Food with iron

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shangetsfitx
shangetsfitx Posts: 18 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi everyone, I have been tracking my nutrition to make sure I get all of the vitamins I need and everything seems to be good except iron. What foods have a lot of iron in them to increase my intake?? New to tracking and any suggestions would be great!
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  • Old_Cat_Lady
    Old_Cat_Lady Posts: 1,193 Member
    edited June 2017
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    Would you ever consider taking a daily women's multivitamin? Just curious. Often if you are on a very low calorie diet people will recommend a multivitamin. This place does not tell you nutrients like Zinc, b12, vitamin d, folic acid, etc.
  • nicruns
    nicruns Posts: 201 Member
    edited June 2017
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    Some options include: spinach, lentils/beans, fish (salmon/tuna/halibut/sardines).... liver (if you're at all a fan).
    or (a link with options): http://www.webmd.com/diet/iron-rich-foods#1
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    #1, the nutrient values in the MFP database are not 100% accurate or consistent. It all depends on who entered the item to begin with. So don't base things like iron deficiency on that info.
    #2, if you're concerned about your iron levels, talk to your doctor and get a blood test.
    #3, spinach, of course!
  • sullus
    sullus Posts: 2,839 Member
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    Clams/Oysters - They have as much Iron as Beef Liver.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    TheWJordinWJordin wrote: »
    Would you ever consider taking a daily women's multivitamin? Just curious. Often if you are on a very low calorie diet people will recommend a multivitamin. This place does not tell you nutrients like Zinc, b12, vitamin d, folic acid, etc.

    Not all multivitamins have iron - look for a child proof cap. Do NOT take a stand alone iron supplement without Drs advice. Most stand alones have too much (unless you have medical issues).

    Breakfast cereal - I typically eat Greek yogurt for breakfast but a "parfait" with Fiber One gives me fiber & iron. Cheerios MultiGrain has 100% iron. Sometimes I will munch on this for a snack.

    Citrus can help you absorb iron. Too much calcium will deter absorption.

    http://www.webmd.com/diet/iron-rich-foods
  • shangetsfitx
    shangetsfitx Posts: 18 Member
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    Thank you everyone for your replies! I was taking a multi vitamin that did have iron as well but then all of my other vitamins were over 200% and didn't think that was very healthy so I have been trying to get all of my nutrients from food. I have been trying to select correct entries from the database after reading through a lot of the forums I look for usda entries in grams and weigh everything so my tracking should be correct (I hope)! I could go back to taking a multi vitamin but thought all of the additional vitamins were too much? Is that still healthy having too much vitamin A and C?? I do love spinach in my salad usually but only have a cup or so but could also increase my spinach intake and see if that will cover it!
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
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    My hemoglobin was at 115 (i.e. the very low end of normal for women) about three months ago. I'm tracking my iron intake now and hopefully, there'll be an improvement in September when I see my doctor. For now, what I've been doing is
    • Tracking iron instead of sugar on my diary page
    • Snacking more on veggie dogs (Yves give me 15% of my RDA in one 50-calorie dog)
    • Snacking on dry cereal than on popcorn. 30 grams of Quaker Corn Squares gives me 30% of my RDA
    • I'm already vegetarian and eating a lot of legumes, so that helps
    • I find I've cut back on dairy a bit, since it's pretty low in iron and I have other protein sources that do better on that score
  • shangetsfitx
    shangetsfitx Posts: 18 Member
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    Thank you!
  • Fflpnari
    Fflpnari Posts: 975 Member
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    2nd blood tests before taking supplements. Mine showed iron deficient anemia
  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
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    I ate a lot of veg sources of iron and was still deficient with supplementation. My doc said iron from plants is not as readily absorbed as iron from red meat, even if taken with Vitamin C. I've been eating a few ounces of beef a few times a week and my levels have gone up and stabilized. If that's an option, I'd look into a little steak or hamburger.
  • MsChucktowski
    MsChucktowski Posts: 121 Member
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    Something you may not have considered is herbs and spices. Paprika, cumin and thyme all have quite a bit of iron in them.
  • mangrothian
    mangrothian Posts: 1,351 Member
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    TeacupsAndToning wrote: »
    Please get your iron and ferritin tested before taking any supplements. People often think that they're low on iron when they actually aren't and having too much can be very dangerous.

    This. You need your ferritin and Tsat (transferrin saturation) tested as well as your haemoglobin. There's a difference between iron deficiency (low iron stores) and iron deficiency anaemia (low haemoglobin).

