this post was submitted on 19 Nov 2023
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How many licks would it take? Can the iron in bars even be processed by the body? Can you do this for other minerals?

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[–] [email protected] -1 points 11 months ago (2 children)

This is the reason prisoners are so healthy and full of vim and vitality. (right........)

UMMM I don't think you can get iron in your diet this way. First off, it's unlikely you're going to find a bar of pure iron anyway, since most metal bars are composites of many minerals.

Also, the iron has to specifically be in an ingestible form so the liver can process it. An iron bar ain't a lollipop. (maybe that should be a slogan for something).

When they say that cereal has added iron, they really mean that actual bits of iron are added (very tiny particles). You can use a magnet to pull some of them out, they're little iron filings.

So if you file the bar down first and eat the filings, MAYBE it would contribute to your iron intake. But - why not just grab some milk and eat the cereal instead?

[–] [email protected] 11 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Quick Google search suggests that using cast iron cookware increases your iron intake. I'd imagine the heat process has something to do with it though, so still incredulous that licking an iron bar would be effective, though I'm at a very minor maybe.

[–] [email protected] -3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I saw that also but I have my doubts that you'd get much iron intake from cooking in iron pans. People used to get lead poisoning from using lead pots and pans, so - maybe it's possible. I'm not sure how much iron frying pans, for example, are pure iron.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Huh. So there IS some reason to think cooking in iron pots will increase levels of iron in your blood. Interesting! I know metal can leach out of cooking vessels and into food, so that's not too surprising. Thanks for the information!

[–] [email protected] 8 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

It’s not that simple. Cast iron pans when properly seasoned won’t leach much iron into the food. However, I recall reading about a group who brewed their beer in iron kettles. And it was found to be a significant source of iron, as a result.

And beer itself for various reasons enhances iron absorption.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4434614/

Some types have more iron than others

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110811084511.htm

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

Beer! Solves almost as many problems as it causes.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 11 months ago

Japan has traditional iron kettles (that are stupidly expensive) and they're often mentioned by doctors for use in people who have iron deficiency here. That or iron pans. They even make an iron ball to put in normal kettles and such, but that weirds me out a bit.