How to Easily Increase Your Ferritin Levels

Are you constantly feeling tired no matter how much sleep you get? It may be that your ferritin levels are running low. While you probably know that iron is an essential mineral that your body needs, you may not be familiar with ferritin. While they are both connected they aren’t the same.

Iron helps your body make the red blood cells that carry oxygen throughout your body, according to Real Simple. Ferritin is the body’s storage system for iron that can be called upon when needed.

“You can think of ferritin like your savings account for iron,” Mary Gover, MD, an internal medicine physician at Montefiore Einstein Advanced Care, told Real Simple. “A standard iron level, in this analogy, would be your checking account.”

But what happens if your account is on overdraft and your body is not getting enough iron?

Ferritin Deficiencies
An iron deficiency is called anemia and results in symptoms like fatigue, weakness, shortness of breath, and headaches. If you are anemic you also have low ferritin levels and should be evaluated according to Health.

There are many reasons why your ferritin levels could be low with the main cause being not including iron-rich foods in your diet. Another leading cause is chronic blood loss from dialysis or other conditions like heavy menstruation can deplete your iron levels. Pregnancy also requires higher levels of iron and can cause low ferritin levels.

Ferritin levels of below 40ng/mL indicate iron deficits. On the flip side, too much ferritin is also bad for your health so make sure that your levels are checked when you have a physical.

Quick Fixes for Low Levels
If you are severely anemic, there are some quick fixes that your physician can use to increase your ferritin levels. The two fastest ways are intravenous iron which can restore iron levels in people who need immediate care or blood transfusions. But these are only used in severe cases.

Taking iron supplements that contain ferrous fumarate, ferrous sulfate, or ferrous gluconate are also used to treat low iron and low ferritin levels, but it requires continuous use and could take several months to rebuild your body’s iron storage. You should not start taking supplements without your physician’s approval.

But this type of intervention is not always necessary. Can you fix your ferritin levels naturally?

How to Fuel Up Your Ferritin Levels
According to Vogue, the answer is yes. If your ferritin levels are not dangerously low, and just need a boost, you can increase your levels through the food you eat.

“It’s a slow build, not a quick fix,” Real Nutrition founder Amy Shapiro, RD told Vogue. “The key is eating iron consistently and maximizing how much you actually absorb.”

There are two types of dietary iron. Heme iron is found in animal-based food and non-heme iron that is in plant-based foods. Non-heme iron isn’t absorbed as well as heme iron, but you should try to include both in your diet if you are not a vegetarian or vegan.

The best heme iron sources are liver, beef, poultry, seafood, and pork. Non-heme foods include fortified cereals, tofu, lentils, leafy greens, and molasses. Pairing foods high in vitamin C can triple the absorption of iron from non-heme foods.

Cooking in cast iron pots and pans will also increase the iron content of your food. That’s because iron leeches out of the cookware.

“If a person comes to me with low ferritin stores, I typically suggest they focus on including one high-iron meal per day to boost absorption, stressed board-certified sports dietitian Roxana Ehsani, MS, RD.

Eating a healthy balanced diet and understanding what your body needs will contribute to how you feel and look. If something feels off, get it checked because there could be an easy fix.