    Animal sources of iron are always absorbed better than vegetable sources of iron, and much better than most iron tablets ever are (in most multivitamins, the iron in them doesn't get absorbed enough to prop up the stores of a healthy pre-menopausal woman). If your haemoglobin and stores are extremely low, iron from your diet wont cut it, and an iron infusion may be in order.
  • Old_Cat_Lady
    Old_Cat_Lady Posts: 1,193 Member
    edited June 2017
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    Wrong post. Mistake.

  • shangetsfitx
    shangetsfitx Posts: 18 Member
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    Thank you for all of your replies! I will add in some more red meat can't say no to a nice steak or cheese burger
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
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    I just finished logging (and pre-logging) for the day, and I'd say this is pretty typical: I hit my iron, hit my base-before-exercise protein target but not the post-exercise (since I eat back roughly 50% of exercise calories, I don't get overly upset if I don't hit my protein), went wayyyyy over on sodium and probably could do with a bit more fat, but w/e; I'm having potato kugel tomorrow...

    Just some ideas on iron sources.

    lm0oo6l045c8.png


  • shangetsfitx
    shangetsfitx Posts: 18 Member
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    estherdragonbat wrote: »
    I just finished logging (and pre-logging) for the day, and I'd say this is pretty typical: I hit my iron, hit my base-before-exercise protein target but not the post-exercise (since I eat back roughly 50% of exercise calories, I don't get overly upset if I don't hit my protein), went wayyyyy over on sodium and probably could do with a bit more fat, but w/e; I'm having potato kugel tomorrow...

    Just some ideas on iron sources.

    lm0oo6l045c8.png


    Thank you! That is super helpful to see an example of a day hitting your iron goal gave me some ideas to try
  • Sp1tfire
    Sp1tfire Posts: 1,120 Member
    edited July 2017
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    I work at subway and the sandwiches actually have a pretty good amount of iron. The official website nutrition for a 6" Subway Club (wheat bread, no cheese, lettuce tomatoes onions and green peppers) has 20% of your DV. Ask them to put on a bunch of spinach and its even better! (put honey mustard on it too- only 30 calories on a 6"!) I eat em every day and My iron intake has been pretty good! If you're on the go it's an excellent choice to stick with your iron goals and calorie goals.
  • kavahni
    kavahni Posts: 313 Member
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    Something you can't track, but which is awesomely effective is to cook in cast iron. Especially acid foods like tomato sauce or long cooking foods like soup. I was anemic as a youth but as an adult I've cooked something every day in cast iron. My levels are always great.
  • emarilynmead216
    emarilynmead216 Posts: 11 Member
    edited July 2017
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    Maypo! I had this same hole in my diet and did not want to take supplements. I incorporated more lean red meat, leafy greens & other iron rich foods (google iron dense foods for inspiration, though you've got great recs here)) - and also discovered that one of my favorite hot breakfasts - Maple Oatmeal aka Maypo has 80% daily recommended iron.

    Even better, it has 1/3 of the sugar of most flavored oatmeals, plus fewer processed ingredients, and is super yummy. I make it w/ 1/3 cup milk, 1/4 cup water & pinch of salt.

    I rotate it in at breakfast a few times a week (sometimes even as a snack). My average weekly iron intake has gone from ~30% to about 90%.
  • PatanjaliTwist
    PatanjaliTwist Posts: 485 Member
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    In the event this is helpful, I had lifelong anemia, severe up until 23, then borderline since. I hate side effects from vitamin/mineral pills (headache mostly) because the FDA doesn't require listing all filler ingredients if a vitamin/mineral pill contains more than 2 V/M. So, fillers are mostly milk products (I'm allergic), wheat products & sawdust... yes, sawdust. I don't know that sawdust will harm you anymore than eating a pinch of topsoil each day, but for instance, I'm severely allergic to all trees, so don't want to ingest them.

    I began cooking only with cast iron in 2010 after a bout of chicken pox, followed by measles, meaning my immunity was shot despite always eating a fresh, organic diet with plenty of meat & within a few months, my iron levels were great. 7-yrs later & my iron levels are always normal. Perhaps it's a coincidence... & I don't see why it would be, given that up until 2010, I'd always been anemic. Even if you don't cook a lot, perhaps boiling tea water in cast iron will help... IOW, use a cast iron pot/pan everytime you need to cook/heat anything. I've even taken food I've cooked, then frozen & heated them in CI. Put it on low with the lid & it heats beautifully... albeit, not as quick as a microwave... but, it's been worth it for me.

    Good luck!

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