IRON ------
It's all in the diet. Getting the right amount of iron and other nutrients from food is very important. As we grow older we need more iron and nutrients, but tend to pay less and less attention to what we're eating. A little care with diet can help keep anemia at bay.
Iron is found in two different forms in foods. They are called 'Haeme' and 'Non Haeme' iron. Animal foods like meat, fish, poultry, egg etc contain iron in its haeme form while the non-haeme form of iron is found in all plant foods.

Haeme iron is more easily absorbed than non-haeme iron and hence animal foods are considered to be a comparatively better source of iron. But vegetarians need not despair, for there are plenty of iron rich plant sources as is demonstrated

• Eat iron-rich legumes - Dried beans and peas are the most iron-rich plant sources in our diet. Soya bean is a valuable source of iron, vitamin B12 and protein. To combat anaemia add a quarter cup of soya bean in the form of beans or flour to your diet everyday. The simplest way is to add 100 gms of soya flour to 1 kg of wheat flour to make chapattis.
• Add on Vitamin C - Good news for vegetarians: vitamin C enhances the absorption of non-haeme iron from vegetables, fruits and fortified cereals. A glass of fresh orange juice with breakfast can more than double the amount of iron your body absorbs. Remember however that Vitamin C and iron work only when eaten together
• Cook in iron pots - In the old days the iron that leached into food from iron cooking pots and pans was the best unintentional fortification. Although an iron pot can only add non-haeme iron, it can make a big difference to your diet. So try to use iron pots and pans whenever practical.
• Add some fortified foods to your diet - Boost your iron intake by adding iron fortified or enriched breakfast cereals to your diet.
• Try to avoid refined and processed foods - Go easy on maida, pasta, noodles, polished rice, ready-to-eat foods, etc. Try to replace sugar with jaggery, which is a rich source of iron.
• Beware the calcium effect - Don't combine an iron-rich meal with too many cheese sauces and milk shakes. Milk and cheese don't contain the animal protein factor, and can in fact slightly inhibit iron absorption, primarily because of the high calcium and phosphate content.
• Don't drink tea or coffee with your meals - The tannins in these beverages bind with iron, making less of it available to your body. A cup of tea with breakfast can block three-fourths of the iron that you would have otherwise absorbed.
• Take supplements if required - Pregnant women need iron supplements since it's extremely difficult to meet the increased demand for iron through meals.