iron supplements?

Definitely get your iron level tested before taking anything. You do not want to overload on Iron.

There is hardly anyone that can hit MFP iron daily goal unless you take a MV with iron or eat liver and tons of spinach everyday. That being said, cooking with cast iron should help. You can include foods in your diet that are high in iron- green leafy vegetables, meat, chia seeds, beets, etc. If you don't have symptoms of anemia (fatigue, shortness of breath with exercise, pale skin, lightheadness) then you are probably fine without supplements. Have your doctor check some iron levels with your next physical. I wouldn't necessarily use supplements unless you know you are low. A great iron supplement is Blood Builder by MegaFoods, it gets the work done without GI troubles.

#1 side effect of iron pills...constipation. I had iron defecient anemia as the result of my Crohn's disease and had to get 6 IV iron infusions last year, so I take my iron levels very seriously. I'm also vegetarian which can make it a little more difficult to find iron sources. First the dr put me on prenatal vitamins because of the iron, but I couldn't handle the side effects, so I switched to liquid iron, which tastes exactly how you think it would taste...revolting. I have now made a serious effort to get my iron from food sources and my blood work has never been better. Definitely get you blood checked before starting supplements-too much iron is really bad for you. Some great sources of iron are blackstrap moleasses, sugar snap peas, fortified breads, Gardein faux meat products (or red meats if you eat meat), beans (especially lentils), quinoa, oats & kale. As someone else said, you will need to consume bitamin c with iron to obtain maximum absorption (add strawberries to oatmeal, have some snap peas with a burger or veggie burger, etc.) Feel free to check out my diary for ideas.