How important is it to include iron into your diet?

lushy20

I have just been looking through my food diary for the last week and i have been concentrating more on calories, sodium and fats to realise that i dont have any iron in my diet at all apart from a few days. I dont really eat red meats or alot of meat for that matter.
I just wanna know what the concequences would be if i was to carry on this way. should i start taking a supplement or is iron tablets only prescribed. i remember when pregnant i had to take these.

kymgrubb

iron is important--if you don't get enough you can become anemic...and have faiting spells---iron supplements are over the counter but can cause you to be constepated if you over do it. but highly recommend that you talk to your doctor to find out what your iron levels are.

tacticalhippie

Probably want to check with your Dr on that one.
But you can become fatigued, experience hair loss and a bunch of other problems if your iron is too low.

I just take a multi that has iron in it.

AlliDoisWin81

Take a multivitamin and you're set.

kitujainen

liver casserole, spinach soup, blood pancakes, black sausage, omnomnom!

lucky48

I don't eat nearly enough Iron in my diet so I take a multivitamin that contains it. Iron is vital to your body for carrying oxygen in both hemoglobin in your blood and myoglobin in muscles. I wouldn't just start taking an iron supplement other than a multivitamin without first checking with your doctor as too much iron has some pretty severe consequences.

A good site to read about iron and supplements is on the National Institutes of Health and can be found here:
http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/iron/

AISA86

Missing a few days here and there will have no adverse effects. The body is very clever like that.

PediNurse67

You def need iron. If you're not getting enough iron then, you will become anemic. There are alot of other high iron foods but if you can not incorporate them into your diet, then I recommend that you take an iron supplement (but beware because they can & will cause constipation).

http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/blood/009.html#ArticleParsysMiddleColumn0009

Liz75

Hi,
You can get iron from other sources besides meat including fortified cereals, dark green leafy veg, lentils, nuts..
Women have lower iron levels than men due to menstruating too. I take liquid iron supplement near my time of month, plus vitamin B6 is good for energy levels. Google iron sources and I'm sure you'll find a varied list of food ideas.
Hoe this helps!

NuclearGirl

Iron is really important as an inadequate intake can cause ill-health- but you should be able to get all you need from your diet without resorting to supplements.
One of the problems that I have found with some of the foods in the database is they neglect to enter any values for vitamins & minerals. So just because your daily totals tell you that you aren't getting enough - this may not actually be the case.
For example - I eat a lot of broccoli which is a good source of iron - but it doesn't always register in my diet depending on which food I select from the database. I didn't realise this to begin with, but I'm learning as I go along!
The following website is a good source of information if you want to take a look at all the nutrients in your food - http://nutritiondata.self.com/
I personally would avoid iron supplements unless you have medical evidence that you have iron-deficiency anaemia - if you have enough in your diet, then additional iron can give you iron overload which is also not good!

kitujainen

you cant donate blood if ure missing iron

michiganderrdh

I'm chronically anemic but not because of my diet - my blood doesn't absorb it well. I hven't been able to give blood in years.
I try to get my iron in my diet. It's the best way. Loads of leafy greens like kale (I add kale to most thing we eat - scrambled eggs, salads, pasta) .
I'm also taking prenatal vits (nursing) w/extra iron as well. I also drink Shakeology. Lots of nutrients !

lushy20

think i will ask my doctor to check my iron levels then go from there.

thanks for your answers everyone

indigoeyes

If you can handle the taste, then I recommend blackstrap molasses. I don't eat red meat and I've been iron-deficient since childhood (I ate lots of red meat as a child though but was always anemic). I've been taking a tbsp of BSM for less than a year now and no longer need iron supplements. Blackstrap molasses (preferably the unsulphered kind) is loaded with other nutrients like zinc and some b vitamins. The iron is absorbed even better if you take it with vitamin c (I eat an orange or kiwi). I couldn't stand the taste at first but now I don't mind it at all.

Also watch your coffee intake. It blocks some iron absorption.

lushy20

If you can handle the taste, then I recommend blackstrap molasses. I don't eat red meat and I've been iron-deficient since childhood (I ate lots of red meat as a child though but was always anemic). I've been taking a tbsp of BSM for less than a year now and no longer need iron supplements. Blackstrap molasses (preferably the unsulphered kind) is loaded with other nutrients like zinc and some b vitamins. The iron is absorbed even better if you take it with vitamin c (I eat an orange or kiwi). I couldn't stand the taste at first but now I don't mind it at all.

Also watch your coffee intake. It blocks some iron absorption.

thanks for that i havent heard of it, but i dont need to worry about coffee intake i dont drink it i think its horrible lol

nettip

lushy we have just fallen out lol coffee is so lush is made correct ! baked beans are high in iron, i asked my nurse why i crave baked beans when its time of month and she said its because my body is craving iron intake and they have loads of it!! brocoli and cabage is also reli good xxx

lushy20

lol i cant stand coffee at all im a tea drinker, not much now tho iv limited myself to 2 cups a day.
i like baked beans iv found out potato has iron in it too but they just arent showing on my food log so i am getting some iron lol