and seafood. these beverages decrease
who have been iron deficient you have healthy amounts of iron
• Non-haem iron is found in iron absorption.
in the past or those who have in your blood, but it does not
beans, lentils, eggs, nuts, • Avoid having dairy
low iron stores before becoming describe your iron stores.
dried fruit, vegetables and products with iron-rich
pregnant are also at risk.
iron-fortified cereals. foods as calcium inhibits
Ferritin is an iron-storing
iron absorption.
Iron deficiency and anaemia have protein and can be thought
The body absorbs haem iron • Choose an iron-fortified
been associated with postnatal of as having savings in the
more easily, with up to a quarter breakfast cereal.
depression, increased likelihood of bank. To determine your
being used. Non-haem iron is • Eat citrus fruit,
blood transfusion, increased risk iron stores, you will need to
poorly absorbed and is inhibited strawberries or kiwifruit
of infection and difficulties with have ferritin tested as well.
by several dietary factors such as straight after your meal
bonding and breastfeeding. Severe This is not routinely tested in
tea and coffee, calcium and phytic or add lemon juice to
anaemia is also linked to low birth early pregnancy so if you are
acid found in whole grains and greens/salads to increase
weight and preterm birth. at an increased risk of iron
beans. You should aim to eat both non-haem iron absorption.
deficiency, or have signs and
haem and non-haem iron foods • Add brightly coloured
symptoms, ask your LMC to
regularly for an iron-rich diet. vegetables to your TIP You might think feeling
check iron stores as well.
meals to help increase run down or tired during
* Limit liver/kidney to 100g a week iron absorption. Brightly pregnancy is due to leading Good nutrition is an important
and avoid pâté. coloured vegetables are a a busy lifestyle, but both preventative measure, but not
good source of vitamin C. are common symptoms of an effective form of treatment
iron deficiency. Talk to your for iron deficiency anaemia.
Lead Maternity Carer or Maintaining healthy iron stores
doctor if you are feeling run before pregnancy and in the early
down or tired. stages of pregnancy is important
Recipe is
to prevent iron deficiency in the
on page 18
second and third trimesters.
MAXIMISE IRON
IN YOUR MEALS
Combine red meat
with plant foods high
in non-haem iron and
vitamin C to increase
iron absorption.
4 5
Your baby Why eat red meat
during pregnancy?
FACT Your baby’s iron status at
birth largely depends on your Including lean meat in your diet
iron status during pregnancy. can have a positive impact on
your iron status. Lean red meat is
not only a good source of easily
absorbed iron; it also contains
The most iron is transferred to the
something called a “meat factor”
baby in the third trimester. During
which helps to enhance iron
this time, a baby is laying down
absorption from non-haem
their iron stores and these stores
iron-sourced foods.
must last from when they are
born until they are introduced to
Adding a moderate amount of
complementary foods at around
lean red meat to vegetable or
6 months.
grain-based recipes can greatly
increase the amount of iron
Low birth weight babies born
absorbed from the meal.
preterm are particularly vulnerable
to iron deficiency as they have not
Lean red meat is a good source of
been able to build adequate iron
complete protein and provides all
stores to last until they are around
the essential amino acids needed
6 months.
for growth and repair.
Iron is transferred from you to your
Lean red meat, such as beef and
baby via the placenta with your
lamb are also are also excellent
baby taking priority. This means
sources of essential minerals
even if you have low iron levels,
such as zinc, selenium and the B
your baby should receive adequate
vitamins which are all needed in
amounts of iron. Women who are
higher amounts during pregnancy.
iron deficient or anaemic may not
Selenium acts as an antioxidant to
be able to provide enough iron to
protect the body against damage.
the baby.
Both zinc and selenium help keep
our immune system healthy.
