Low Iron

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nessav0829
nessav0829 Posts: 5
edited January 2015 in Health and Weight Loss
I've been low in iron my entire life. What foods will help me boost my iron levels while maintaining my healthy diet and exercise?
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  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
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    Do you mean your blood levels are low? Or do you mean the numbers in your MFP diary are low?

    If your blood levels are low, talk to your doctor about it. If they're very low, sometimes there's an underlying medical issue causing it that would need to be addressed (for example, some sort of tear that's causing blood loss). If you've ruled out anything like that and it's just low, in some cases, your doctor may prescribe iron supplements.

    Of course, it is better to get your iron from food, if possible. The best sources are heme (animal) sources like liver, oysters, clams, beef, sardines, etc. Most meat has iron, so it's pretty rare for a healthy person who eats meat regularly to be iron-deficient.

    If you're vegetarian, plant sources of iron exist, like spinach, lentils, beans, and fortified cereals and bread, but be aware that they aren't absorbed as easily by the body.
  • mbcieslak87
    mbcieslak87 Posts: 206 Member
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    I too have this problem... to the point where my hair was falling out and I had hundreds of dime size bruises all over my legs. It's really the only health problem I've ever had - my doctor told me to get on a prenatal vitamin with iron, and I haven't had a problem since, at all (since 2008). Warning though, try several varieties because several made me nauseated and I know many people complain of constipation. I personally have found that Walgreens low-sodium version works well for me personally (its in my diary every morning with breakfast if you want the exact name) - I take it with breakfast every morning and have no side-effects.

    As far as food goes - red meat and leafy greens are the usual suggestions for iron, as well as some beans and seafood.

    Good luck!
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    If the iron is too low, a supplement may be the only thing that will get it up to decent levels. That is what I am doing right now.

    Liver was the fab food of the seventies for keeping iron levels high when I had my babies. The nurse at the hospital swore I needed liver once a week; no substitutions. I hate liver.

    Keep your protein/red meats high and you will get the most iron possible from diet.
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
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    Just a quick warning: Don't start supplements until you've talked to your doctor first. If there's something else going on medically causing your iron levels to be low, supplements could aggravate instead of fix the problem.

    If your blood work comes back fine and your MFP numbers look low, don't worry about it. MFP database foods often have incomplete vitamin and mineral information.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    If you've been low on iron (anemic) your entire life I'm sure you've talked to a doctor about it by now, right? What does he or she suggest?
  • nessav0829
    nessav0829 Posts: 5
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    segacs wrote: »
    Do you mean your blood levels are low? Or do you mean the numbers in your MFP diary are low?

    If your blood levels are low, talk to your doctor about it. If they're very low, sometimes there's an underlying medical issue causing it that would need to be addressed (for example, some sort of tear that's causing blood loss). If you've ruled out anything like that and it's just low, in some cases, your doctor may prescribe iron supplements.

    Of course, it is better to get your iron from food, if possible. The best sources are heme (animal) sources like liver, oysters, clams, beef, sardines, etc. Most meat has iron, so it's pretty rare for a healthy person who eats meat regularly to be iron-deficient.

    If you're vegetarian, plant sources of iron exist, like spinach, lentils, beans, and fortified cereals and bread, but be aware that they aren't absorbed as easily by the body.

    My blood levels are low. My doctor had me on iron supplements but that just made me feel horrible.
  • nessav0829
    nessav0829 Posts: 5
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    SueInAz wrote: »
    If you've been low on iron (anemic) your entire life I'm sure you've talked to a doctor about it by now, right? What does he or she suggest?

    He had me on supplements only didn't really mention what foods would help with this problem
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
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    It's possible you may need supplements even with a diet high in iron. How do your numbers look in your MFP diary? Are you vegetarian or do you have any other dietary restrictions? Have you mentioned to your doctor that the supplements make you feel terrible, and asked whether you should try a different kind or should be altering your diet or both? Sometimes you have to be a bit proactive with doctors in order to get answers.
  • nessav0829
    nessav0829 Posts: 5
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    mbcieslak87 wrote: »
    I too have this problem... to the point where my hair was falling out and I had hundreds of dime size bruises all over my legs. It's really the only health problem I've ever had - my doctor told me to get on a prenatal vitamin with iron, and I haven't had a problem since, at all (since 2008). Warning though, try several varieties because several made me nauseated and I know many people complain of constipation. I personally have found that Walgreens low-sodium version works well for me personally (its in my diary every morning with breakfast if you want the exact name) - I take it with breakfast every morning and have no side-effects.

    As far as food goes - red meat and leafy greens are the usual suggestions for iron, as well as some beans and seafood.

    Good luck!

