Calcium, iron and vitamin A...what a headache!!

dzilobommo

Hello!

I've been monitoring my nutrition on MFP for a few weeks and it seems to suggest two things:

1) I have not been consuming enough calcium (20-30% of RDA)
2) I have not been consuming enough iron (10-15% of RDA)

I am not that keen on the idea of taking supplements, so I've started drinking more milk and eating yogurt for snacks, to get more calcium. Now I'm trying to tackle the low iron - but things get pretty complicated, according to info I've found on the web:

A good natural source of iron is liver - according to MFP, 100g chicken liver delivers 50% of your RDA of iron. However, it also contains 200% of your RDA of Vitamin A, which is not healthy as it interferes with calcium absorption (as does iron itself, it has been suggested by recent research). So, because of the dangers of too much Vitamin A, you should not eat liver more than once a week.

Other sources of iron (red meats, lentils etc.) would have to be consumed regularly in large amounts to give you 14mg iron a day, and spinach, which every child knows is rich in iron (thanks Popeye), is not actually that rich and apparently even contains chemicals which...inhibit the absorption of iron! :huh: Aaargh - my brain can't cope with so many confounding variables! :explode:

So - does this mean that it's simply impossible to get enough iron from your food, without resorting to supplements (especially if you are a woman)? Should you take iron supplements, or will they necessarily mess up your calcium absorption and force you to take calcium supplements as well? And where does the Vitamin A fit into all this? It's a wonder we are not all brittle-boned or anemic, if all these RDAs and indications/contra-indications are really true! :frown: How did our ancestors ever survive? :laugh:

I have not yet managed to find any consensus or reliable advice about this on the web, and I am not convinced by media reports that only focus on one part of the picture. I'd be very interested if anyone else has any ideas or advice!

Thanks for reading!

annie_p

Are you anemic? The only time I would really worry about low Iron intake is if your hemoglobin levels are low. Otherwise, don't worry too much. There are also TONS more foods with iron in them. Look up "food's high in iron". Some that come to mind are cucumbers, broccoli, watermelon, and raisins. As far as supplements go, they can be very...binding, to say the least.

As I said before, unless you're iron levels are low I wouldn't worry too much.

Iceprincessk25

Yeah definitely be careful with the iron. It can really mess up your tummy if you take too much of it. If you're ot anemic I wouldn't worry about it.

As far as the Vitamin A goes it's a fat soluable vitamin so we have stores in our body. It does't have to be replenished everyday and can actually become toxic if you consume too much of it.

TeriTee

I get a ton of iron from Cheerios (and even Rice Krispies ha). I hadn't realized there were so many good things in cereal, and since eating it I've felt a lot better!

nickyevans

Special K is really good for iron, on the days I eat that I get most of mine!

anovasjo

lentils are awesome for iron.

Eating something high in vitamin C (like tomatoes) really enhances the absorption of iron as well.

marber

I noticed this with my diary but I think it has to do with people adding foods in and not knowing all the nutritional information.

In my diary I have had 2 eggs which gave me 10% of my iron and I have also had lean minced beef which is showing 0% iron even though it is red meat and should have some iron.

I decided not to worry about it now.

dzilobommo

Thanks everyone! Good to know I don't need to worry about iron supplements - I've heard they can mess with your digestion. As far as I know, I'm not anaemic, but apparently some people can be without realising it. Maybe I'll do a health screening at some point, just to put my mind at rest

The Special K sounds like a tasty and easy source, will try that!

It's hard to watch every aspect of nutrition, but I guess by being on MFP I'm already doing a lot more than I was before!