Question for Vegetarians

AlynnP1005

I have been leading a pretty much vegetarian lifestyle for almost 2 months now....I eat no meat or dairy, but I do sometimes have fish. I am wondering if any other veggies out there have troubles with iron levels? Mine is continuously low, even with a supplement. What foods do you eat to help with that? Also, do you take any other supplements to make sure you are getting everything your body needs, just in case you are missing anything from your diet? I just want to make sure that I am doing this correctly

Thanks!

StaceyL76

I don't take it personally but many other's that have had issues with iron levels take Salus Floridix Formula - liquid. You could also start cooking with a true cast iron skillet.

erickirb

Black strap molasses has about 35% RDA of iron per tablespoon, you can put it on toast, pancakes, waffles, oatmeal, bake it in muffins or bread. If you eat cereal read the labels, many are fortified with iron, same with soy milk if you drink that. You may need a B vitamin supplement as well.

miqisha

Veggies high in iron are:

Lentil
Spinach
White Beans
Winged Beans
Apricots, Dried
Chickpeas
Lima Beans
Pigeon Peas
Pink Beans
Pinto Beans
Small White Beans

I am sure there are more, but those I found on a website, to give you an idea

Goodluck

MissyDesiree

Do you take a B12 vitamin? If not you should be. This is a vital key we are missing when not eating meat and it helps with Iron deficiency.

Chickpeas are a great source of Iron, Spinach and beans!

merimeaux

I've been a vegetarian for nearly 20 years (just celebrated my 25th birthday June 1) and I am indeed anemic, but I didn't know that I had an iron and B12 deficiency until this year. Today one of my doctors recommended a good over-the-counter iron supplement called Bifera, so I'm going to give that a shot. Beans and lentils are good sources of iron, as are leafy greens like spinach. My dietician also informed me today that many grains nowadays are fortified with iron, so that's good news too. I don't eat fish but I do eat dairy products. Hope this helps you in your vegetarian quest!

AlynnP1005

Thanks for all the great responses! I am taking a B12 supplement as well as my iron one (I think the iron one I am taking is called Ferrous Formulate or something like that). I eat alot of spinach, beans and soy now, but I think I will start tracking it to see how much I am actually getting.

And thanks for the tip about molasses, I love it, didnt realize it packed such an iron punch

lilmissy2

I'm not a vego but I am a dietitian and I know that a vegetarian diet can definitely provide all the iron you need.

Other than the types of foods that contain iron, which lots of people have mentioned, you also need to consider the type of iron. There are 2 types - haem and non-haem. Haem is the type in meat and it is readily absorbed by the body. Non-haem is the type in vegetarian sources of iron and it is not so well absorbed. Non-haem iron is also the type found in supplements.

To help with the absorption -

* Try to eat a high vitamin C food with each meal e.g. most fruits, juice, capsicum, broccoli... there's loads
* Try to keep anything containing caffeine to only between meals because it can inhibit absorption
* Dairy also inhibits absorption but that shouldn't be an issue for you because you don't eat that

Hope that helps

Alleghany

I discovered Vega Complete Whole Food Health Optimizer a few years ago and it really helped to boost my iron levels when I was pregnant. One serving has 18 mg which is 100% of your daily value. I usually have a half portion every morning with unsweetened cranberry juice. It makes a great breakfast (or lunch) when you're on the go. There are a few different flavors but I prefer the unflavored one since the other ones seem a bit overpowering to me.

http://myvega.com/products/whole-food-health-optimizer/features-benefits

Hope this helps!