Veganism and anemia?

Petitepaws55
Petitepaws55 Posts: 6
in Food and Nutrition
Hi,
I've been thinking about becoming vegan for a while, both for health and ethical reasons. The problem is I'm anemic, and my parents, worried I won't be getting enough iron, are opposed to that. Obviously if I became vegan I would be careful to include as many iron-rich foods in my diet as possible, and to me, being vegan would mean a healthier diet and lifestyle.The thing is,I still wonder if my parents could be right and if it really could be a bad idea for me to become vegan. Any advice?
Thank you :)

Replies

  • grimendale
    grimendale Posts: 2,153 Member
    If you're worried about it, Alive! makes a vegan once a day multi vitamin with 100% of your daily iron. I've been veg*n for almost a decade now, and have never seen any issues in my bloodwork with fallin iron levels. As long as you make sure to get a good variety of foods, it's perfectly fine.
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
    Spinach
  • Petitepaws55
    Petitepaws55 Posts: 6
    If you're worried about it, Alive! makes a vegan once a day multi vitamin with 100% of your daily iron. I've been veg*n for almost a decade now, and have never seen any issues in my bloodwork with fallin iron levels. As long as you make sure to get a good variety of foods, it's perfectly fine.
    Okay, I might try that then :) Thanks!
    Spinach
    True :) I've been told just eating more spinach wasn't enough, though...
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    I've never had any problems getting enough iron as a vegan. This may new useful to you

    http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/iron
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    I've never had any problems getting enough iron as a vegan. This may new useful to you

    http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/iron

    That might be because you are a male. Women of course have higher iron requirements.
  • harleygroomer
    harleygroomer Posts: 373 Member
    Go to your pharmacy and get THIS-- Iron with vitamin C in it---it is called ferrous C and you can get it over the counter but they usually keep it in the back. It helped me greatly before an emergency surgery and afterwards as I was on it for almost a year. Now I just take a daily and eat well.
  • mabbzie
    mabbzie Posts: 161 Member
    I love how the last three commenters had animals as their profile pictures.

    I have nothing intellegent to contribute to this post, just that statement.
  • thepetiterunner
    thepetiterunner Posts: 1,238 Member
    Go to your pharmacy and get THIS-- Iron with vitamin C in it---it is called ferrous C and you can get it over the counter but they usually keep it in the back. It helped me greatly before an emergency surgery and afterwards as I was on it for almost a year. Now I just take a daily and eat well.

    ^ This.

    It's funny because I just had a meeting with my nutritionist and she had mentioned my iron intake levels are low (even though I am not vegan). She said that citrus (vitamin C) helps reduce iron and make it more easily absorbed by the body. If you pair citrus (vitamin C) sources such as green leafy lettuce, fruits, etc, with iron sources (beans, quinoa, lentils, chickpeas, swiss chard, etc) you shouldn't have a problem meeting your goals.
  • Llamos4110
    Llamos4110 Posts: 10 Member
    Being male or female is irrelevant. I am female, vegan, and my iron levels are better than most meat eaters. Good nutrition prevents anemia. Anyone who eats too little iron and vitamin C will be iron deficient.
  • sumeetg37
    sumeetg37 Posts: 108 Member
    If you are anemic I assume you are under a physicians care in some way? I would strongly suggest a chat with your doctor *before* you make any radical diet changes.
  • sarah456s
    sarah456s Posts: 98 Member
    When you go vegan, you have to be more careful with food to be healthy. I also tend to struggle with iron on the lower ends, but not clinically diagnosed anemia. And every time I've gone vegan (yup, there've been a few), I'd be really good for a while, and then start not paying so much attention and run into difficulties. So I think the key is to make paying attention to eating healthily a real habit so that it is ingrained and you won't ever slack off.

    You absolutely have to make sure you get enough B12 as a vegan. And that you're absorbing it. Just taking B12 in a multivitamin might not be enough, as some people lack enough intrinsic factor in the stomach to absorb B12. Sublingual (the little tablets that dissolve under the tongue) or injections of B12 are easier to absorb. B12 deficiency is another cause of anemia, as well as low iron absorption.

    And of course pay attention to iron intake, as already noted. Here's a link to a pretty good list of iron sources. http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/iron.php

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