The Christian Nutritionist

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152: The Iron Episode with Michael Rutherford, FNTP

Chelsea Blackbird

Fatigue, shortness of breath, restless legs, high cholesterol, circulation issues and gastrointestinal problems are a few of the symptoms you can experience with poor iron regulation. Being too high or too low are equally problematic and, yet, many people are advised based on the ferritin marker on their blood panel which is a poor way to assess iron levels. 

In this week’s podcast episode expert Michael Rutherford explains the markers, the foods, the supplements and everything you need to know when it comes to iron. Listen and learn about one of the most critical minerals in your body!

EPISODE 152: The Iron Episode with Michael Rutherford, FNTP

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Show Notes

(0:00) Intro

  • Hello my friend welcome back to the club how are you today?

  • Iron has been on my list of podcast topics to cover for some time now because women often reach out to me and say I’m low in iron what do I do. But I have a story for you that takes the cake and is what instigated me doing this episode. 

  • I mean, I get frustrated when I see people recommend spinach for iron - which we will talk about today - but Oreos? They must be out of their everlivin minds - obviously not HEALTH professionals.

  • I do have a true health professional here with us today to talk about iron because it’s not always simple or straightforward.

  • Welcome Michael Rutherford to the Christian Health Club podcast.

(4:15) Tell us about your background and how you got into the holistic health space. 

  • Grew up with horrible digestive issues - IBS

  • Wrestling

  • Healthy and active on the outside, chronic stomach issues on the inside.

  • Spring 2015 - Rise of Paleo

  • Entering into the conversation:

    • Primal Health Coach Certification

    • Nutritional Therapy Association

    • Functional testing

    • Research-based learning

(12:02) What do you see happening with clients and iron in your practice?

  • Mix of iron overload and low iron

  • Understanding ferratin

  • Symptoms associated with lo iron

(15:58) What markers do we look at on a blood test to best assess iron? 

  • CBC marker

  • 9 nutrients that are directly involved in anemia

  • Comprehensive metabolic panel

  • Iron & Oxygen

  • Bioavailable iron

    • Liver or liver capsules are amazing for anemia

  • Other factors that can contribute to low iron test:

    • Poor digestion, malabsorption, parasites, bacteria

    • Iron is life-giving

(31:25) Sources of Iron:

  • Liver & Spleen together:

    • A combination for extreme iron deficiency

  • Spleen is loaded with iron

  • Clams are high in iron

(33:09) Difference between animal sourced foods and plant sourced foods when it comes to iron

  • Iron in plants in nonheme iron and requires conversion

  • We don’t absorb iron from plants as much

  • Animal sources are the best way to get adequate iron

    • Beef & chicken liver, oysters, clam, organs, mussels

    • Bison and buffalo are not great sources of iron

(39:09) The skinny on skillets:

  • Why Michael doesn’t recommend cast iron

  • GreenPan

  • Stone Pan

  • Enamel

  • Stainless Steel

    • Pro tip: get it nice and HOT before using it.

    • Metals are porous

(43:22) Breaking down markers:

  • Ferratin:

    • It is looked at as the “storage” form of iron

    • Extracellular vs. Intracellular

    • Ferroptosis

  • Best Markers:

    • TIBC

    • Transferrin

    • Iron Saturation %

(54:50) Did we leave anything important out about iron?

  • Get your iron levels checked

  • Get someone that can interpret the labs properly

  • Hemochromatosis

    • Donating blood

    • Eating food that inhibits iron absorption:

      • Grains (antinutrients)

      • Coffee, green tea, & red wine

    • Vitamin C

(59:28) What are your thoughts about long-term or daily use of liver pills?

  • For most people it is going to be totally fine to take daily

  • You are not going to get overloaded from nutrients for daily use

  • Prefers organ blends because each organ has it’s on nutrients

(102:06) Anchor Questions:

  • Anchor Meal: Buffalo wings

    • Cooked in the smoker

    • Butter, Frank’s Hot Sauce

    • Raw veggies with some sort of (clean) dip

  • Anchor Verse:

    • 1 John 4:18

(104:50) Tell audience how to connect with you:

  • IG: @functional_blood_chemistry

(105:39) Outro & Disclaimer

Thanks for listening! Have a healthy and blessed week!




XOXO,

Chelsea