food rich in iron

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amymeenieminymo
amymeenieminymo Posts: 2,394 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am giving blood on Friday and my iron is usually a little too low. I usually remedy that by eating ground beef a day or two before, but I don't have any planned into my meals this week. I could pick up a hamburger for lunch on Thursday but that's not very calorie conscience. Can someone recommend some other foods that I could eat to get my iron up?

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  • amymeenieminymo
    amymeenieminymo Posts: 2,394 Member
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    I am giving blood on Friday and my iron is usually a little too low. I usually remedy that by eating ground beef a day or two before, but I don't have any planned into my meals this week. I could pick up a hamburger for lunch on Thursday but that's not very calorie conscience. Can someone recommend some other foods that I could eat to get my iron up?
  • junebug27
    junebug27 Posts: 3
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    I was turned away from donating in Dec. for the first time ever for having Low Iron and they are making me wait a full 54 days or however many like I would if I had been able to donate. I was told it takes more then a few days to regain low Iron, and not to take Iron supplements because they could cause a false reading. I was advised to eat Leafy Greens and Red Meat. It would be a good question to ask the nurses while you are there donating. :smile:
  • ICanDEWit
    ICanDEWit Posts: 3
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    Well.. I have the same problem and oddly enough I am always told to eat spinach, but I recently read an article that said that was an inhibitor to the absorption of iron. Vitamin C should be taken w/ iron as it helps w/ the absorption of iron.

    You can check out the different iron rich foods along w/ what foods to eat w/ them or not to eat with them to maximize your absorption of iron by following copy and pasting the following:

    http://www.healthcastle.com/iron.shtml

    Hope this helps.
  • RandJsmomMary
    RandJsmomMary Posts: 43
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    my son had Idon vitamins the doctor told hm to take his vitamins with orange juice or apple juice rich in Vitamin C beans have Iron my aunt used to make the home made beans and instead or soda or what ever ahe gave my son apple juice
  • amymeenieminymo
    amymeenieminymo Posts: 2,394 Member
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    I was turned away from donating in Dec. for the first time ever for having Low Iron and they are making me wait a full 54 days or however many like I would if I had been able to donate. I was told it takes more then a few days to regain low Iron, and not to take Iron supplements because they could cause a false reading. I was advised to eat Leafy Greens and Red Meat. It would be a good question to ask the nurses while you are there donating. :smile:

    Hmm, I don't know, I usually just eat red meat either a day or two before and they always remark about how good my iron count is. Maybe everyone is different on how quickly their bodies absorb it.
  • amymeenieminymo
    amymeenieminymo Posts: 2,394 Member
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    Well.. I have the same problem and oddly enough I am always told to eat spinach, but I recently read an article that said that was an inhibitor to the absorption of iron. Vitamin C should be taken w/ iron as it helps w/ the absorption of iron.

    You can check out the different iron rich foods along w/ what foods to eat w/ them or not to eat with them to maximize your absorption of iron by following copy and pasting the following:

    http://www.healthcastle.com/iron.shtml

    Hope this helps.

    Thanks for the site, I didn't know enriched pasta and canned beans were a good source. Maybe I'll bump up my pasta night this week. Thanks!
  • lolakey
    lolakey Posts: 91
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    I know this sounds strange, but it works. I, along with vitamins, cook in cast iron skillets. If you cook acidic foods, like tomatoes, the iron will be in the food.

    I don't eat meat, so that's a good way for my daughter and I to make sure we get our iron.

    FYI http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/2378.html
  • jmessner
    jmessner Posts: 8
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    Liver is a iron rich food or just maybe some cashews.
  • amymeenieminymo
    amymeenieminymo Posts: 2,394 Member
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    I know this sounds strange, but it works. I, along with vitamins, cook in cast iron skillets. If you cook acidic foods, like tomatoes, the iron will be in the food.

    I don't eat meat, so that's a good way for my daughter and I to make sure we get our iron.

    FYI http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/2378.html

    My dad told me that too....I don't have a cast iron skillet but he does, maybe he'll make me dinner this week :bigsmile:
  • mommachag
    mommachag Posts: 318
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    yes! cooking in cast iron skillets will increase the iron in your food. go figure huh :happy:
    here is a great article

    http://www.healthcastle.com/high-iron-diet.shtml

    swiss chard is the veggie we prefer ofr iron and vitamin K
  • SaraWojcik19
    SaraWojcik19 Posts: 114 Member
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    not sure if its your idea of iron, but i've been on an iron supplement since the begining of my pregnancy. its called Slow Fe. you can get it at any grocery store. i am still taking it postpartum as i've had low iron for as long as i can recall.
  • amymeenieminymo
    amymeenieminymo Posts: 2,394 Member
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    not sure if its your idea of iron, but i've been on an iron supplement since the begining of my pregnancy. its called Slow Fe. you can get it at any grocery store. i am still taking it postpartum as i've had low iron for as long as i can recall.

    Thanks I'll keep that in mind. I've read that you should check with a doctor before going on iron supplements, so I'll probably do that. But I recently changed my settings so that it shows how much iron I am getting a day. It says my reccomended amount is 100 (grams?) but for this week and last week at least I have only been getting about half that, and sometimes only 30 some. So I might be a good candidate for them.

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