Spatone-iron-rich water from the mountains of Wales (Spatone Iron+)

Member Name: Machair1

Product:	Spatone Iron+
Date:	01/12/08 (328 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Helps keep your iron levels up especially good for vegetarians and women of child bearing age.

Disadvantages: None

As a lifelong vegetarian although I am happy following this way of life sometimes I think it causes tiredness as it is difficult to eat enough iron when you are obtaining it purely from vegetable sources. It isn't usually a severe problem as I am careful to plan meals, but as an extra safeguard I like to take an iron supplement to prevent deficiencies.

So just a word first about iron and what it does in the body.
Iron is a trace element which is needed by the body as part of the process in which blood is formed. More than half of the iron we have is in the form of haemoglobin which is what makes our blood red. Haemoglobin transports oxygen from the lungs to the tissues and this is why in anaemia one of the symptoms can be breathlessness.
The requirements for the intake of iron vary across age ranges with the highest needs being for teenagers and for menstruating women.
For meat eaters obtaining these levels is not a problem as the iron in red meat is easily absorbed- 22% makes its way into the body from foods like red meat whereas in vegetarians only 1-8% is absorbed from plant sources. For vegetarians it is important to eat foods such as dried fruit, whole grains, nuts, leafy green vegetables and pulses. Watercress is particularly high in iron as are egg yolks. Two important points to bear in mind are that iron absorption is reduced if you drink tea at the same time, and is increased if you have foods containing vitamin c -so a boiled egg is great with a glass of orange juice, but have the cuppa a while later. Look out for fortified cereals and dried apricots as these are rich in iron.

In my time I have tried many things to avoid the perils of anaemia. Incidentally the symptoms may be very subtle at first. My daughter was found to be anaemic at university when she went to give blood. They always check this level before you donate so if you are not a blood donor it can be a great way to monitor this. She had been noticing a few times that she felt like sleeping in the afternoon and was generally lacking in energy. She didn't have breathlessness or palpitations as these will often not occur until the levels have fallen even more. The body stores iron in the liver so will draw on these stores first before finally running out. A short course of iron pills corrected this for her which was due to an inadequate intake of iron during her early student life when cooking was not a priority! If anaemia is not treated then over time you can develop a sore mouth and gums, brittle nails, headaches as well as dizziness and heart irregularities.

If you have any of these symptoms it is important to see your doctor because anaemia can be caused by many things not just dietary deficiency and severe anaemia needs to be treated under medical supervision when the cause and type has been established. This may involve tablets and taking these without medical supervision is not a good idea since they can have side effects and unless you know your iron level can also be dangerous.

However by taking an iron supplement like Spatone you can give your iron levels a boost safely without putting your health at risk especially if like me you are a veggie.
So what is Spatone? - It is a natural source of iron made from iron rich water which comes from Snowdonia. It is collected from the Spa at Trefriw Wells which is believed to date back from Roman times. The water has been sold since 1874.
You can find it in major chemists and supermarkets and it comes in a bright orange box which looks like it might be to do with Easyjet!
Each sachet contains 5mg iron which is about a third of the RDA but up to 40% of it is absorbed so one sachet each day should make up all the body's requirements.
The best way to have it is by mixing the sachet in fruit juice and is best taken on an empty stomach. Each sachet contains the equivalent iron found in 2lbs spinach or 8lbs broccoli.

It has a slightly bitter taste so it is better to take it in fruit juice. I like it in smoothies and really don't notice the taste when I mix it with these.
The cheapest place I have found it is at Boots as it is included in their buy 2 get one free vitamins and minerals deal. It works out then at 6.99 each for 2 with one free This is enough to last for 3 months.

For more details about Spatone have a look at their website,
www.spatone.com

Summary: A great way to keep your iron levels up.