Low Iron Diet

BrittanyNBuchanan
BrittanyNBuchanan Posts: 68 Member
edited November 2024 in Food and Nutrition
Hi there. I need some help. I am on a Iron Restricted Diet for at least 3 months. I am really struggling to find some balance, because a LOT of foods have iron, I have to cut my iron intake way down, and I'm feeling less than satisfied with the "diet" listed by my doctor. I'm having trouble discerning truth from fiction when searching online. Help, please.

Replies

  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,732 Member
    I don't eat much in the way of red meat or spinach.
  • L1zardQueen
    L1zardQueen Posts: 8,753 Member
    Don't use iron skillets.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    edited March 2017
    What don't you like about the diet the doc gave you? When you have special medical needs for your diet, "balance" isn't always an option nor a goal. You gotta do what you gotta do for 3 months.
    What online info is confusing? Just look up the iron content of food on MFP or USFDA and don't worry about secret diets online.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,732 Member
    Oh, and I don't take Vit C supplements very often.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Calcium supplements and dairy interfere with the absorption of iron which in your case is a bonus. Have dairy with your meals.

    Regular oatmeal and shredded wheat won't be supplemented with iron.

    http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/fruit-low-iron-7249.html

    Non-supplemented carbs will help.
  • BrittanyNBuchanan
    BrittanyNBuchanan Posts: 68 Member
    lorrpb wrote: »
    What don't you like about the diet the doc gave you? When you have special medical needs for your diet, "balance" isn't always an option nor a goal. You gotta do what you gotta do for 3 months.
    What online info is confusing? Just look up the iron content of food on MFP or USFDA and don't worry about secret diets online.

    The diet she gave is too vague for me. All she said was no red meat, or vegetables with a lot of iron. I don't eat a lot of red meat to begin with. I don't mind being on the diet, I just need more information.
    Online searching for iron content is ridiculous. I searched eggs recently and got at least 3 different websites claiming 3 different things. Everyone has different mlg on the same foods. It gets confusing for me.Hence the reason I asked for advice. :)
  • BrittanyNBuchanan
    BrittanyNBuchanan Posts: 68 Member
    Machka9 wrote: »
    Oh, and I don't take Vit C supplements very often.

    I don't eat a lot of red meat either. I quit my supplements 3 months ago, after the first high iron result.
  • BrittanyNBuchanan
    BrittanyNBuchanan Posts: 68 Member
    Tiny_Dancer_in_Pink wrote: »
    Don't use iron skillets.

    Like cast iron? I think I need to check my non stick pans. :)
  • BrittanyNBuchanan
    BrittanyNBuchanan Posts: 68 Member
    jgnatca wrote: »
    Calcium supplements and dairy interfere with the absorption of iron which in your case is a bonus. Have dairy with your meals.

    Regular oatmeal and shredded wheat won't be supplemented with iron.

    http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/fruit-low-iron-7249.html

    Non-supplemented carbs will help.

    Awesome. Thanks! I'll check with the doc to see if I can take calcium supplemnts. I had kidney stones a year ago from too much soda. (I gave that up, thank goodness.)
  • BrittanyNBuchanan
    BrittanyNBuchanan Posts: 68 Member
    MeganAM89 wrote: »
    I have iron overload so I try not to have too much iron. If you're looking for more options and advice you should Google diets for iron overload or hemochromatosis.

    Iron Overload? That sounds like it sucks. I will look into that, thank you! :)
  • BrittanyNBuchanan
    BrittanyNBuchanan Posts: 68 Member
    MeganAM89 wrote: »
    BrittanyNBuchanan wrote: »
    MeganAM89 wrote: »
    I have iron overload so I try not to have too much iron. If you're looking for more options and advice you should Google diets for iron overload or hemochromatosis.

    Iron Overload? That sounds like it sucks. I will look into that, thank you! :)

    If caught early, like it was for me, no harm is done and it's super manageable ☺

    How do they make the diagnosis? I've been fighting this for upwards of 6 months now. The doctor told me I had to lower my iron by May, or else. She didn't expand on the "or else".
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Oh, duh! I just checked out the hemochromatosis site and an easy way to bring down the iron numbers is to give blood.
  • crackpotbaby
    crackpotbaby Posts: 1,297 Member
    BrittanyNBuchanan wrote: »
    MeganAM89 wrote: »
    BrittanyNBuchanan wrote: »
    MeganAM89 wrote: »
    I have iron overload so I try not to have too much iron. If you're looking for more options and advice you should Google diets for iron overload or hemochromatosis.

    Iron Overload? That sounds like it sucks. I will look into that, thank you! :)

    If caught early, like it was for me, no harm is done and it's super manageable ☺

    How do they make the diagnosis? I've been fighting this for upwards of 6 months now. The doctor told me I had to lower my iron by May, or else. She didn't expand on the "or else".

    Diagnosis is made usually by high iron levels and genetic testing.

    The 'or else' is usually more invasive methods like taking out about 500ml of blood every so often to normalise iron levels and prevent organ damage which can occur in iron levels remain elevated.

  • BrittanyNBuchanan
    BrittanyNBuchanan Posts: 68 Member
    MeganAM89 wrote: »
    BrittanyNBuchanan wrote: »
    MeganAM89 wrote: »
    BrittanyNBuchanan wrote: »
    MeganAM89 wrote: »
    I have iron overload so I try not to have too much iron. If you're looking for more options and advice you should Google diets for iron overload or hemochromatosis.

    Iron Overload? That sounds like it sucks. I will look into that, thank you! :)

    If caught early, like it was for me, no harm is done and it's super manageable ☺

    How do they make the diagnosis? I've been fighting this for upwards of 6 months now. The doctor told me I had to lower my iron by May, or else. She didn't expand on the "or else".

    They just need to test both your iron and ferritin numbers. They gave me six months so see if it would lower on its own and when it didn't they diagnosed me with it by another blood test, genetic testing, and referred me to a blood specialist.

    The treatment is phlebotomies/venesections (they just take a bag of blood from you). At first I needed it once every two weeks, then less and less and less. I'm lucky and my ferritin climbs slowly so I haven't needed one for three years, but I get blood work done every six months to check in.

    Oh okay. Maybe I'll get an answer with the next test. Thank you!
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