How To Increase Iron Absorption

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Your body needs iron for many reasons-
•It’s essential for making the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen to other cells
•It’s an important component of collagen (which helps our skin stay soft and supple) and many enzymes
•It helps you maintain a healthy immune system

And during pregnancy, you need a lot more iron because-
•During pregnancy you have almost 50 percent more blood than usual, so you need more iron to make more blood
•You need extra iron for your growing baby and placenta
•Iron-deficiency anemia during pregnancy is associated with preterm delivery and low birth weight.

There are multiple ways to alter foods to meet iron intake, or get more iron in your diet.

Here are two really great ways.

One of the best ways to increase iron intake is by cooking and baking in cast iron pans. When you cook food in cast iron pans, the food absorbs iron from the pan.

Another good tip is to consume foods high in vitamin C such as oranges, bell peppers and strawberries at the same time that you consume foods high in iron such as dried apricots, egg yolks and lentils.

The vitamin C helps your body absorb the iron.

Recommendations

April Rain Song

Holly 3 Comments

April Rain Song

Let the rain kiss you
Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops
Let the rain sing you a lullaby
The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk
The rain makes running pools in the gutter
The rain plays a little sleep song on our roof at night
And I love the rain.

Langston Hughes

I read that the poem represents the poet’s life and how easy it is to take it for granted.
It is also possible that he was just delighting in a beautiful rain shower on the streets of Harlem, as my 2 year old recently did in New Orleans.

This poem is beautifully set to music and imagery in my favorite children’s dvd series- Classical Baby. It’s featured on The Poetry Show which is for slightly older children- probably ages 3 to 5- and even as an adult I love it.

And are you looking for pvc and phthalate free, non-toxic rain boots? Look no further and click here.

Enjoy the rain!

Places, Recommendations

Spring Cleaning and H&M

Holly 5 Comments

Happy spring!

Thinking about organizing and spring cleaning? I recently read two articles in the same day that could not have been more opposite.

First, The Minimalist Mom who, if I am counting correctly, only has 16 items of clothing in her closet.

Then, I read about Beth Shak- the professional poker player who has a shoe collection reportedly worth around $1 million which she stores in four password-protected closets.

Both articles offered organizing tips.

I relate more toward the woman with 4 shoe closets- one of my favorite movies from childhood was “Overboard” with Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell…not necessarily for the storyline, but for the incredible rotating shoe rack he built for her.

And as for minimalism- I can barely go away for the weekend with only 16 items in my overnight bag. Perhaps my love of clothes and shoes is a byproduct of my pre-motherhood career. Perhaps it’s because I’m my mother’s daughter.

Whatever the case may be, like most of us, I often find myself in need of paring down and doing a bit of spring cleaning. I hate the thought of adding to landfills, and have found a great way to recycle old clothes, that are not in good enough condition to donate.

H&M

From their website: “Every year tons of textiles are thrown out and end up in landfill. As much as 95% of these clothes could be used again; re-worn, reused or recycled – depending on the state of the garment.

sco friendly H&M

Producing new resources – such as cotton – to make garments at one end and wasting them on the other does not make business sense. Also it doubles the stress on our environment. This is why we have launched a global garment collecting initiative as the first fashion company in the world.”

Customers are encouraged to bring in unwanted garments of any brand and in any condition to H&M stores in all 53 markets to be given a new life. And they give you a voucher for 15% off any item in exchange for your bag.

Most “fast fashion” has a negative impact on the environment. But H&M maintains a commitment to sustainability and their operations are run in a way that is economically, socially and environmentally sustainable.

They have set seven ambitious commitments:

Provide fashion for conscious customers
Choose and reward responsible partners
Be ethical
Be climate smart
Reduce, reuse, recycle
Use natural resources responsibly
Strengthen communities

I have always loved H&M, and knowing about the H&M conscious program makes me love them even more.

Here you can read more about their sustainability. And next time you’re thinking about throwing out an old t-shirt or pair of socks, take it to H&M instead!

Fitness

Reebok ZQuick

Holly Leave a comment

I am a very active mom and don’t have a ton of time to workout, though at the end of my daily activities I feel like I’ve run a marathon. But I know there are moms who make exercise a priority, and my husband is extremely athletic and loves this new running shoe from Reebok.

So if you have been looking for a cool new running shoe, read on.

Reebok has been inspired by hi-performance, Z-Rated tires, and created the Reebok ZQuick training shoe that delivers sports car handling for your feet. They have plenty of color combinations (which I love!). They are just under $90 and are now available in models designed for both running (ZQuick) and training (ZQuick TR).

Check out this video of the Reebok ZQuick!

This post contains affiliate links which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and make a purchase.

Recipes

Two-Bean Soup Recipe

Holly Leave a comment

It happens all the time-
I throw something together for dinner with the ingredients I have on hand, and then am amazed how good it actually turns out, and thrilled with how much my kids love it.

Here is a recipe for what I made tonight:

Two Bean Soup

Ingredients: (I recommend organic EVERYTHING)
1 tbsp. Olive Oil
1 small onion, chopped
3 carrots, sliced
3 potatoes, sliced and quartered
3 cups water
40 ounces chicken broth*
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsps. dried basil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups cooked pinto beans
2 cups cooked navy beans
5 stalks Swiss chard, thick ribs removed and leaves chopped (about 4 cups)

Directions:
1. Sautee the onion in olive oil for about 6 minutes.
2. Add chopped carrots and potatoes and sautee for about 2 or 3 more minutes.
3. Add water, broth, oregano, basil and garlic and bring to a boil
4. Turn down to simmer until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.
5. Add beans and chopped Swiss Chard and simmer 2 or 3 more minutes, until heated through.

Serve and enjoy!

Adults and children who don’t mind spice might want to add a little pepper.
It is delicious as-is, but also good with a little grated cheese on top.

*Why the unconventional amount? I swear by Better Than Bouillon and it calls for 1 teaspoon to 8 ounces of water. So, I used 5 teaspoons and 40 ounces of water.