TIP Maintaining an iron-rich Iron for Vegetarians & Vegans
diet throughout pregnancy
helps build your own and TIP Women need more Pregnant women who follow strict vegetarian or vegan diets
baby’s iron stores to help give protein during pregnancy may need extra support and information to ensure they meet
them the best start in life. and including lean red meat their dietary requirements for iron along with protein, vitamin
is a suitable way to meet B12 and calcium. Dietary recommendations are included in
higher needs. the Ministry of Health’s Eating & Activity Guidelines for New
Zealand Adults (2020), and where necessary seek the advice
of a Registered Dietitian or Registered Nutritionist.
6 7
Iron-rich recipes to enjoy
during your pregnancy
Beef Nachos with METHOD 10.5mg
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Avocado Salsa IRON
Prep: 15 mins
Nachos per serve
Heat a little oil in a large frying pan
Cook: 35 mins
over a high heat. Fry the mince in
Serves 4
two batches to brown, drain off the
fat and set the aside.
INGREDIENTS
Nachos
Reduce the heat to medium and
500-600g Quality Mark
add the onion and garlic, stirring
beef mince
for 5 minutes until soft. Add the
1 onion, finely chopped
drained mince back to the pan
3 cloves garlic, crushed
along with the spices, tomatoes,
2 teaspoons mild smoked paprika
beans, stock, capsicum and sugar.
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Simmer until reduced to a thick
¼ teaspoon chilli powder
sauce (around 20-30 minutes).
(optional)
Taste and season.
400g can chopped tomatoes
400g can red kidney beans,
Brush the wraps lightly with oil,
drained
sprinkle with a pinch of salt and
2 cups beef stock
place on oven trays. Bake in the
1 cup roasted red capsicum, sliced
oven for about 10 minutes or until
1 teaspoon brown sugar
crisp, turning over once. Break
3 - 4 wholemeal wraps
them into big chips.
Salsa
Salsa
1 large ripe avocado, diced
Combine the ingredients gently
1 cucumber, deseeded, diced
in a bowl just before serving and
½ cup fresh coriander, chopped
season.
Juice of 1 lime
To serve
To serve
Place chips onto plates and top
Sour cream
with the mince. Add a spoonful of
Fresh coriander
salsa, a dollop of sour cream and
fresh coriander.
TIP Vitamin C helps
increase absorption of
non-haem iron found in
plant foods. The capsicum
and tomatoes have vitamin
C and will help with
non-haem iron absorption
from the kidney beans.
8 9
TIP To keep your digestive
system moving along
normally, try to eat more
whole grains. To get more
Indian-spiced Lamb METHOD fibre in this meal, swap out 6.3mg
Preheat the oven to 150°C. the white rice for brown.
& Chickpea Curry Drinking plenty of water and IRON
Prep: 15 mins
Lamb keeping active also helps. per serve
Heat a dash of oil in a large frying
Cook: 3 hours pan over a high heat. Season the
Serves 4-5 lamb and brown on both sides
(this is best done in batches). Set
INGREDIENTS the chops aside. Reduce the heat
1kg Quality Mark lamb shoulder to medium and add the butter
chops and another dash of oil to the
2 tablespoons butter same pan. Add the onion, garlic
1 onion, finely chopped and ginger and cook, stirring, for
2 cloves garlic, crushed about 5 minutes until the onion is
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, soft. Add the spices and cayenne
finely chopped pepper and cook for another few
1 tablespoon each garam masala, minutes, stirring all the time so the
turmeric, ground cumin, spices don’t stick and burn.
ground coriander, curry powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper Add the stock to the pan, bring
1 cup chicken stock to the boil then immediately turn
400g can chopped tomatoes off the heat. Stir in the tomatoes,
400g can chickpeas, drained chickpeas, lemon juice, yoghurt
and rinsed and the lamb and its juices. Taste
Juice of 1 large lemon and season as required. If your
½ cup natural unsweetened pan is oven proof, cover tightly
yoghurt and cook in the oven for 3 hours
or transfer everything to a covered
To serve casserole dish.
