Well, it’s a mineral, of course, but what I find amazing is that it is the same material whether it’s found in rocks, plants or animals!  From it, we can make tables, lamp posts and even skyscrapers, but it’s also the substance running around our bodies, helping our blood to collect molecules of oxygen so that we can live.  It’s the same nutrient in spinach (which always helped Popeye to grow bulging muscles!) as in seafood, meat, dried fruit and lentils, helping us to be more energetic and even better athletes!

When we were discussing a variety of rocks, including metal ores, in Year 3, the wide ranging properties of iron made us stop and think.  Can it really be possible that one mineral can be so versatile, used in such a wide variety of ways?  The answer is, ‘Yes!’  However, it is important to strike the correct balance of iron in our system.  Too much iron as an adolescent has been linked to depression and in adults, linked to dementia.  Too little iron can lead to anemia in children and adults, which means feeling fatigue and lower energy.

Good sources of iron, as mentioned in ‘Medical News Today’:

• liver
• lean red meat
• chicken
• seafood, including oysters
• lentils and beans
• tofu
• fortified breakfast cereals
• dried fruits, such as prunes, figs, and apricots
• nuts
• seeds
• eggs
• soya
• molasses

Dark-green leafy vegetables are an excellent source of iron, including:

• spinach
• kale
• seaweed
• watercress
• broccoli
• asparagus
• parsley

Fact or Fiction?                                                                                                                                                          Iron can be found in the Periodic Table of Elements, with the atomic symbol ‘Fe’.   It seems to me, from my experience, that if I come across something with ‘ferr’ at the beginning of the word, it is likely to be linked to iron.  Have you had that experience too?

Comment on your experiences, below!