Low calorie, high iron foods?

4SKHutton

By reading everyone's posts, I'm finding out why I continue to struggle with low Iron. Now can you tell me if there is a "milk" out there that would not interfere with absorption of the iron in my cereal? What about the Silk?
Thanks for the excellent tips that my doctor somehow didn't think to tell me!

vienna_h

I had my follow up appointment yesterday, and I am finally NOT Iron Deficient anymore!!! :bigsmile:

I owe it all to my protein/nutritional shakes.

Whey Gourmet Peanut Butter and Chocolate has 75% dv of iron for 120 calories.
Vego One Nutritional shake has 50% dv for 110 calories.
Canprev protein greens and berries has 60% for 115 calories.

Without these I'd never come close, and I'd still be on supplements (iron pills).

Remember to have your iron with vitamin C if possible and avoid calcium. Vit C increases absorption of iron, while calcium decreases it. Also remember that the body absorbs HEME iron (meat) much better than NON-HEME Iron (veggies and legumes). So even if spinach (non-heme) has a lot of iron, you're not actually absorbing as much as if you had steak (heme).

vienna_h

By reading everyone's posts, I'm finding out why I continue to struggle with low Iron. Now can you tell me if there is a "milk" out there that would not interfere with absorption of the iron in my cereal? What about the Silk?
Thanks for the excellent tips that my doctor somehow didn't think to tell me!

Just a guess, but maybe the non-fortified (or non-enriched) almond, rice ad coconut milks would have less calcium.

ecw3780

Turkey!

vienna_h

Here's also another fact that you must be aware of when actually eating iron rich foods...

Avoid Coffee, Tea, Cola, and Calcium Supplements
Some chemicals (phytic acid, tannic acid) found in coffee, tea, and cola as well as calcium bind to iron and prevent its absorption; so you should avoid drinking these liquids with your meal and avoid taking calcium supplements within an hour of meals. Tannic acid is also found in chocolate, and phytic acid is found in rye bread and some other grains.

Noooooo!!!! I can't live without tea

What is the best way to space meals/cups of tea to maximise iron absorption without giving up tea? I don't have caffeine after 7:30 so would the best strategy be to eat iron rich foods then?

Wait 2 hours before and after having iron to take foods the inhibit it's absorbtion. Not sure about tea, but my nutritionist and pharmacist told me to take my iron pills 2 hours AFTER i had any calcium, and wait 2 hours AFTER I took the pill before having calcium.

somanyrhoades

I have been trying for like 6 months to meet my iron goals and found the only way that I can do it is by eating a serving of cereal in the morning. I use plain unsweetened almond milk (60 cals in one cup), so it runs me 200-250 cals a day, but that's my breakfast. When I don't eat cereal I am only getting about 25% of the RDA for a woman of my age, and I have tried to incorporate many of the foods that people listed earlier. I eat a cup and a half of spinich a day and still don't get enough iron. You can also try pumpkin see (but those are high calorie) and cinnamon actually has a fair amount in it and very few calories so add it to the food you are already eating (I put it in plain yougurt, coffee, oatmeal) You can also get a cast iron skillet and cook in that. I have always heart that cooking with cast iron adds iron to the food you are cooking but I'm not sure how much or if it would even be measurable (or if it's even true, to be honest).

HeadsPoppingOutOfCups

Both Kellogs Frosted Mini Wheats and Fiber One Honey Clusters have 90% of your daily allowance.:flowerforyou:

That sounds way more delicious than the whole grain Cream of Wheat I eat every morning. It has 50% of the day's iron and I leave the box at work to eat every morning. It works better for me because I don't need milk for it but Honey Clusters sound way better.

gmallan

If coemone hasn't said this already, cooking your food in cast iron cookware can help add iron to your diet

benol1

I have a really hard time hitting my iron, but I really don't want to take supplements for it. What do you guys eat to hit your iron goals with minimal amount of cals?

Right now, I've been eating PB cheerios which have about 45% iron per 110 cal serving, and cream of wheat which has about 70% per 150 cal serving, but I was hoping for some lower cal options. Ideas?

You might wish to watch this short video which seems to be relevant to your situation:
http://nutritionfacts.org/video/risk-associated-with-iron-supplements/
kind regards,

Ben

hipbonesareawesome

jsapninz wrote: »

Sundried tomatoes...yummy!! I freaking despise spinach so this is my go-to.

A trainer at a gym once told me that calcium inhibits iron absorption..I don't know if that is true or not but fyi.

I talked to my heamatology lecturer today and she confirmed it, as they have the same receptor which absorbs them, and calcium always get higher priority than iron. She also said that Rooibos tea is also an iron rich supplement, but should not be drank with milk, for the above mentioned reason.
If you do want to drink milk after eating iron rich foods (e.g red meat), wait at least two hours for the iron to have absorbed.
The reason you have to drink orange juice with iron intake is that iron intake takes place in a very acid-like environment.

hipbonesareawesome

dhakiyya wrote: »

Here's also another fact that you must be aware of when actually eating iron rich foods...

Avoid Coffee, Tea, Cola, and Calcium Supplements
Some chemicals (phytic acid, tannic acid) found in coffee, tea, and cola as well as calcium bind to iron and prevent its absorption; so you should avoid drinking these liquids with your meal and avoid taking calcium supplements within an hour of meals. Tannic acid is also found in chocolate, and phytic acid is found in rye bread and some other grains.

Noooooo!!!! I can't live without tea

What is the best way to space meals/cups of tea to maximise iron absorption without giving up tea? I don't have caffeine after 7:30 so would the best strategy be to eat iron rich foods then?

I copied this from a previous post I made:

I talked to my heamatology lecturer today and she confirmed that calcium inhibits iron absorbtion, as they have the same receptor which absorbs them, and calcium always get higher priority than iron. She also said that Rooibos tea is also an iron rich supplement, but should not be drank with milk, for the above mentioned reason.
If you do want to drink milk after eating iron rich foods (e.g red meat), wait at least two hours for the iron to have absorbed.
The reason you have to drink orange juice with iron intake is that iron intake takes place in a very acid-like environment.

eldamiano

Why not supplements?

amusedmonkey

Great suggestions from other posters, but if you are looking for more iron without having to change your diet too much, add thyme, parsley, cumin, dill and mint to your dishes they are all pretty dense with iron, and although they aren't usually consumed in big quantities every little bit helps. a teaspoon of dried thyme for example can provide you with 6% of your iron needs for just 3 calories, and an ounce of fresh parsley gives you 10% DV iron for only 10 calories.

I know this because I'm constantly watching my own iron. Mine tends to be low since I don't like many of the foods that have it. Adding a bunch of herbs to every single meal + forcing myself to eat a few iron rich things has really helped.