I was diagnosed with iron- deficiency anemia
Over several weeks I was feeling perpetually tired, weak, short of breath, lightheaded, and my feet were constantly cold. Since I had previous surgeries, I thought it was just part of the recovery process, or that I wanted to lie in bed all day because of my depression. However, after nearly passing out in my bathroom, I ended up in the emergency room to receive two units of blood cells and an iron transfusion due to severe anemia.
While we can all benefit from iron in our diet, iron-deficiency anemia should be discussed with your health care provider if you experience symptoms. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute is a great resource to learn more.
On a quest to improve my iron levels, I was looking for a snack that was portable, easy to make, and of course delicious. This high iron trail mix perfectly matches those descriptions. It has a great sweet, salty, and savory balance.
Ingredients
- 2.25 ounces beef jerky
- 4.5 ounces dark chocolate, bar or chips, 70% cacao
- 1/2 c. walnuts
- 1/2 c. pistachios
- 1/2 c. cashews
- 1/2 c. pepitas
- 1/2 c. almonds
- 1 c. dried apricots
- 1/2 c. raisins
Because you are making this trail mix, sodium levels can be tailored to your preference and health needs depending on if you use some, all, or no salted nuts. I personally opted for the salted version of about half of the nuts.
Method
Chop chocolate bar, if using, into chunks. Then, break jerky into bite size pieces and dice the apricots. Finally, mix all ingredients into a bowl and store in an airtight container. If the jerky comes with an oxygen absorbing pack, I recommend placing that into the container as well to maintain freshness.
Iron Content
- Walnuts .82
- Almonds 1.05
- Pistachio 1.14
- Pepitas 2.29
- Beef jerky 1.54
- Dried apricots .75
- Raisins .51
- Cashews 1.7
- Dark chocolate 1.2
*mg per 100g serving of each listed food, source: Cronometer. You can reference daily iron needs on the National Health Institute website.
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