Iron Fortified Cereal or Pop Tarts?

cappri
cappri Posts: 1,089 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I just discovered I'm anemic and my doctor has prescribed iron supplements three times a day. She also wants my diet to be more iron rich, well and run less but we'll ignore that for now. I keep reading that breakfast cereals are iron fortified and I looked at Cheerios and yes a serving has 45% of daily requirement in a serving, which is great. However I also keep reading that calcium hurts the absorption of iron. Cereal without milk? I can't eat it that way. However what is the point if the milk just cancels out the iron?

I looked at pop tarts too, because who doesn't want a good reason to eat pop tarts? They have 20% of your daily iron, which is still pretty good. Bumps up to 40% if you eat both in the package. Of course the 400 calorie hit is brutal, but I can eat pop tarts without milk!
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Replies

  • shannashannabobana
    shannashannabobana Posts: 625 Member
    Is there some reason you don't want to just eat meat? Liver has tons of iron if you like liver at all, but also red meat, dark chicken, spinach...
  • cappri
    cappri Posts: 1,089 Member
    Is there some reason you don't want to just eat meat? Liver has tons of iron if you like liver at all, but also red meat, dark chicken, spinach...

    For breakfast?

    Actually I have no problem eating meat, not liver ewww gross! I already eat a lot of spinach. I was just looking at the breakfast cereal because the second you start looking up iron rich foods, the fortified cereals pop up as a suggestion.
  • shannashannabobana
    shannashannabobana Posts: 625 Member
    Is there some reason you don't want to just eat meat? Liver has tons of iron if you like liver at all, but also red meat, dark chicken, spinach...

    For breakfast?
    Well, there is sausage and bacon :) (apparently bacon has more than sausage, fwiw)

    I am not big on 'fortified' stuff, personally, so maybe I'm biased. If you want one of those things, I'd pick the one with the least sugar I guess.
  • cappri
    cappri Posts: 1,089 Member
    Is there some reason you don't want to just eat meat? Liver has tons of iron if you like liver at all, but also red meat, dark chicken, spinach...

    For breakfast?
    Well, there is sausage and bacon :) (apparently bacon has more than sausage, fwiw)

    I am not big on 'fortified' stuff, personally, so maybe I'm biased. If you want one of those things, I'd pick the one with the least sugar I guess.

    Bacon is always good.
  • highervibes
    highervibes Posts: 2,219 Member
    Would meat at your other meals not cut it? I don't know the content of red meat but I would look into whether or not you can get most of it from other meals? Also, don't quote me, but I THINK milk MIGHT hinder the absorbtion or iron but I can't be sure, I recall reading that somewhere. Again, I could just be talking out of my *kitten* here lol (in which case pop tart would win! lol)
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  • mrmagee3
    mrmagee3 Posts: 518 Member
    Is there some reason you don't want to just eat meat? Liver has tons of iron if you like liver at all, but also red meat, dark chicken, spinach...

    Liver, Pop Tarts, Liver l, Pot Tarts.....hmmmmm.........I think I know which one I'm choosing.

    I pick liver. That stuff is delicious.
  • highervibes
    highervibes Posts: 2,219 Member
    Is there some reason you don't want to just eat meat? Liver has tons of iron if you like liver at all, but also red meat, dark chicken, spinach...

    Liver, Pop Tarts, Liver l, Pot Tarts.....hmmmmm.........I think I know which one I'm choosing.

    Lets make it interesting, bbq ribeye, poptarts, bbq ribeye, poptarts lol
  • highervibes
    highervibes Posts: 2,219 Member
    Is there some reason you don't want to just eat meat? Liver has tons of iron if you like liver at all, but also red meat, dark chicken, spinach...

    Liver, Pop Tarts, Liver l, Pot Tarts.....hmmmmm.........I think I know which one I'm choosing.

    I pick liver. That stuff is delicious.

    I think I just threw up in my mouth a little,
  • Bigjuicyhog
    Bigjuicyhog Posts: 61 Member
    I would rather eat an iron skillet than liver.
  • mrmagee3
    mrmagee3 Posts: 518 Member
    I think I just threw up in my mouth a little,
    I would rather eat an iron skillet than liver.

    More for me!

    Though you are missing out on liverwurst (like, delicious bologna), pate, FOIE GRAS (though not as good as other livers as an iron source)...
  • QuilterInVA
    QuilterInVA Posts: 672 Member
    Pop tarts or cereal - neither! Red meat has iron. That fortified stuff may or may not be used by your body. Processed food is no place to get good nutrition.
  • corgicake
    corgicake Posts: 846 Member
    Is there some reason you don't want to just eat meat? Liver has tons of iron if you like liver at all, but also red meat, dark chicken, spinach...

    Liver, Pop Tarts, Liver l, Pot Tarts.....hmmmmm.........I think I know which one I'm choosing.
    Pot tarts sounds horrifingly beautiful. WANT.
  • mrmagee3
    mrmagee3 Posts: 518 Member
    Is there some reason you don't want to just eat meat? Liver has tons of iron if you like liver at all, but also red meat, dark chicken, spinach...

