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Getting iron up through food?

IronlessWomann
IronlessWomann Posts: 4 Member
edited November 2024 in Food and Nutrition
I am very low in iron. It's so low that I'm having shortness of breath and heart palpitations. I eat turkey with Vitamin C every day but it doesn't appear to be helping. I've been told to eat beef. I prefer turkey but I did look it up and a Five Guys burger has 12%. The turkey meat I eat has 8% iron. So why would beef bring iron up but turkey not? Would dark chocolate work? How much dark chocolate would I need to eat a day?

Replies

  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    Did your doctor tell you your iron is low? What are his/her instructions? You prob need an iron supplrment & prob several times the RDA.
  • Lourdesong
    Lourdesong Posts: 1,492 Member
    A serving of Rice Krispies cereal provides 50% dv of iron. A serving of Lucky Charms provides 25%.
    A serving is about 130 calories.
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  • Lourdesong
    Lourdesong Posts: 1,492 Member
    Uh, then eat it dry?
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  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    Iron supplements
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
    How about dry cereal ?
  • Linzon
    Linzon Posts: 294 Member
    My doctor recommended iron supplements taken with a vitamin C-rich food. Maybe ask your doctor what specific foods they would suggest if they don't want you taking a supplement.
  • Josh_lol
    Josh_lol Posts: 317 Member
    Iron-rich/fortified cereals, red meat (turkey is still ok if you enjoy it more.), beans, dark green vegetables like broccoli or spinach. I'm not a dietitian though so don't take my word for some of those things. They're just what I thought off the top of my head. If you're desperate for iron though, a supplement would definitely help.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,854 Member
    Maybe try some Flintstones chewables?
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    IronlessWomann wrote: »
    Lourdesong wrote: »
    A serving of Rice Krispies cereal provides 50% dv of iron. A serving of Lucky Charms provides 25%.
    A serving is about 130 calories.
    Lourdesong wrote: »
    A serving of Rice Krispies cereal provides 50% dv of iron. A serving of Lucky Charms provides 25%.
    A serving is about 130 calories.

    I don't tolerate milk well.

    If you don't want to eat it dry, what about plant milk? They make many amazing kinds these days -- soy, rice, oat, hemp, hazelnut, cashew, almond, coconut. Some of them are even fortified with iron, helping boost your iron consumption even more.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    Oatmeal has a big amount of iron in it
  • helenrosec1
    helenrosec1 Posts: 82 Member
    I'm low in iron too and take iron tablets (don't take with caffeine or foods with calcium though as that stops the absorption) but I also try get iron from food too like dark leafy greens (spinach or kale) seeds, nuts, Bran flakes, tofu, kidney beans, apricots, broccoli.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    IronlessWomann wrote: »
    Lourdesong wrote: »
    A serving of Rice Krispies cereal provides 50% dv of iron. A serving of Lucky Charms provides 25%.
    A serving is about 130 calories.
    Lourdesong wrote: »
    A serving of Rice Krispies cereal provides 50% dv of iron. A serving of Lucky Charms provides 25%.
    A serving is about 130 calories.

    I don't tolerate milk well.

    Good thing because calcium slows, or even stops, the absorption of iron.

    I have a tendency to be low in iron and I keep it up by eating meat (pretty much equally divided between red and white), legumes, dark green veggies, and a multi vitamin that includes iron. When I was so low that I had shortness of breath, I took a high potency supplement (per my doctor). I had no issues with it because I took it with food and made sure I got at least 30 g of fiber per day.
  • asgentr
    asgentr Posts: 228 Member
    My Dr. recommended using cast iron skillets. I also own one of these: http://www.luckyironfish.com . I haven't been very good at using either, but I hear they are great ways to improve iron levels.
  • heredogmeat
    heredogmeat Posts: 1 Member
    edited January 2016
    ditto dark greens, and try to watch calcium v. iron intake... bioavailability varies greatly between food sources and supplemented sources in enriched foods...
    oats are fine, but oat bran is SO much better/higher.., i think it tastes much better than oatmeal too! [eaten as hot cereal] easy to make [personally just stir it into water I've already boiled for tea/instant coffee] and i add salt and organic blackstrap unsulphered molasses which is also crazy-high in goodness, specifically iron and potassium! [plus delicious obvs]

    i also have heard tannins from tea etc also inhibit absorption of iron...? if you are hooked on tea, don't stir, agitate, or squeeze the leaves, as it releases the tannins [bitter component]
  • hgycta
    hgycta Posts: 3,013 Member
    Iron absorption is lessened with the consumption of calcium, and increased with the consumption of vitamin C.
    I personally love Honey Bunches of Oats cereal, which has 80% of Iron per one cup, and 160 calories. If you eat it with a pepper or two, your body should get quite a bit of iron! But any dry cereal generally is fortified with a good amount of iron. Mini Wheats has a lot, too.
    However, iron from non-animal sources are referred to as non-heme iron, which isn't as readily absorbed (even more important for that vitamin C), while iron from say, ground beef, would be heme iron which is absorbed much better (still not as much with calcium though, so try not to put cheese on your burger if you can help it).
    If you're really concerned though you could try talking to your doctor to see if supplements would be the best thing!
  • AmazonMayan
    AmazonMayan Posts: 1,168 Member
    This is just my experience and might be different from others, but even though turkey has the iron in it, it never helps much for me at all.

    I do much better eating red meat a few times a week (sometimes more) and a variety of leafy greens to keep mine at a healthy level. Vitamin c rich foods along with iron helps absorption. There are foods other than citrus with vitamin c - do a Google search. I also supplement with an iron pill sometimes when I know I'm not taking in the optimal nutrients.

    My iron isn't as low as yours though so you will have different needs.
  • MamaMc3
    MamaMc3 Posts: 213 Member
    As someone who has been struggling with anemia for the last few years, I can tell you this - if you are having palpitations and shortness of breath, you probably need a supplement and possibly even iron infusions. When you feel that bad, telling you to eat more iron isn't really good enough. They need to get your iron up quickly, so you can feel like a normal person. If I were you, I would question your doctor and ask him/her if you shouldn't be taking iron supplements.

    I finally got the reason for my low iron figured out, so now I am back to normal. I feel like a completely different person. I have so much more energy!!
  • Talanch
    Talanch Posts: 21 Member
    People always recommend red meat like beef steak, not realising that mussels, oysters and clams have over 3x the amount of iron in them per 100gr. Pumpkin seeds have 5x the amount of iron per 100gr compared to beef and nuts 2x. Another option is chicken livers: 3x as much iron compared to beef steak.

    And eat it with something high in vitamin C, such as bell peppers, dark green leafy vegetables, kiwis and strawberries, for better absorption.
  • AmazonMayan
    AmazonMayan Posts: 1,168 Member
    edited January 2016
    Talanch that's why I said what works for me....I eat all those foods but beef is the one that really works for me.

    Some things have good numbers but don't work as well for me for whatever reason no matter how much or what source of vitamin c and avoiding calcium at that meal.

    I've dealt with this for years for myself and one of my daughters.
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