Eating Well & Anaemia

I've had trouble with Anaemia for years, whether I'm counting calories or not.
I was just wondering if anybody (sufferers, ex-sufferers or whoever) had any tips on how to manage it.

I'm not a massive fan of red meat. I eat it very very occasionally.

Here are my stats if that helps tailor any advice.

Age: 25
Height 5"4'
SW: 168lbs
CW: 162lbs
GW: 140lbs
Calorie allowance: 1320

Replies

  • dorianoso
    dorianoso Posts: 1 Member
    edited July 2015
    first thing you should do is to see a doctor or diet specialist. Dont do anything on your own, cause you can feel much worse. Anemia can be serious when you don't care about it or take special medicines.

    [Edited my MFP mod]
  • Azurite27
    Azurite27 Posts: 554 Member
    edited July 2015
    My doctor suggested a low dose of iron supplement since I have slight anemia but iron is in the normal range but on the low end. I get this through a woman's multi-vitamin. I also eat iron-fortified cereals and make sure to eat whole grain foods whenever possible which also have a good amount of iron.

    Edit: I'm also not a big fan of red meat. But I do enjoy chili made with ground beef. Maybe find recipes that incorporate red meat without it just being a chunk of meat.
  • LovingLife_Erin
    LovingLife_Erin Posts: 328 Member
    Turkey has a decent amount of iron in it, which might be a good choice for you to try to get more into your diet.
  • robynmoosehead
    robynmoosehead Posts: 66 Member
    Turkey has a decent amount of iron in it, which might be a good choice for you to try to get more into your diet.

    I didn't know that. I'll have to start using Turkey in place of chicken.

    I try not to take tablets anymore than I have to. Multivitamins and supplements seem unnatural to me. There must be a way to get it all from proper sources.

  • mangrothian
    mangrothian Posts: 1,351 Member
    edited July 2015
    The best food based way is to get it from meat (also known as 'haem' iron), and the way you'll absorb it most. Since you don't like red meat much, pork and all forms of poultry are your best bet. Some seafood is fantastic, especially octopus (it has like 9mg of iron per 100g, which is damn high), oysters, shrimp and sardines.

    Most tablet-based iron supplements (especially in multivitamins) don't give you anywhere near enough iron. If they did, you'd be constipated literally up the wazoo.

    I know you said you don't really like multi's and supplements, but if you're anaemic and/or iron deficient for a long period of time, it can seriously wear you down (I speak from experience on this as a person who was both iron deficient and anaemic at the same time, for a long time. That means I was barely getting enough iron for my red blood cells, let alone all the other functions it's needed for, or putting it into body storage) .

    I'm not sure where you're from (although the moose in your name makes me think Canada ^_^), but speak to your doc maybe about an intravenous dose of iron. You'd probably only have to do it once, and the products available today are a lot safer than the ones they were using 5-10 years ago.
  • mhooge
    mhooge Posts: 42 Member
    My doctor told me that pumpkin seeds are high in iron.
  • Littleowl101
    Littleowl101 Posts: 80 Member
    I struggled with anaemia for years, it all started when I became a veggie and stopped eating meat, however after visiting the doctor to get bloods done, I got a phone call that I need to go over to the hospital because I was extremely low on blood, the doctor couldn't believe I had the energy to even walk about, nevermind anything else. Turns out they wanted to give me a blood transfusion but it was too dangerous to put so much blood into me, and they couldn't do it. So I had to drastically change my diet.. I had to get a lot more red meat and give up on the veggie life. It's ironic because last year I found out that I am a carrier of hymocromatois a hereditary disorder in which iron salts are deposited in the tissues. I'm not sure how I ended up being anaemic when I am carrier of this but anyway back to weight loss.. Sorry got carried away. I find I stuggle with exercise and having the energy to do much. So I've started trying the likes of yoga and walking that arnt as strenuous as the likes of p90x ect, but I'm not getting as much of a loss as I'd like. I'm currently 157 and looking to get down to about 135-140.
  • robynmoosehead
    robynmoosehead Posts: 66 Member
    Hey Littleowl101, I think we're in a pretty similar boat tbh. Our CW and GW are roughly the same and I've got blood disorders too ("thick" blood, LOL)

    I'm sorry to hear how bad it got! At least you've managed to figure it out and handle it.
    I work 9am - midnight/1am every day (no breaks, family business) and twice a week I get three hours in the evening to myself but I choose to spend those with my BF so exercise is so low down on my priority list with the lack of time and exhaustion making it worse. I'll be interested to see how it works out for us. Keep me posted.
  • mangrothian
    mangrothian Posts: 1,351 Member
    I struggled with anaemia for years, it all started when I became a veggie and stopped eating meat, however after visiting the doctor to get bloods done, I got a phone call that I need to go over to the hospital because I was extremely low on blood, the doctor couldn't believe I had the energy to even walk about, nevermind anything else. Turns out they wanted to give me a blood transfusion but it was too dangerous to put so much blood into me, and they couldn't do it. So I had to drastically change my diet.. I had to get a lot more red meat and give up on the veggie life. It's ironic because last year I found out that I am a carrier of hymocromatois a hereditary disorder in which iron salts are deposited in the tissues. I'm not sure how I ended up being anaemic when I am carrier of this but anyway back to weight loss.. Sorry got carried away. I find I stuggle with exercise and having the energy to do much. So I've started trying the likes of yoga and walking that arnt as strenuous as the likes of p90x ect, but I'm not getting as much of a loss as I'd like. I'm currently 157 and looking to get down to about 135-140.

    Your being anemic with your disorder isn't surprising. If your body is storing your iron rather than using, it's not using it to make red blood cells, so you end up with anaemia. Best of luck finding the right balance with your energy levels ^_^
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
    edited July 2015
    .
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
    Turkey has a decent amount of iron in it, which might be a good choice for you to try to get more into your diet.

    I didn't know that. I'll have to start using Turkey in place of chicken.

    I try not to take tablets anymore than I have to. Multivitamins and supplements seem unnatural to me. There must be a way to get it all from proper sources.

    there is but you have to actually eat it....

    if you have a deficiency, eating enough to compensate for it may be difficult, if not impossible, depending on what you eat.