Consistently low iron and calcium

Sophi_allheart
Sophi_allheart Posts: 45 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So I've been tracking my food the whole month, and I've noticed I am consistently not getting enough calcium and iron.

I can't eat/drink milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, etc. But I am also a woman, so I know how important calcium and iron are.

Do you have any meal recommendations for how I can incorporate more calcium and iron enriched foods in my diet?

Replies

  • LenGray
    LenGray Posts: 859 Member
    If you're looking for a non-dairy option that's low in calories, I'd recommend leafy greens like kale and spinach. Beans, lentils, seeds, and almonds are also good alternatives. :)
  • MikePfirrman
    MikePfirrman Posts: 3,307 Member
    https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/vegan-calcium-sources#8.-Some-Fruit-

    Some basic ideas of plant based calcium.
  • ElizabethKalmbach
    ElizabethKalmbach Posts: 1,415 Member
    For things that I am persistently low on, I just get good quality supplements and incorporate them into my meals and pill schedule. I don't like fish but recognize that fish oil is a great source of omega 3's... So rather than trying to force myself to like fish (which has never worked in 40 years of life and isn't likely to change) I take fish oil supplements every morning and then enjoy my chicken. ;-)

    Read your food labels and go for choices that have more of what you fall short in, but don't drive yourself nuts making everything perfect all at once. Supplement where you need to until you figure out where you're comfortable making changes.
  • Joanna2012B
    Joanna2012B Posts: 1,448 Member
    deannalfisher wrote: »
    what does your blood work say? unless a doctor tells you you have a deficency through that, i likely wouldn't worry too much

    This ^^
  • ElizabethKalmbach
    ElizabethKalmbach Posts: 1,415 Member
    Also of interest, your *water quality* may have significant effect on your mineral intake. My local water is EXCEEDINGLY high in calcium, so I have to delime my coffee pot every two weeks if I don't use RO or distilled water. I don't drink that much milk, but at 448ppm calcium, I don't really need to as long as I drink tap water. On the other hand, I DO need to supplement potassium, because all the calcium in our tap water ends up disrupting my potassium uptake...

    I mean, if you want to get *really* nerdy about this stuff.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Sophi_allheart wrote: »
    So I've been tracking my food the whole month, and I've noticed I am consistently not getting enough calcium and iron.

    I can't eat/drink milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, etc. But I am also a woman, so I know how important calcium and iron are.

    Do you have any meal recommendations for how I can incorporate more calcium and iron enriched foods in my diet?

    You may not be low at all. Database entries are crowd sourced and users enter information that is on a food label...iron and calcium aren't always listed. Additionally, some users leave out information when entering something into the database if it isn't relevant to them. MFP is pretty good in regards to tracking calories and macro-nutrients. I wouldn't really trust micro-nutrient information to be complete or use MFP to really track micro-nutrients with any kind of accuracy.
  • Sophi_allheart
    Sophi_allheart Posts: 45 Member
    ElizabethKalmbach wrote: »
    Also of interest, your *water quality* may have significant effect on your mineral intake. My local water is EXCEEDINGLY high in calcium, so I have to delime my coffee pot every two weeks if I don't use RO or distilled water. I don't drink that much milk, but at 448ppm calcium, I don't really need to as long as I drink tap water. On the other hand, I DO need to supplement potassium, because all the calcium in our tap water ends up disrupting my potassium uptake...

    I mean, if you want to get *really* nerdy about this stuff.

    I didn't know tap water has calcium in it! That's so interesting! Another reason to drink tap water as opposed to bottled.
    deannalfisher wrote: »
    what does your blood work say? unless a doctor tells you you have a deficency through that, i likely wouldn't worry too much

    I haven't had my blood work done in 2 years. I'm currently living overseas. I'll ask around and see how I can get it done. I would like to check my levels, because I am really concerned about getting enough calcium. I quit milk about 2 years ago because of my skin, and recently I've been trying to up my calcium uptake.