    When I talked to my doctor about it he just had me on iron supplements that didn't really help. He didn't mention foods that would help either. The only reason I found out about my iron deficiency was when I was trying to donate blood and was unable to. They told me that my iron levels were always like that because my eating habits have been the same since I was very young. This is why I'm switching my doctor. But thanks for your help. I always wondered why I was constantly waking up with bruises.
  • _FATNSASSY
    _FATNSASSY Posts: 107 Member
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    Red Meat and raw spinach.
  • xcalygrl
    xcalygrl Posts: 1,897 Member
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    Here's a list:
    http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/iron-deficiency-anemia/basics/prevention/con-20019327

    Choose what you want to eat and make them fit into your day.
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,931 Member
    edited January 2015
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    If you're not grossed out, liver is one of the very best options. It has more iron than even steak and your body can absorb it easily, unlike plant based iron. My doctor told me to eat it 2 times a week (I'm only a little low on iron). Since I don't like it I've been trying to have red meat 4 times a week instead. Plus I take a multivitamin with iron. If you take a vitamin, try to take it with a citrus drink or food. It helps you absorb the iron since all supplements are plant based iron.

    100 g of liver has 23 mg of iron.

    Oh and interestingly, squash and pumpkin seed have quite a bit. 4 mg for 1 oz (about 142 seeds according to a site I found... which doesn't sound like much but might make a tasty snack which also helps you increase your iron).

    The same site lists mollusks as #1 and liver as #2.

    http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/food-sources-of-iron.php
  • NerdieMcChub
    NerdieMcChub Posts: 153 Member
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    I become anemic often, so I understand. I felt awful and got constipated often when taking the iron pills. For me, I took a low dose of iron every other day... I haven't been anemic in a couple years now, knock on wood.

    But foods that can help are meat, spinach, beans, and some cereals have extra iron added too.
  • crewcretic
    crewcretic Posts: 11
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    I also suffer from low iron, so now I have to take iron tablets every day just to get by.

    Asides from that, I always put loads of spinach in my breakfast smoothie. Spinach is great for increasing your iron intake. :)
  • sullus
    sullus Posts: 2,839 Member
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    Spinach and leafy greens are thrown out as iron-rich foods, but they really aren't all that rich in iron. Some great sources of iron:

    Clams/Mussels/Oysters
    Packaged (enriched) Breakfast Cereal
    Dark Chocolate/Cocoa Powder
    Pumpkin Seeds
    Beef
    Lamb
    Liver
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    "For adults who are deficient in iron, 50 mg to 100 mg elemental iron 3 times daily is the recommended intake."

    Palafer contains 100 mg of elemental iron.

    A serving of blade steak has 7.5 mg of iron. To get 100 mg you would have to eat thirteen servings of steak a day.

    Same for the spinach, 4.3 mg of iron. That's twenty-five servings a day.

    http://www.webmd.com/diet/iron-rich-foods

    Some doctors suggest taking a vitamin C supplement or drinking orange juice with your iron pill. This can help the iron absorb into your body. Drinking 8 ounces of fluid with an iron pill is also okay.

    http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/007478.htm
  • deoliveiraf
    deoliveiraf Posts: 13 Member
    edited January 2015
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    The Red Cross has some info regarding low hemoglobin levels, which is usually associated with low iron levels. The following page lists iron rich foods: http://www.redcrossblood.org/learn-about-blood/health-and-wellness/iron-rich-foods

    As sated in the paragraph at the bottom, it is also important to know that Vitamin C helps the absorption of iron into the system. From the website: "Foods high in vitamin C, like tomatoes, citrus fruits and red, yellow and orange peppers can also help with the absorption of non-heme iron."

    I was regularly deferred from donating due to my hemoglobin levels. I take a daily iron supplement, but make sure to eat vegetables with my food to help with the iron absorption. I also made little adjustments like adding Grape Nuts to my daily yogurt, as they are very iron rich (45% RDA in 1/4 cup), and adding raisins, beans & spinach to my salads.

    Edit:
    When I donate platelets, I start "tank-up" on iron rich foods 1 week prior to my donation for 3 days. It seems to take quite a few days for the iron to be absorbed. Just doing it the 2 days leading up to my donation made no impact.
  • ucabucca
    ucabucca Posts: 606 Member
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    See a registered dietician and get some suggestions Part of this is what to combind with iron rich foods to help absorb. You can google or RD will give you list of what is high in iron but it can be absorption issues MD is needed to confirm why if its blood level Rx iron can be given and as in my case it was low and none of traditional was working so we did 3 rounds of iron transfusions and had to then repeat 2 years later but holding so far.
  • JenD1066
    JenD1066 Posts: 298 Member
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    Aside from the previously mentioned red meat and leafy greens, another easy way to add iron to your daily meals is to cook in a cast iron skillet.
  • hotsungirl
    hotsungirl Posts: 107 Member
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    I would want to get to the cause of being anemic...supplements are like painting over and over water damage, you know? Two big causes? irritable bowel syndrome and stomach ulcers

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