calcium and iron

dakmum
dakmum Posts: 13 Member
edited November 20 in Food and Nutrition
These are always low in my diary!! Any ideas to increase??

Replies

  • narni101
    narni101 Posts: 1 Member
    Fortified cereals and leafy greens for the iron. 40g branflakes in the morning usually bumps my iron up to 40% of my RDA. Milk is obviously great for calcium intake, although maybe go for a soy version if you're concerned about the sugar.
  • hgycta
    hgycta Posts: 3,013 Member
    For the calcium, you could opt for lower fat milk products or add Silk's unsweetened almond milk (per 1 cup it's 30 calories and 45% calcium) to protein shakes or other foods. Kraft also has a low fat extra calcium added shredded mozzarella cheese on the shelves, I always buy them up from Walmart; 40% calcium per 28g serving and only about 70 calories! You could also go for low fat string cheese, yogurts, etc.
    For iron, I generally rely on fortified cereals. My favorite is Post's Honey Bunches of Oats Honey Roasted; the serving size is 3/4 cup but for 1 cup you can get 80% of your iron for only 160 calories and it makes for a great snack on the go.
    Keep note: DON'T consume calcium and iron together if you can help it (this means eat the cereal dry, without milk)!!! Calcium impairs your body's ability to absorb iron as efficiently. Likewise, iron from non-animal sources (like the cereal I mentioned) is considered non-heme iron and doesn't absorb as easily by our bodies naturally, but if you eat a few mini bell peppers or find another way to pair it with vitamin C, your body will take up much more of it!
  • Annie_01
    Annie_01 Posts: 3,096 Member
    I eat a serving of cereal that gives me 100% of my iron plus that which I pick up from vegetables.

    For calcium I use unsweetened almond milk and yogurt plus you will get some from vegetables.

    Potassium is another that is hard to get. I use V8 juice, a banana and vegetables.

    If you are using the data base for your food entries then many times these nutrients are being left off. So if they are a concern to you double check for correctness.

    Potassium is a nutrient that often doesn't even show up on food labels.
  • FoxyLifter
    FoxyLifter Posts: 965 Member
    Cream of wheat for iron. 100 calories per suggested serving weight. Add some spices. mmmm

    Almond milk for calcium.
  • Susieq_1994
    Susieq_1994 Posts: 5,361 Member
    These are both micronutrients that I'm especially concerned about, as a female, so I do track them carefully.

    I take a multivitamin to help with iron--I don't eat a lot of fortified cereals, because most of them are imported from the United States and super expensive, and there are very few local brands. I also get iron from chicken and red meat, both of which I eat quite often; legumes are quite rich in iron as well, so I try to eat those more often when I can. (Think foul medammes, chickpeas, lentils, kidney beans, and others)

    For calcium, I tend to eat a lot of dairy, so I'm usually okay. Milk, yogurt, and cheese are in my diary almost every day. I eat/drink lower fat or skimmed dairy due to preference, but if you prefer full-fat then go for that.

    Another thing to keep in mind is that a lot of the MFP entries that are user-submitted don't contain the relevant information for micronutrients--try to find the MFP official verified entries or check the USDA website for confirmation for whole foods like raw chicken breast, fish, beef, etc.

    All the best. :)
  • hgycta
    hgycta Posts: 3,013 Member
    FoxyLifter wrote: »
    Cream of wheat for iron. 100 calories per suggested serving weight. Add some spices. mmmm

    Almond milk for calcium.

    If you use cream of wheat, make sure you check the nutrition label first! Like I said before, non-heme iron (from non-animal products) doesn't absorb as easily by our bodies, and calcium further reduces the bio-availability of iron in our bodies. I've noticed all the cream of wheat products I've used contains both; therefore, while I still enjoy this food, I make sure that I don't rely on it for my source of iron. Maybe there are brands out there without the calcium, but just make sure you check in advance!!
  • likehlikeo
    likehlikeo Posts: 185 Member
    I'm plant based and I watch calcium and iron rather closely to make sure I get enough of them.
    I use Alpro light soy milk in the morning to cook my porridge with simple oats. The soy milk has lots of calcium and the oats give me a good amount of iron.
    And if I see, that I had not enough of both at the end of the day, I take a vegetarian/vegan supplement I bought. I only take it if I am severely under (for various reasons), and that is not often the case.
    Broccoli is also a good calcium supply!
  • nyponbell
    nyponbell Posts: 379 Member
    @likehlikeo I too am a vegetarian and have supplements for iron especially. I've not considered taking it only if I'm under my goal (which I always am; I've had to be put on specific iron supplements by my doctor three times) instead of part of my day. I've instead considered taking one every other day, to boost my intake without overdoing it as it contains other things as well.

  • Annie_01
    Annie_01 Posts: 3,096 Member
    Iron supplements can be the way to go for some but sadly there are some of us that can't them because of digestive issues. I can take one tablet and be constipated for a week.
  • girlsjustwanna13
    girlsjustwanna13 Posts: 20 Member
    Floradix or Floravital is an easily absorbed way to get iron.

    If you take in extra calcium you need to counteract with magnesium as an imbalance is very bad for your general wellbeing.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Annie_01 wrote: »
    Iron supplements can be the way to go for some but sadly there are some of us that can't them because of digestive issues. I can take one tablet and be constipated for a week.

    I have taken many different forms of iron for my anemia, and while I found some of them much less effective for getting my iron levels up, I never had an issue with constipation, possibly because I take powdered vitamin C to bowel tolerance.

    I'm taking Iron Bisglycinate now.

    The VA had given me two presumably cheap forms of iron that did nothing for my iron levels.
  • dakmum
    dakmum Posts: 13 Member
    narni101 wrote: »
    Fortified cereals and leafy greens for the iron. 40g branflakes in the morning usually bumps my iron up to 40% of my RDA. Milk is obviously great for calcium intake, although maybe go for a soy version if you're concerned about the sugar.

  • dakmum
    dakmum Posts: 13 Member
    Thanks all.. am less worried now as i do drink milk, eat cereal and red meat x
  • SherryTeach
    SherryTeach Posts: 2,836 Member
    Fortified cereal (not eaten for breakfast but as a snack) is the main way I keep my iron up. Low fat dairy, including milk, cheese, yogurt, and ice cream help out with the calcium.
  • dakmum
    dakmum Posts: 13 Member
    Happy with the ice cream idea sherry ;)
  • likehlikeo
    likehlikeo Posts: 185 Member
    MeganMoroz89 wrote: »
    dakmum wrote: »
    These are always low in my diary!! Any ideas to increase??

    I say this every time I see a post about someone saying they're low on iron - never take any supplements to increase your iron until you go to a doctor and have your iron and ferritin levels (you need to test both) checked. So many people assume that they're anemic when they're not - having too much iron stored in your body gives you the same symptoms as having anemia and high iron is dangerous.

    THIS!

    I had really low ferritin levels and the doctor prescribed me iron supplements and I was not allowed to take them for an extended period of time without getting my blood checked again.
    I use vegan vitamins now, which contain a rather low amount of iron and I take them maybe 2-3 times a week, also because they contain B12.

    Be cautious with the high iron stuff, people. :)
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