. Chewy Newz
- / Read All About It
Your Blood–Pump It Up!
Your blood works hard. It circulates non-stop through your heart, arteries, veins and
capillaries. It carries nutrients and oxygen to your cells and hauls away waste and
carbon dioxide. An adult's body contains about 21 cups of blood. About three-fourths of
your blood is made up of water. The rest is solid stuff like red and white blood cells and
gases like oxygen and carbon dioxide.
Iron is an important mineral for healthy red blood cells. If you don't get enough iron from
the foods you eat, you might feel tired a lot. That's because your red blood cells can't
carry as much oxygen to your body.
You get iron from beef, chicken and other meats. Foods that come from plants such as
spinach, kidney beans, raisins, oatmeal and some cold cereals give you iron, too. Iron
and vitamin C work really well together, so have something with vitamin C with your iron,
like a glass of OJ with your cereal or sliced tomatoes on your hamburger.