    Thanks everyone for the valuable information! It's good to know that some things may not have the micronutrients included in the database.
  • katarina005
    katarina005 Posts: 259 Member
    I am a vegetarian and my nutritionist said combining certain foods you get "a complete protein" because some plant sources might not have all the essential elements that beef does. So tomorrow I'm making chili with barley, and if I eat with some edamame Im getting all the aminos, plus iron from the beans, fiber and complex carbs together. Iron I eat greens like spinach.
  • Luke_rabbit
    Luke_rabbit Posts: 1,031 Member
    Besides the above advice, most non dairy substitutes are fortified with calcium, such as almond milk or yogurts. Just check the label. I get a lot of calcium just from the cashew milk I put in my morning smoothie.

    Iron is notoriously incorrect in MFP. Definitely get a blood test.
    katarina005 wrote: »
    I am a vegetarian and my nutritionist said combining certain foods you get "a complete protein" because some plant sources might not have all the essential elements that beef does. So tomorrow I'm making chili with barley, and if I eat with some edamame Im getting all the aminos, plus iron from the beans, fiber and complex carbs together. Iron I eat greens like spinach.

    This info comes from a very old study done with rats. Rats are an iffy model for humans (although not as bad as mice). It was debunked in humans at least 50 years ago. This is why we repeatedly remind people that registered dieticians are the experts in nutrition -- not doctors (who generally take only one nutrition course), trainers, or "nutritionists".
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Sophi_allheart wrote: »
    So I've been tracking my food the whole month, and I've noticed I am consistently not getting enough calcium and iron.

    I can't eat/drink milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, etc. But I am also a woman, so I know how important calcium and iron are.

    Do you have any meal recommendations for how I can incorporate more calcium and iron enriched foods in my diet?

    I'm not sure what you mean by "iron enriched" foods - do you mean foods that are naturally rich in iron, or foods that were fortified with iron? If fortified, you'd be better off taking a supplement. However, do not supplement without getting blood work that showed the need for iron.

    I'm anemic and do look at the iron values of foods that were user entered, and they are often wrong or were left out. I've never seen an issue with the macros of foods that MFP pulled from the USDA database. (There can be other issues with those, but by-and-large these weird errors are easy to spot, and admin-created entries are far more reliable entries than user-entered entries.)

    https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/iron/

    ...Iron from food comes in two forms: heme and non-heme. Heme is found only in animal flesh like meat, poultry, and seafood. Non-heme iron is found in plant foods like whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, and leafy greens. Non-heme iron is also found in animal flesh (as animals consume plant foods with non-heme iron) and fortified foods.

    Groups at risk for iron deficiency:

    ...Vegetarians—those who eat a diet without heme iron from meats, fish, and poultry may develop IDA if they do not include adequate non-heme iron foods in the diet. Because non-heme iron is not well-absorbed, either greater quantities of these foods my be required or careful attention is needed in how they are eaten to improve absorption (consuming with vitamin C-rich foods while avoiding eating with calcium-rich foods, calcium supplements, or tea).

    ************

    My favorite sources of heme iron are liverwurst and steak.

    My favorite sources of non-heme iron are the brands of blackstrap molasses that have 20% RDA in 1 tablespoon (read labels before you buy.) I'd have to eat more than 4 C of raw spinach to get that much iron.
  • Priasmama416
    Priasmama416 Posts: 103 Member
    I am in the same boat as you, I take centrum complete chewable vitamins, it helps get me to my daily goal. Also " dairy" products made with soy milk helps
  • BelleRequin
    BelleRequin Posts: 15 Member
    Get your iron tested to see if it’s really an issue. Women w heavy periods are more at risk of anemia. Non-heme iron isn’t that absorbable, so even if there’s 20mcg of iron in your spinach, that doesn’t mean your body is getting 20mcg of iron. I’m anemic unless I take an iron supplement, even though I eat red meat regularly.

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