Man of Iron

The moniker "Man of Steel" is legendary as it refers to Superman. The three-word phrase became the brand for the comic book hero who came to Earth from a dying world to defend every form of life.

Man of Iron?

Well, my 5-year-old grandson would validate the impact of Marvel films on the human knowledge base and immediately shout, "That's Tony Stark!" He would think I mean Iron Man.

Wrong. I refer to me. Despite the comic fiction, human blood is filled with iron, or it should be. That is what enables our bodies to "breathe." During the past three months I learned a little bit about why the boy might see more iron in the fictional Stark than me.

The many sorrowful gazes I gleaned from medical technicians during my long absence from this blog usually came with a simple, three-word utterance, "You are anemic." In short, the iron that should be in me is depleted. Perhaps the mineral is not completely gone in my system, but shot to such low levels that the people who know about health are given pause.

Welcome to the world of a Man of Iron whose blood finds the mineral a few pints low. I don't know enough about iron poor blood to take on the wary gaze. I experience the results - lack of energy, shortness of breath, headaches, dizziness and irritability - which is just as troublesome. More scary is the knowledge that I am not alone.

According to the World Health Organization, 80 percent of the people on the planet have some sort of iron deficit. The essential mineral helps make hemoglobin and myoglobin, proteins that carry oxygen to the blood. I am a meat-eater, and surprised the habit does not provide enough iron to my system. According to government standards, a male older than 19 only needs 8 milligrams per day. Nonetheless, during the past few months I have endured the sad looks at the news of my lack of iron.

Meanwhile, I have checked out a few ways to fight back. A recent article on Vegan health suggested Vitamin C as an aid, because it helps the body to absorb iron. More than that, the piece listed a variety of plant-based sources for iron. Those include:

• Tofu (1/2 cup): 6.6 mg
• Spirulina (1 tsp): 5 mg
• Cooked soybeans (1/2 cup): 4.4 mg
• Pumpkin seeds (1 ounce): 4.2 mg
• Quinoa (4 ounces): 4 mg
• Blackstrap molasses (1 tbsp): 4 mg
• Tomato paste (4 ounces): 3.9 mg
• White beans (1/2 cup) 3.9 mg
• Dried apricots (1 cup): 3.5 mg
• Cooked spinach (1/2 cup): 3.2 mg
• Dried peaches (6 halves): 3.1 mg
• Prune juice (8 ounces): 3 mg
• Lentils (4 ounces): 3 mg
• Peas (1 cup): 2.1 mg

Aside from what to add, the article echoed Dr. Lin, who more than a year ago advised me to cast aside tea, coffee and dairy. Chemical compounds in the warm beverages called polyphenols bind with iron, which works against iron absorption. High calcium foods such as yogurt, ice cream and cheese eaten within an hour of iron-rich foods do the same thing.

In the end, iron-poor blood weakens my body, mind and spirit, but not my resolve to continue the journey at the heart of this blog. My quest remains to better balance and harmony in mind, body and spirit. I intend to work on the problem until the day when I can ask my grandson, "Who is the Man of Iron?" and he will answer, "You."