    Liver, Pop Tarts, Liver l, Pot Tarts.....hmmmmm.........I think I know which one I'm choosing.
    Pot tarts sounds horrifingly beautiful. WANT.

    This post is oddly hilarious if I consider it spoken from the perspective of an actual corgi.
  • elisabeisme
    elisabeisme Posts: 308 Member
    coffee also inhibits iron absorption but vitamin C and alcohol increase it. might need to replace your morning coffee with a mimosa.

    Pop Tarts + Mimosa = The Breakfast of Champions.
  • PippiNe
    PippiNe Posts: 283 Member
    Quaker Oatmeal Squares are high in iron (even more than Cheerios) and the bonus is that these taste great without milk. I love to eat them for a snack. I like the plain original flavor, but they do have them in an assortment of flavors.
  • highervibes
    highervibes Posts: 2,219 Member
    coffee also inhibits iron absorption but vitamin C and alcohol increase it. might need to replace your morning coffee with a mimosa.

    Pop Tarts + Mimosa = The Breakfast of Champions.

    YESSSS it was coffee I was thinking. My iron was on the lower end of normal and my doctor did mention this too me. I eat a significant amount of red meat so it's definitely an absorption issue for me.
  • skuehn48
    skuehn48 Posts: 3,079 Member
    How about just a multivitamin with iron in it? Also I work for a gastroenterologist and when he prescribes iron for his anemic patients he also has them take vitamin C because it helps your body absorb iron better. Just a thought. SD
  • Faery_Dust
    Faery_Dust Posts: 246 Member
    My midwife recommended weetabix for iron when I was anemic when I was pregnant (smell of meat made me puke at the time lol). She never said anything about milk making it not effective though!
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    How about having a liver sandwich, but instead of bread use pop tarts
  • newfette81
    newfette81 Posts: 185
    Cream of wheat had 66% of your daily recommended iron. I make mine with water and a bit of honey :smile:
  • grentea
    grentea Posts: 96 Member
    I think vit C is supposed to help with iron absorption. Can you take the iron supplement at another time of the day, like before you go to bed? It does cause stomach discomfort or pain, but if you take it alone without other food it would help with absorption. You could always eat the cereal plain as a snack later in the day and skip the milk. Pop tarts are not very healthy.

    Just wanted to add that usually it is best to not try to make up nutritional deficits with processed foods. There are better ways to improve your diet. Sorry, I work in healthcare and this kind of thing secretly really grinds my gears. Please take your health seriously.
  • cappri
    cappri Posts: 1,089 Member
    coffee also inhibits iron absorption but vitamin C and alcohol increase it. might need to replace your morning coffee with a mimosa.

    Pop Tarts + Mimosa = The Breakfast of Champions.

    YES! You are a genius!!!!
  • cappri
    cappri Posts: 1,089 Member
    How about just a multivitamin with iron in it? Also I work for a gastroenterologist and when he prescribes iron for his anemic patients he also has them take vitamin C because it helps your body absorb iron better. Just a thought. SD

    I do take a multivitamin, and have just been prescribed an iron supplement to take 3 times a day. The doctor didn't say anything about adding in more vitamin C. I do eat a lot of fruit so that might not be an issue.
  • cappri
    cappri Posts: 1,089 Member
    Cream of wheat had 66% of your daily recommended iron. I make mine with water and a bit of honey :smile:

    I like cream of wheat I'll look at that.
  • cappri
    cappri Posts: 1,089 Member
    Pop tarts or cereal - neither! Red meat has iron. That fortified stuff may or may not be used by your body. Processed food is no place to get good nutrition.

    Processed food often tastes really good though.
  • cappri
    cappri Posts: 1,089 Member
    How about having a liver sandwich, but instead of bread use pop tarts

    Gross! How about I replace the liver with peanut butter, that would be yummy.
  • cappri
    cappri Posts: 1,089 Member
    I think vit C is supposed to help with iron absorption. Can you take the iron supplement at another time of the day, like before you go to bed? It does cause stomach discomfort or pain, but if you take it alone without other food it would help with absorption. You could always eat the cereal plain as a snack later in the day and skip the milk. Pop tarts are not very healthy.

    Just wanted to add that usually it is best to not try to make up nutritional deficits with processed foods. There are better ways to improve your diet. Sorry, I work in healthcare and this kind of thing secretly really grinds my gears. Please take your health seriously.

    Thanks for the concern. I do take my health with a good amount of seriousness. If you don't find the humor in somethings though it can be terribly depressing. Plus I really do like pop tarts!
  • Faery_Dust
    Faery_Dust Posts: 246 Member
    Its defiinitely recommended to take iron supplements with Vit C, a small glass of OJ at the same time should be fine. Also, iron can make you constipated.... oh and it can make your poo black.... just thought I'd warn you about that in case you didn't know, can look a little freaky! lol
  • forthehungergames
    forthehungergames Posts: 34
    PLAIN CHEERIOS. They're better for the environment than meat and poptarts. Pop tarts aren't nearly as filling and the gelatin is made with ground up animal bone!

    Cheerios can be spiced up with banana, blueberries, ect. Poptarts = sugar.

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