Is it bad if you dont meet iron, calcium, etc goals?

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xcbballuver
xcbballuver Posts: 186
in Food and Nutrition
I realized most days i don't meet the goal for calcium,iron, and sodium. Should i be worried about calcium and iron? Usually i just keep track of calories :/

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  • natskedat
    natskedat Posts: 570 Member
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    Not a big deal. On a low calorie diet, it's sometimes difficult to meet all of our micronutrient needs. The remedy is as simple as an age/sex appropriate multivitamin!

    Good luck!
  • fionat29
    fionat29 Posts: 717 Member
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    I used to worry but then I realised that because a lot of the calorie values are added by us mere mortals, it is nearly impossible for us to know all the mineral and vitamin content of the foods, because these values aren't on the sides of the packs that we buy. The manufacturers need to get their acts together, we want to know these facts and they should provide them.
    Anyway, don't worry too much, as long as you are eating healthily and hopefully exercising, then the chances are you are getting what you need.
  • Miss_Sissy
    Miss_Sissy Posts: 27 Member
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    I would keep track of how far below the goal you are actually getting. Calcium is very important to your bones and keeping them healthy. You don't want your iron to run to low because it can cause anemia. I mean, if it says 25 and your getting 20, don't worry about it. But if it says 25 and your getting 1 or 2 once in a while then I'd worry about it. If it is very low every day, then i'd worry. If you are somewhat close most of the time, then I would not worry...

    Greens, pees, milk, some cheeses, plain yogurt (add fruit, granola), chicken, fish...

    These are just some things that, prepared correctly are a good source of calcium and/or iron
  • dreanance
    dreanance Posts: 246
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    Many of the MFP foods don't have accurate date for those nutrients.

    That being said, I do take a multi vitamin (with iron) every day and a calcium supplement most days.
  • xcbballuver
    xcbballuver Posts: 186
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    oh perhaps i should start taking multivitamins again.. thanks everyone :)
  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
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    Well, if you're only goal is to lose weight, no, it's not a big deal.

    But as a woman wanting to be healthy, yeah, you need enough of both. Calcium is important to bone density. If you don't get enough now, you'll regret it later (when you have to start worrying about osteoporosis). Iron is important for hemoglobin, the part of your blood that carries the oxygen. As women, we have to be more careful about iron because we lose some every month during our TOM (not all women, but many). Low iron can lead to anemia which can cause feelings of tiredness. In extreme cases, it can be dangerous (my mom ended up in the ER thinking it was a heart attack when really her iron was so low her heart wasn't getting enough oxygen ... that's an extreme case, though).

    Calcium is pretty easy to get. Add 2-3 glasses of skim milk to your daily intake. It's only 80 calories per 8 oz, and 30% of your dairy. Iron is in a lot of food as fortification, and occurs naturally in red meat. But it's not always listen on everything on MFP (as a previous poster pointed out). Don't get obsessive about the numbers, but do be aware of your intake to avoid health problems! (Oh, and a women's one-a-day vitamin would be another way to supplement those, even the generic ones)

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