Natural unsweetened yoghurt
Fresh coriander, chopped To serve
Steamed rice and warmed Before serving, you can remove
naan bread the meat from the bones if you
like so it’s easier to eat. Serve the
curry with steamed rice, a dollop
of unsweetened yoghurt, fresh
coriander and hot crispy naan
bread.
10 11
Asian inspired Beef METHOD 4.7mg
Heat a dash of oil in a wok or large
with Greens frying pan over a high heat. When IRON
the pan is very hot, add the beef per serve
Prep: 10 mins and sear quickly to brown (do
Cook: 10 mins this in two batches to get a nice
Serves 4-6 dark colour and avoid the meat
stewing). Set the beef aside.
INGREDIENTS Reduce the heat to medium,
600g-700g Quality Mark beef add the sesame oil, chilli, garlic
rump steak, trimmed and and ginger and stir-fry for a few
thinly sliced minutes. Add the hoisin sauce, soy
1 teaspoon sesame oil sauce and stock/cornflour mixture
1 red chilli, deseeded, and simmer for a few minutes until
finely chopped thickened. Turn the heat to high,
3 cloves garlic, crushed add all the vegetables into the pan
2 teaspoons ginger, finely grated with the meat and its juices and
¼ cup hoisin sauce stir-fry for another few minutes
¼ cup reduced salt soy sauce until the vegetables are bright
2 teaspoons cornflour mixed green and just tender.
with ½ cup beef stock
3 cups chopped green vegetables To serve
(Asian greens, broccoli, Serve immediately on brown
cabbage, spinach, celery etc.) rice with a sprinkle of peanuts,
coriander and chillies.
To serve
Cooked brown rice
½ cup roasted peanuts,
roughly chopped
Fresh coriander
Extra chopped chillies (optional)
TIP Including ‘bitter’ vegetables such as
spinach, broccoli, pūhā, rocket, watercress
and taro leaf during pregnancy and
breastfeeding not only provides important
nutrients such as folate and vitamin C, it
can also improve your child’s acceptance
of vegetables in early childhood.
12 13
Polpettone METHOD 7.2mg
Preheat the oven to 220°C.
Prep: 15 mins IRON
Cook: 25 mins Beef per serve
Serves 4 Lightly oil a deep baking dish or
skillet (one that will fit 8 meatballs
INGREDIENTS comfortably in a single layer). Mix
Beef meatballs all meatball ingredients together
500g Quality Mark beef mince well, then shape into 8 meatballs
1 cup fresh white breadcrumbs and place in prepared baking dish.
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 egg, lightly beaten Tomato sauce
3 tablespoons milk Place a dash of oil in a heavy
1½ teaspoons Worcestershire based saucepan, over a low heat,
sauce and add the onion and garlic.
1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs Cook until the onion is soft, about
10 minutes. Add tomatoes, stock,
Tomato Sauce tomato paste, sugar, bay leaf
1 onion, finely chopped and season well. Simmer for 10
2 cloves garlic, sliced minutes to allow all the flavours to
400g can chopped tomatoes mingle and the liquid to reduce a
in juice little. Remove from the heat, cool
1½ - 2 cups vegetable stock for about 5 minutes, remove the
1 tablespoon tomato paste bay leaf, then process in a food
1 teaspoon sugar processor until you have a
1 bay leaf smooth sauce.
To serve Beef
1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan Pour sauce over the meatballs
½ cup roughly chopped and cook in oven for 25 minutes
parsley leaves turning meatballs once after
15 minutes.
To serve
Serve hot sprinkled with the
Parmesan and chopped parsley.
TIP Cook once, eat twice.
This recipe is perfect to
double up and pop in the
freezer for those nights
when you’re too tired to
cook. Serve with some
steamed greens and your
favourite pasta.
