Pump that iron!

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DaivaSimone
DaivaSimone Posts: 657 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi fellow MFPers!

I totally support the fact that women should lift heavy because

tumblr_mw8cztSX6l1snedsxo1_1280.jpg

but I'm not currently talking about that kind of iron.

I'm 30 weeks pregnant now and I started to have vertigo episodes and general diziness because of an iron deficiency that is, apparently, totally normal in the 3rd trimester. Unfortunately, I just can't stomach the iron supplement that is prescribed in my situation (you don't want to know).

What would be your best tips to increase my iron intake? Do you have any go-to food or recipes that can help me?

I currently need around 25 mg of iron everyday (normal intake for a woman of my age is 18 mg, so I'm aiming to 150% of the iron intake set by MFP). I think that I managed 85% yesterday, which is about 15 mg. Not enough.

Any suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks!

Replies

  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    Hi there. I have never really paid attention to my iron intake but I just checked out my diary and it looks like I get in plenty most days. I went ahead and added an iron column to my diary--feel free to look at it. (Note: I was sick over the past few weeks and have some spotty logging but I tend to eat the same things over and over so you'll get a good idea of how I get my iron.)
  • brendywendy
    brendywendy Posts: 8 Member
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    http://www.bordbia.ie/consumer/aboutfood/nutrition/pages/ironforwomen.aspx
  • FrustratedYoYoer
    FrustratedYoYoer Posts: 274 Member
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    Cashew nuts, apricots, flaxseed, dark leafy veg like spinach etc x
  • ASKyle
    ASKyle Posts: 1,475 Member
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    Seeds (pumpkin, squash, flax, sunflower)
    Shellfish
    Red meat
    Beans & lentils
    Dark leafy greens
    Last but not least... dark chocolate!
  • charis_et2
    charis_et2 Posts: 9 Member
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    Lots of breakfast cereals are fortified with iron too :)
  • sammyliftsandeats
    sammyliftsandeats Posts: 2,421 Member
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    Spinach wilts down a lot when you cook it, so you could maybe get a lot more in by sauteeing spinach in a pan with a little bit of oil.

    According to google, there is 2.7mg of iron in 100g of fresh spinach. And then some links are saying that by cooking it, you are getting more iron.

    http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/cooked-vs-raw-spinach-iron-content-1420.html

    Now, I don't know if that is really true or not but spinach is also very low calorie, so you can eat lots without really going over in calories but getting your iron in.

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