Iron is too low!

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  • brneydgrlie
    brneydgrlie Posts: 464 Member
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    If you are vegetarian, you are not necessarily out of luck. Eat lots of spinach salad; soybeans and lentils. And Quinoa is also a really good source of iron (and magnesium).
  • brneydgrlie
    brneydgrlie Posts: 464 Member
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    I have always struggled with this and have found supplements to have too many negative side effects (mostly nausea). I have found the best thing when I can't get enough red meats and or leafy greens is fortified breakfast cereals. I had honey shreddies this morning which have 45% of your RDI of Iron in just 3/4 of a cup. They are also high in fiber and quick and easy for busy mornings.

    Take the supplements with food, and you won't get the queasy stomach.
  • jemmur
    jemmur Posts: 57 Member
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    Red meat, white meat (less than half of red meat but still more than most other sources), fortified cereal or milk, dried fruit, wholemeal bread. Keep in mind that if you are getting your iron from vegetarian sources then you need to make sure that you have a food high in vitamin C at the same time as the iron-containing food to help it absorb. It is also best to avoid substances that interact with iron and prevent absorption e.g. tannins (found in tea, wine), caffeine and calcium so it's best to keep foods high in these things between meals rather than with your iron-rich foods. Hope that helps.
    what she said!

    if i tried to up my iron, failed, and decided i'd supplement while i worked on it. solgar do a really good "gentle iron" supplement that's veggie-friendly and tends to have fewer side effects.
  • Fr4z
    Fr4z Posts: 26 Member
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    Watercress or Guinness......... it's what mutha used to have
  • up2me2lose20
    up2me2lose20 Posts: 360 Member
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    I have always struggled with this and have found supplements to have too many negative side effects (mostly nausea). I have found the best thing when I can't get enough red meats and or leafy greens is fortified breakfast cereals. I had honey shreddies this morning which have 45% of your RDI of Iron in just 3/4 of a cup. They are also high in fiber and quick and easy for busy mornings.

    Take the supplements with food, and you won't get the queasy stomach.

    I have a hard time taking even my multivitamin. I get sick to my stomach. Even after a meal. So just because someone takes their pill with food doesn't mean that it doesn't effect them with queasiness. In fact, I don't just get queasy, the whole thing comes back up. I hate that. I try to fight it but I can't. It's a horrible feeling...takes me back to my days of morning sickness. Blech. I really need the iron though, I'm always short on iron.
  • baisleac
    baisleac Posts: 2,020 Member
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    My daughter and I both are anemic, controlled through mostly through diet (and a multi-vitamin for me). This site, http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-000119000000000000000-w.html, is our best resource.

    Lean meats, of course.
    Prune juice, if you like it.
    Wheat germ is easy to add to other dishes.
    Potato flour is a great thickener and high in iron.
    Whole oats
    Seaweed (Nori)
    Whole eggs
    Sweet peppers
    Thyme (the spice)
    Potatoes, with skin
  • Missjulesdid
    Missjulesdid Posts: 1,444 Member
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    alot of cereals have iron in them.. Cheerios is one of them and Total is another.

    They've been fortified with iron, which is pretty much the same as taking a pill... Not a bad way to go, but it's not "natural" if that's your goal. I only mention it because op says she does not want to get her iron from a pill.

    My favorite source of iron is the wonderfood known as hummus... Both garbanzos and sesame tahini are great sources.

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