I need to know how to get more Iron!

I take a natural supplement called iron extra. You can find it at our local health food store.

Thyme - fresh or dried
Spinach- I think baby leaf spinach tastes better.
Eggs
Beans, lentils, chickpeas
A lot of nuts contain iron
Some breakfast cereals have high iron, check the labels

I normally take a supplement- you need vitamin c to absorb iron properly, so I take one that combines both And when you eat iron rich foods, try and have some Vit C (orange juice etc) at the same time
Coffee and alcohol are supposed to block iron absorption so bear that in mind when planning iron rich meals

Hope this helps

The iron from meat is the best absorbed iron. The one from plants, not so much. Even if spinach has a lot, it still doesn't work as well as the one from beef.

the best way is to take a supplement....n its not dat expensive....u'l find one in amy supermarket or rite aid...try it....dat will be d best

Try the Middle Eastern spice za'atar. In 2 tbsp, you get 160% of your iron. I'm anemic, so I'm with you, always trying to increase my intake.

I actually take "Slow Fe"....it is a supplement and isn't harsh on your system.

Unlike what others suggest, iron is not to be taken as a supplement OTC. Do not use iron supplements without the advice of your physician after a blood test for iron levels.

I sneak my spinach into my smoothies and protein drinks!

Do you like grits? They have a lot of iron.

Oh, this is all so extremely helpful. Whenever I don't get enough iron, I end up with a whole bunch of random little bruises, usually on my thighs, and I get really dizzy. I'm going to have to keep all of these things in mind.

Liquorice is apparently high in iron. And Bombay Mix. I read that the other day on an NHS leaflet about iron - a friend of mine is anaemic and looking to increase her iron.

Oh also- I try and only take the supplement if I can't manage to eat enough iron one day or if I'm on my period.....I agree with what some people above....if you have too much it can give you a bad stomach!!

I guess if you can manage to have enough naturally it's bound to be better for you

Unlike what others suggest, iron is not to be taken as a supplement OTC. Do not use iron supplements without the advice of your physician after a blood test for iron levels.

Good to know. Thank you. My wife and daughter both have Iron definiciencies so I found this interesting. Especially about the Indian spice. I will look into that.

Usually doctors refrain from supplements if the deficiency isn't too dreadful and try to fix it with appropriate diet. Low iron levels may be related to lack of enough vitamin C as well, since vit. C enhances iron absorption.

Liver, lentils, dried fruit, even for vegetarians or vegan, the choices are plenty despite the lower absorption of non-heme iron. Good luck to your wife and daughter

The iron from meat is the best absorbed iron. The one from plants, not so much. Even if spinach has a lot, it still doesn't work as well as the one from beef.

Who cares whether heme iron is better absorbed? It's not an option for vegetarians.

Quinoa is another good source. So is blackstrap molasses. I'm not sure what your cooking situation is but cooking in a cast iron pan also boosts the iron content of food. Just as Vitamin C boosts absorption, calcium can hinder absorption so be mindful of eating lot of calcium when you're eating iron.

As far as gentler supplements I've heard great things about Floradix and Floralvital (food-based, same company, one is gluten-free). It's what I would have taken during pregnancy except that my iron levels never got low enough to need supplementation. It really should be possible to do it through diet alone, though. Since I'm vegan, while I was pregnant I generally ate a couple cups of beans a day, some tofu, some quinoa and greens and that got me well above the recommended amount during pregnancy which is higher than the normal recommendation for women. With a little bit of planning you should be fine without the supplement provided you don't already have anemia.

hi i've been veggie too for a very long time (i'm semi now though i eat fish). here is what i know (actually from my son's peditrician bc he had some low iron levels too):

vegetables: broccoli, collard greens, kale, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, spinach, beans (the latter 2 being excellent sources)
cereals: cream of wheat, oatmeal, farina, wheat germ, bread, molasses (1 tbsp black strap)
fruits: prunes, raisins, dates, apricots, peaches
other: eggs, tuna, beanut butter (1 tbsp)

hope that helps! good luck!

This is a great list. I am not vegetarian but don't eat meat very often and I rely on dark greens, beans, eggs, and nuts for a lot of my iron. I would add that lentils are also great, more iron than beans. Quinoa, tofu and tempeh are pretty good iron sources, too. As others have mentioned, for the best iron absorption you should eat vitamin C-rich food with or soon after/before your high iron meal. You should also avoid calcium and coffee and tea (tannins) within a couple hours of eating your iron-rich foods because they can inhibit absorption. If you google something like "vegetarian iron sources" you can find a lot of information about this.