Help with Iron

madinha1

Hi guys,

I am new to mfp and new to vegetarianism. I stopped eating meat Jan 1st this year. So far is been pretty easy as I didn't care for meat to begin with.
The only problem I am having is that it seems that no matter what I eat, I am always under the minimums of iron. I eat a lot of dark green veggies and I'm paying attention on my choices, but I rarely go over 60% of the daily recommendation. Any tips?
Thank you !!!

hotnumber

Take an iron supplement. You can take the capsules or it comes in liquid form

Justthisgirl1994

I take floredex, an iron tablet. Cereals and oatmeals tend to be rich in iron too.

Take vitamin c or have an orange with food that's high in iron - it helps with the absorption. And on top of that avoid drinking green tea with food, it doesn't let the body absorb iron.

RodaRose

Beans, Dried Apricots, Blackstrap Molasses. Pumpkin Seeds.
Vitamin C helps with the absorption of iron --- you get both in the leafy greens.

isulo_kura

madinha1 wrote: »

Hi guys,

I am new to mfp and new to vegetarianism. I stopped eating meat Jan 1st this year. So far is been pretty easy as I didn't care for meat to begin with.
The only problem I am having is that it seems that no matter what I eat, I am always under the minimums of iron. I eat a lot of dark green veggies and I'm paying attention on my choices, but I rarely go over 60% of the daily recommendation. Any tips?
Thank you !!!

MFP is not an accurate way to track iron. Most entries on the database don't have iron entered. So I would not take any notice of that. If you have concerns about iron go and get tested by your doctor. Just to add Vegetarians and Vegans do not have any more incidence of anaemia than the general population, so as long as your eating a balanced diet and are healthy it should not be an issue. As a 20 year+ Vegan I have never had any issues

hgycta

Since you said you're a vegetarian and therefore won't be getting iron from meat sources (which would be considered heme iron), you'll be consuming non-heme iron, which isn't absorbed as easily. When consuming non-heme iron it's best to consume it with vitamin C as this will help your body absorb it more, whereas calcium will have the opposite effect.
Some plant sources of iron include spinach, beans, etc. (you can find a whole list online I'm sure!)
What I generally do to make it easier though is measure out one cup of dry cereal (I use Honey Bunches of Oats, which has 80% of iron per cup), and then eat a small mini pepper on the side or orange slice for that vitamin C. Dry cereal is very convenient, cheap, and you can put it in a bag which makes it portable and a great snack that you can munch mindlessly on for only around 160 calories. Enriched cereal generally has a lot of vitamins and nutrients other than iron also added, so just make sure before buying one that it doesn't have added calcium, as again, this will affect how much iron you absorb.
Good luck on your new lifestyle!

TeaBea

Grapenuts & Raisin Bran have good iron numbers (Rasin Bran has vitamin C too). Add cereal to a smoothie if you don't want a bowl of cereal.

I take a multivitamin WITH iron. Be sure to look at the label (and for a child proof cap). Lots of brands have dropped iron.

jgnatca

ScreeField

isulo_kura wrote: »

MFP is not an accurate way to track iron. Most entries on the database don't have iron entered.

This. There are better nutrient tracking apps that do have iron (and all the other missing stuff), but not as convenient as MFP.

Justthisgirl1994 wrote: »

I take floredex, an iron tablet.

And, this. The Floradix products are best. They rate highly at Consumerlab, recommended by my doc, don't cause stomach issues for me, and are more effective unlike others I've tried. Especially the the liquid iron. I believe they are vegan and some are gluten free. However, I use the tablets instead of liquid because I travel so much--much easier to bring tablets through airport security and on backpacking trips. If you are taking thyroid or calcium supplements or other "metals" it's best to take them 4 hours apart from Iron* Talk to your doctor--mine had great advice about this stuff.

*I did a search and found a list of "Other products that inhibit absorption are: phosphates (sodas), polyphenols (red wine, purple grape juice, coffee, tea, spices, some fruits, some vegetables), wheat bran, phytates (phytic acids found in legumes, grains and rice can decrease absorption by 50%), tannins (teas, coffees), manganese, cobalt, copper, cadmium (in cigarette smoke), calcium, legume protein (soybeans, lentils, black beans, mung beans, and split peas), lignin (fibrous tissued vegetables) and soy protein. Nonheme iron is more affected by the above inhibitors than heme iron." ( http://web.mit.edu/athletics/sportsmedicine/wcrminerals.html )

discretekim

Yes you actually need almost 200% iron if none of it comes from animal sources. Cereal is good and take a vitamin. And eating it with vitamin c helps. Eating it with calcium actually hurts because calcium competes with non heme iron for absorption. Also if you are vegan or plan to become one you must supplement b12 as it only comes from animal sources.

sullus

Most prepackaged breakfast cereals are loaded with iron (and vegetarian). Dark chocolate has more iron per ounce than beef. (sure, a serving of chocolate is 1 oz, and a serving of beef is more like 6 .. But 1 oz of dark chocolate has 12% of your daily iron).

Leafy greens like spinach and kale are held up as examples of high iron foods, but they are laughably low.

Dried apricots are loaded with iron. Baked potatoes are an OK source.

There's a lot of resources out there that can give you good data on this topic ..

moglovesshoez

70% or above dark chocolate

madinha1

Thank you guys! I'm going to check out cereals and supplements this weekend. I am currently eating special K protein for breakfast. Love all the helpful people here

amwood1528

Take an iron vitamin or eat foods that are high in iron such as: oatmeal or spinach etc.