On-Line Quiz Fun Way To Test Iron Knowledge
This quiz is a fun way to check how much you know about iron – its importance to your health, the best food sources and how well your body absorbs the different types of iron. The quiz takes only a few minutes to complete and each time you try it, you may be challenged by a different set of ten questions.
“The best learning always occurs when you’re involved in the process,” said Lisa Mina, Nutrition Communications Manager at the Beef Information Centre. “That’s why we’ve created an interactive quiz, that gives immediate feedback.”
The quiz introduces a complex concept; not all iron from food sources is equal. “Nutritional tables only tell part of the iron story,” explains Mina. “They don’t distinguish between heme iron, the type of iron found in meat, fish and poultry, and non-heme iron from grains, beans and eggs.”
Learning about the difference is important since heme iron is much more readily absorbed and used by the body. In fact, if you are trying to meet your iron requirements from only non-heme sources, your daily needs are almost double.
Kathy Romses, a dietitian with a private practice in North Vancouver who pilot tested the quiz, says she’ll definitely be recommending it to her computer-savvy teenage clients. “In my work with teenagers, I meet many girls who are experimenting with vegetarian eating without realizing all the nutritional consequences. They have no idea that without meat, fish, poultry or seafood in the diet, key minerals, such as iron and zinc, are poorly absorbed.”
Romses adds that teen girls are surprised to learn that they need thirty percent more iron than their male counterparts and that a lack of iron can jeopardize concentration and school performance.
