WHAT COOKING WITH AN ‘IRON FISH’ CAN AND CAN’T DO FOR YOUR HEALTH

If you’ve been experiencing symptoms of low iron like dizziness, fatigue, or brittle nails, you’re probably looking for ways to take in more of the all-important mineral. For some folks on social media, the potential solution is a little cuter than you may expect: Rather than loading up on spinach, lots of people are simply adding an adorable (inedible!) iron fish to whatever it is they’re cooking.

Videos have popped up everywhere showing influencers popping the little fish into a soup or stew or even just boiling it into their drinking water. The belief behind this trend? They claim that taking this tiny extra cooking step can infuse your meals or beverages with iron, helping to ward off iron deficiency and associated conditions like anemia.

But how many times have we seen a product promise to help with a health problem, only to later find out it doesn’t do squat? A bunch! So we connected with nutrition experts to break down just how legit or how fishy (sorry) these claims really are. For everything an iron fish can and can’t do for your body, read on.

First: Does cooking with iron actually add iron to your food?

Unlike a lot of other health trends—looking at you bovine colostrum—this one actually has some science to back it up, according to Cara Harbstreet, MS, RD, LD, of Street Smart Nutrition. “Iron fish, a type of ingot made with food-grade iron, have been shown to reduce iron deficiency in certain populations,” she tells SELF.

She points to a 2021 review, which evaluated studies ranging from four to 12 months in which participants ate food that had been cooked with an iron tool of some kind, whether a fish, pot or pan, or something else. Most of them showed an increasing trend in blood levels of hemoglobin—an oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells that can only be formed with iron—and four of the studies reported a significant change.

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That’s because iron is leached from the cooking equipment, which then goes into the food as it’s cooked. Exactly how much depends on several factors, like the length of time, how much moisture or liquid is present, and how acidic the food is. For instance, in the review, researchers concluded that more iron is absorbed into food the more acidic the meal is.

Still, both Harbstreet and the authors of the review agree that more research is needed to conclusively say whether or not the iron fish is all it’s cracked up to be—mainly because of the studies’ differences and limitations, like variations in participant ages and starting iron levels, sample sizes, study durations, as well as the type of iron tool, its iron concentration, and how it was used.

Should you use an iron fish if you think you might be iron deficient?

Iron deficiency anemia causes a host of identifiable symptoms, like feeling extra tired or lethargic, shortness of breath, headache, rapid heart rate, hair loss, or appearing pale or “drained,” and it may be especially likely if you’re pregnant or have conditions that involve lots of blood loss, like heavy periods.

But even if you think your symptoms match up perfectly with an iron deficiency or anemia diagnosis, you shouldn’t go right to self-treating with tools like the iron fish. There’s no way to know for sure what’s going on without talking to a doctor and taking the appropriate tests first, says Harbstreet. A lot of these symptoms also overlap with other conditions, which is why it’s a good idea to get checked by a pro before self-diagnosing. And even if you are iron deficient, your doctor will also want to determine the reason why first.

What’s more, if tests show you need more iron, you shouldn’t expect the iron fish to be your complete solution, says Harbstreet. Even if it helps you consume more iron, it doesn’t necessarily mean your body has the capacity to maintain higher levels on its own—maybe because you’re low on other essential nutrients, like vitamin C. “It can be part of a management or treatment plan, but it won’t resolve an underlying health issue or other factors that make it hard to maintain iron status,” she explains. And depending on the severity of your deficiency, a doctor may still prescribe iron supplements or medicines, or suggest additional treatment to take care of the source of the issue.

Another reason testing is helpful is that it can identify people who shouldn’t take in extra iron: Hemochromatosis, a genetic disorder that causes the body to accumulate excessive iron levels, is rare, but if you have it and don’t know it, you can accidentally overload your body with the mineral if you cook with an iron fish, Lisa R. Young, PhD, RDN, tells SELF.

Otherwise, though, it’s hard to get too much iron from your food, fish or no fish. So even if you’re not iron deficient, cooking with an iron fish is unlikely to cause harm for most folks. According to Lucky Iron Life, which produces an iron fish, the product releases six to eight milligrams (mg) of iron per one liter of liquid; the national daily recommendations for non-pregnant adults range from eight to 18 mg per day. (Remember, since you usually won’t be taking in the whole liter of liquid by yourself, you’ll likely end up getting even less per serving.)

If you got the okay from a doc, here’s how to use an iron fish.

The iron fish is easy to use and maintain, which are the top reasons it’s so appealing to so many, says Harbstreet. “It doesn’t require a lot of special care or babying in the kitchen,” she explains. “You can just drop it into boiling water.” That being said, there are a couple of tips she recommends following to get the most out of it.

For starters, you’ll only want to use it in recipes that contain water. Fortunately, that includes a whole bunch of stuff, like oatmeal, pasta, rice, beans, not to mention soups and stews, she says. Submerging the fish in boiling water is key for ensuring it releases those trace amounts of iron into your food. Let it boil for 10 minutes for best results. If you’re making pasta or other grains, you might want to boil your water with your iron fish separately, so it doesn’t stick to what you’re cooking, Harbstreet says. (For things like stir-fries, where liquid is in low supply, you’re better off using a cast iron pan to get a similar effect.)

To get the most of your iron fish, try to add a little bit of acid to whatever you’re cooking, since doing so actually increases iron absorption, she says. That could be a couple drops of lemon in rice, tomatoes in a soup, or honey in oatmeal.

And keep it on the stovetop: You shouldn’t cook with an iron fish inside of a pressure cooker or Instant Pot—both your machine and the fish could get damaged in the process, Harbstreet explains. And to avoid iron overload, “you should also limit or avoid cooking with cast iron cookware,” she adds.

When you’re done making your meal, clean your iron fish like any other dish—with soap and water. The only catch here is that you absolutely don’t want to let it air dry, Harbstreet says, because the longer it stays wet the more likely it is to rust. If it does get rusty, you can clean it up with a little bit of an acid source—like lemon or vinegar—and steel wool. But if the rust keeps coming back, you’re better off throwing it out and getting a new one, says Dr. Young.

Bottom line: Even if you’re not iron deficient, the amount of iron the iron fish infuses into your food if you use it properly is unlikely to cause harm to most of the general population, Harbstreet says. In the absence of certain health conditions like hemochromatosis, using the iron fish should be pretty safe. Just follow all the recommendations for care and use so it can all go swimmingly.

2024-09-12T17:11:52Z dg43tfdfdgfd