Looks good. Feels good too?

Moumita Banerjee, 36, is up at 6am, readying her son for school and overseeing the cook and maid before rushing out to work at 9am. For breakfast, she has a dry toast and a tall glass of milk. Lunch is mostly a sandwich or dosa from the office canteen. Dinner is the only time she eats a “proper” meal.

Aditi Ghosh, 19, has her eyes on the new hip-hugging Levis at the mall. Waist: 26. She skips breakfast, has a fruit and a tub of flavoured yogurt in college and soup and salad at night.

Both women have started suffering from shortness of breath, palpitations and fatigue. They have lost hair and their skin has turned pale. Soumitra Kumar, an obstetrician and gynaecologist with Peerless Hospital, says these are symptoms of iron deficiency, which often leads to anaemia.

A study by The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), released on the eve of Women’s Day (March 8), 2009, expresses serious concern over the deteriorating heath of working women in urban areas. In a survey of employed females, 68 per cent in the age bracket 21-52 years were found to be afflicted with lifestyle diseases.

Kumar says that previously iron deficiency used to be rampant among women of the lower socio-economic strata. But today it has become an urban upper-middle class malaise. This is because of the change in lifestyle patterns, dietary habits and low awareness.

“It is not that only the female body requires iron. But iron deficiency is a greater concern for women as they lose blood through menstruation every month and also during childbirth,” Kumar says.

Iron is a key micronutrient and helps carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. It boosts the immune system and improves physical performance. In anaemia, the number of red blood cells is lower than normal. Red blood cells contain haemoglobin, which comprises iron and globin, a protein.

Some researchers have also found a link between iron deficiency and lower IQ, attention span and memory among adolescents.

So, what’s the way out?

“Have an iron-rich diet,” chorus doctors and dieticians. Green, leafy vegetables and red meat are rich sources of iron. Green banana, mocha, fig (dumur) and apple are other iron-rich foods.

They always were. “But these days, most cooks refuse to make elaborate dishes like mochar ghonto. Again, the younger lot would rather have a pizza than kachkolar kofta,” rues Sujata Sinha, a young mother of two.

Having iron supplements, which is a must during pregnancy, is also an option.

“Some of my patients refuse to take iron tablets fearing constipation and gastric irritation. But these days iron tablets come with no such side-effects,” says Kumar.

Henna Nafis, dietician and t2 columnist, says it’s not enough to ensure adequate iron intake. Iron absorption by the body is also a factor. “The amount of dietary iron absorbed depends on the type of food consumed and what other foods are being eaten at the same time,” she says.

Certain chemicals in tea, coffee, cocoa, cola, refined wheat and oregano inhibit iron absorption. Ascorbic acid, found in fruits, vegetables, fortified cereals, can improve iron absorption.

Calcium, another mineral women are prone to be deficient in, inhibits the absorption of iron by forming complex compounds inside the body, which are flushed out. Many studies have found a link between iron deficiency and a calcium-rich diet.

Doctors say a woman’s diet must not contain calcium-rich and iron-rich food in the same meal. A few hours’ gap helps the body to absorb both nutrients better.

Nafis also warns against crash diets and insists one can lose weight on a balanced diet too. “Being on a diet can’t mean cutting out essential foods. Many non-vegetarians abruptly turn veggies in a bid to lose weight, thereby by denying their bodies iron from red meat,” she says.

So, eat right and become the “iron woman”.