Sierra Hill competed in the Future Chefs National Challenge on March 8 at McNary High School. She
created her own recipe, Mexican Zucchini Burrito Boats, and won the GRAND PRIZE! Sierra won lots of
great prizes and will now go to nationals! Parents Jeremy and Beth Hill were very proud of their “future
chef!” Congratulations, Sierra!
We would like to congratulate
Wyatt Patzke. He competed at the
state wrestling tournament in Port-
land, Ore., in the 2-A 138-pound
class and took fourth place.
Wyatt is a freshmen at Lakeview
High School in Lakeview, Ore. He is
the son of Carla and Clint Patzke and
the grandson of Frank and Ann Logan.
Great job this year, Big Guy. We
love you very much.
Tribal RV park
discounts available
Tribal members receive a 15% dis-
count on spaces at Logan Road RV
Park located in Lincoln City, Ore. Call
Tribal members receive a 15%
discount on spaces at Hee Hee Illahee
RV Resort located in Salem, Ore. Call
*Subject to availability
877-LOGANRV or visit loganroadrvpark.
com for more information.*
877-564-7295 or visit heeheeillahee.
com for more information.*
Athletes who do vigorous exercise are
also at greater risk as exertion can lead to a
breakdown of red blood cells in the blood-
stream. In some instances, specific types
of genetic disorders such as thalassemia
and sickle-cell disease are responsible
for this condition. Low hemoglobin also
is found in people who have a medical
history of alcoholism.
Children with very low iron may also
develop a condition called pica, which
causes them to eat dirt, chew rocks, chew
massive amounts of ice or eat laundry
starch. This also occurs in adults and in
pregnancy. Pica is reversed when hemo-
globin is normalized.
It is important to look for the root
cause in order to find the best treatment.
Anemia treatment varies, depending
on the cause of the condition. Changes
in diet or dietary supplements can help
people who have iron deficiency anemia.
If the anemia is caused by another condi-
tion, treating the underlying disease will
often alleviate the problem.
Often, improvement in the level of
hemoglobin can be achieved by a diet
that is rich in iron. Diet can also help to
maximize absorption with other nutri-
ents. Iron-rich foods include meat and
fish, dried beans, eggs, dried fruits –such
as dates and figs, broccoli, green beans,
green leafy vegetables – such as kale and
spinach, nuts, seeds and peanut butter.
While consuming iron in foods or
supplements is important, specific nutri-
ents such as vitamins C and A can boost
the amount of iron absorbed. Foods rich in
vitamin C include citrus fruits, strawber-
ries and leafy green vegetables. Taking a
vitamin C supplement may also help.
Vitamin A and beta-carotene (the
plant form of vitamin A) can aid the body
in absorbing and using iron. Foods rich in
vitamin A include fish, liver, squash, sweet
potatoes, kale and collards. Foods high
in beta-carotene include yellow, red, and
orange fruits and vegetables, such as car-
rots, sweet potatoes, squash, cantaloupe
and mangos.
Why check my child’s hemoglobin?
By Nancy Ludwig, MS, RDN, LD, Head
Start Consulting Nutritionist
As part of my role as a consultant
nutritionist to Siletz Tribal Head Start,
I offer information for families. Today’s
topic is about the Head Start screening
process of checking hemoglobin.
Head Start parents have rights to
refuse tests. It is important to be informed
about the purpose of the tests in order to
make informed decisions regarding the
well-being of your child.
What is hemoglobin? It is a protein
found in the red blood cells. These cells
are responsible for carrying oxygen
around the body. In addition to transport-
ing oxygen, hemoglobin carries carbon
dioxide out of the cells and into the lungs.
Carbon dioxide is then released as a per-
son exhales.
Having low hemoglobin can make
it difficult for the body to perform these
functions. When the body doesn’t have
enough red blood cells or when they do
not work properly to transport oxygen, the
body doesn’t have what it needs to func-
tion well. Low hemoglobin is one form
of anemia.
Symptoms in children are often dif-
ferent than those experienced by adults.
These can include poor neurological
development, disturbed behavior, pale-
ness, rapid heartbeat, difficulty learning
and low levels of concentration. This is
contrasted with the adults who primarily
report feeling sluggish and tired.
What causes low hemoglobin levels?
Iron deficiency is the most common
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Siletz News
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April 2019
cause because iron is also a required part
of hemoglobin (its structure). Usually
this lack of iron is from not consuming
enough iron-rich foods. Even with iron-
rich foods, however, sometimes the body
has a problem with absorption that causes
low hemoglobin.
Common absorption problems in
children include gluten intolerance (such
as celiac) or lead exposure. In celiac or
another digestive disease with malabsorp-
tion, not enough iron is absorbed to make
hemoglobin.
If lead levels are high, hemoglobin
will be low because lead and iron com-
pete for absorption. Lead must be treated
in order to allow normal iron absorption.
Lead is another test offered in Head Start
to support the health of your child.
Interestingly, when children drink
excessive milk, they also tend to have low
hemoglobin due to the competition of iron
and calcium for absorption. That is why
they say that pregnant women should not
to take their prenatal vitamin with milk.
Women who are menstruating lose
iron in their menstrual blood. Pregnant
women have an increased need for iron
and therefore may also be at increased risk
of developing anemia. Children are often
at risk if they are born to a mother who
was anemic during pregnancy because the
child is born with less stored iron.
People who have chronic health con-
ditions, including autoimmune conditions,
liver disease, thyroid disease, inflam-
matory bowel disease and SIBO (small
intestinal bacterial overgrowth) may have
lower hemoglobin levels, which increases
the chances of developing anemia.
Hemoglobin can also be improved by
supplementing with prescription or over-
the-counter iron. It is important to work
with a health practitioner to determine
the root cause.
It is also possible to have serious prob-
lems from taking too much iron or vitamin
A. Furthermore; iron supplementation
can cause side effects, such as constipa-
tion, nausea and vomiting. Supplements
usually cause levels of iron to increase
gradually over a few weeks. A doctor
may recommend taking the supplements
for several months to increase the body’s
iron stores.
Not all individuals need more iron.
There is a disease called hemochromatosis
that is an over-storage of iron and if not
treated can cause serious health problems.
It cannot be diagnosed by checking hemo-
globin alone. Interestingly, the author
(your Head Start nutrition consultant) has
this condition (of too much iron).
Siletz Tribal Head Start offers nutri-
tional support at no cost to Head Start
families. This usually occurs over the
telephone. If you have questions or nutri-
tion concerns about your Head Start child,
please contact your teacher or the director
and ask to speak to the nutritionist.