14 15
Lamb Chops with METHOD 6.2mg
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Spinach & Pea Risotto IRON
Prep: 20 mins
Lamb per serve
Line a shallow roasting dish with
Cook: 25 mins baking paper. Beat the egg in a
Serves 4 shallow bowl and season. Place
the flour on one plate and the
INGREDIENTS breadcrumbs on another. Place one
Lamb chop in the flour, dusting off excess,
4 Quality Mark lamb loin chops then dip in the egg and finally the
1 egg breadcrumbs, pressing them on so
¼ cup flour the chop is well coated. Place in the
½ cup fine dried breadcrumbs roasting dish. Repeat with remaining
2 tablespoons oil chops. Drizzle with the oil, cover dish
with foil and place in the oven to cook
Spinach and pea risotto for 25 minutes. Remove the foil, turn
2 tablespoons oil chops over and return to the oven for
25g butter a further 5 minutes.
1 small onion, finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed Spinach and pea risotto
1½ cups risotto rice Heat the oil and butter in a heavy-
800ml - 1 litre chicken stock, hot based saucepan. Add the onion and
300g spinach leaves, wilted garlic and cook over a low heat until
and chopped they are soft but not coloured. Add
2 cups frozen green peas the rice and stir until the rice is well
Lemon for squeezing coated with oil.
A few mint leaves, torn
or shredded Add 1 cup of hot stock and stir. Allow
the stock to be almost completely
absorbed by the rice before adding
a further 1 cup of stock. Continue
adding stock and stirring frequently
until the rice is almost cooked, about
20 minutes. Season and add the
spinach and peas along with more
stock and cook until the rice is tender
and creamy, about 5 minutes. TIP Recent New Zealand
research found that
Serve risotto in shallow bowls 71% of women took iron
and top with a lamb loin chop. supplements during
Squeeze over some lemon juice pregnancy. Only take iron
and sprinkle with mint. supplements on the advice
of your LMC or doctor.
16 17
TIP Food safety is of the
utmost importance in
pregnancy. For advice
Nourishing Mexican METHOD and guidance on what 8.8mg
you can do to eat and
Beef Bowl Beef prepare food safely go to: IRON
Prep: 15 mins
Heat a dash of oil in a large heavy- https://www.mpi.govt.nz/ per serve
based saucepan over medium-high dmsdocument/3675-Food-
Cook: 20 mins
heat. Add the onion and cook Safety-in-Pregnancy
Serves 4
until translucent. Add garlic and
spices and cook until fragrant,
INGREDIENTS
approximately 30 seconds. Add
Beef
mince and brown, stirring to break
500g Quality Mark beef mince
up. Once the mince has browned
1 medium onion, finely chopped
add the tinned tomatoes, tomato
2 garlic cloves, crushed
paste and carrot. Stir through
1 carrot, grated
until well combined and bring to a
1 cup sweetcorn kernels, frozen,
gentle simmer. Lower the heat and
boiled, drained, no salt added
add the corn. Season to taste and
2 teaspoons cumin
leave to simmer for 15 minutes. You
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
can cover with a lid to prevent the
1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes (optional)
mixture drying out.
400g canned chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
To serve
Divide the mince into four serving
To Serve
bowls with the cooked brown rice
2 packets precooked brown rice
and quinoa mix (heated according
and quinoa
to the packet instructions),
250g cherry tomatoes, halved
chopped cherry tomatoes,
400g can black beans
black beans (rinsed under cold
1 yellow capsicum, sliced
water and drained), capsicum
1 avocado, mashed
and mashed avocado. Top with
1 red chilli, sliced (optional)
coriander and sliced red chilli, and
Corn chips
drizzle with chipotle mayo for an
Lime
extra flavour burst. Serve alongside
Fresh coriander
corn chips for dipping into the
Chipotle mayonnaise (optional)
mince and lime wedges for
extra flavour.
18 19BEEF + LAMB
NEW ZEALAND
The information in this booklet should not to be
taken as a substitute for medical advice from your
Lead Maternity Carer, Obstetrician or GP in relation
to specific symptoms or health concerns.
Updated June 2021
For more information about iron and health or for hundreds of
nutritious recipes the whole family will enjoy, visit
recipes.co.nz | 0800 733 466
@ nzbeeflamb @ beeflambnz @ beeflambnz
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