Generality
The so-called Thirteen-Iacoponi-Arcelli diet is a particular diet developed for anemic athletes or those with a tendency to iron deficiency anemia (or iron deficiency anemia).
This problem is particularly common among so-called "cross-country athletes" - such as marathon runners, triathletes, professional cyclists, etc. - because:
- increased iron losses induced by physical activity (increased sweating, faster turnover of red blood cells, micro-hemorrhages induced by physical activity, etc.);
- poor tolerance towards specific iron supplements, due to the intestinal problems associated with them.
The problem of iron deficiency anemia is greater for females than for males, considering the periodic iron losses linked to menstrual flow and the less rich diet.
The athlete's anemia causes a decline in performance, with a sense of exhaustion, easy fatigue and difficulty in recovery.
In the case of anemia, the values of erythrocytes (red blood cells), hematocrit and hemoglobin are low or very low.
What to eat
It involves taking iron-rich meat or offal along with vitamin C supplements, alone, on an empty stomach and without drinks (such as tea or coffee which would hinder the absorption of iron).
Why the meat
Heme iron (that of meat, including preserved and fishery products) is always more absorbable than non-heme iron (that found in foods of plant origin).
Why VITAMIN C, why "fasting
There are factors that hinder the absorption of iron and factors that favor it.
- HINDER THE ABSORPTION OF IRON: phytates, phosphates, sulphates, oxalates, carbonates and tannins (from wine, coffee and tea), which with iron form insoluble complexes that are difficult to absorb.
- FACILITATE THE ABSORPTION OF IRON: antioxidant substances, stomach acid and above all Vitamin C.
For the anemic athlete it is therefore important to pay attention to food combinations.
In detail
- Take on an empty stomach (ie at least two hours after a previous meal) a plate of lean meat, more or less cooked or according to taste; for example 100-150 grams of liver or as many of horse steak, or 200-250 grams of beef, pork, chicken or rabbit
- on the meat it is allowed to squeeze lemon, even in abundance;
- at the same time as meat, take vitamin C, in hard tablets or, better still, in sachets to be dissolved in water;
- do not take anything else: avoid both solid foods (bread, breadsticks, crackers, eggs, etc.) and drinks (wine, milk, tea or coffee, energy drinks, etc.);
- in the two hours following the meat meal, do not ingest anything, except water or citrus fruit juices.
FURTHER INDICATIONS
- the meat-based meal (with vitamin C) can be consumed at any time of the day, except obviously in those close to meals;
- it is recommended to take it twice a week in winter and three in summer, but each athlete can find out how often he needs to do it, observing, with the help of a doctor, how his tests vary. blood.
Critical issues
The diet of Thirteen-Iacoponi-Arcelli does nothing but put into practice, in some ways to extremes, the dietary advice that can help any person to fight iron deficiency anemia. These are advice well rooted in clinical practice, therefore shareable.
It is only specified that, rather than taking a lot of iron at once, for example by consuming a large steak, it would be preferable to include a small amount of a food containing heme iron in each meal (for example a few slices of bresaola also included in breakfast and in snacks).
