Meeting your daily iron goal?

ohpilot
ohpilot Posts: 73 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hey guys,
I was going through my food diary and noticed that no matter how well I think I've done for the day, I never reach the iron goal that MFP sets for me (100). In fact, the highest I've gotten is 68 but I usually seem to average closer to around 40.

Anyone else having this problem?
Tips? Anything? :)

Replies

  • gingerb85
    gingerb85 Posts: 357 Member
    I usually am less than 50, too, unless I had a tablespoon of blackstrap molasses to a smoothie in the morning. Then I'm good. :smile: I'm not a fan of molasses, but I have become used to it. The drawback - it makes your smoothies look terrible! But it gives me my iron and calcium, so I'll take it.
  • SadieHQ
    SadieHQ Posts: 33 Member
    I had a concern about that to. 100 of what? According to Eat Right Ontario women 18 to 50 are supposed to get 18 mg a day (men in the same age only need 8). So what's this 100?
  • clbdammit
    clbdammit Posts: 6 Member
    With a bit of planning it's remarkably easy to get enough iron from plant foods. Spirulina is another easy if slightly nauseating "cheat", but more palatable ones include spinach, flaxseed, leeks, mushrooms, tofu, courgette, dried peaches, nuts, lentils, chickpeas and many more.

    I too am curious about where they get this set goal of 100 from, given that most websites I've seen recommend around 14mg, but I'm still going for it since my ferretin levels have been known to be low and I don't think you can overdose on iron easily.
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
    I wouldn't rely on the database to measure iron. If you eat bread or cereal, choose ones that have been fortified with iron.
  • workerbee2011
    workerbee2011 Posts: 47 Member
    I think the 100 is a hundred percent of the recommended daily dose? At least I'm pretty sure that's what it is for calcium? But since that varies for men and women I'm not so sure...
  • carrieann1967
    carrieann1967 Posts: 45 Member
    Most of the food I record doesn't show how much iron is in it, only the raw foods. So measuring your iron intake on this is impossible. I wanted to measure mine to see what I do actually consume as I have an anaemia problem and have to take iron tablets regularly, the doc reckons for the rest of my life.

    I try to eat high iron foods such as nuts, seeds and dark green veg and I used to eat meat, but not so much now. But wanted to record my actual intake. Can mfp do something about this?
  • carrieann1967
    carrieann1967 Posts: 45 Member
    You can over dose on iron, so be careful, especially if you body doesn't expel it properly.
  • clbdammit
    clbdammit Posts: 6 Member
    @Workorbee: Yes, just worked this out myself, just came back to say so :) Not sure what the differences are about though, but it may be for the same reason that supplements often don't give you 100% of the RDA.
    @cahoughton: Thanks for the warning - though I think personally I have the reverse problem (sluggish absorption, which I'm tring to remedy with more vit c with meals). As for mfp doing something about the database, we don't need to wait for them to. For example, I've just googled butter beans and added a rough guestimate of iron content based on what I found (had to convert from different amounts and measurements). Anyone interested in their iron intake can do the same and or correct entries. This is like the Wikipedia of dieting!
    @melaniecheeks : see above re. database. Re. grains, being gluten-intolerant complicates matters for me, hence being overjoyed at having this (albeit imperfect) tool to help me get there with the foods I can eat!
  • PinkAndSparkle
    PinkAndSparkle Posts: 324
    I take a womens one-a-day every morning and that gives me the iron I need. I'm always borderline anemic when I have blood tests done, and pure iron supplements make my stomach VERY angry. These vitamins seem to do the trick and give me TONS of energy.
  • sadl1313
    sadl1313 Posts: 2
    It is true that it is hard to absorb iron. We absorb iron best through eating foods rich in iron. However, iron can be overdosed on and it is very toxic...but that normally happens thru taking iron pills.
  • Shanna_Inc86
    Shanna_Inc86 Posts: 781 Member
    Coco Wheats have 90% of your daily needed iron...lol

    0001112600328_500X500.jpg
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Yes!! I have the problem, but have no tips, other than to speak to your doctor about whether you should take a supplement. I don't eat red meat often, but I eat a lot of beans and greens, but I still never manage to hit the goal.

    I sometimes get turned away from giving blood because I don't have enough iron, but my doctor said I didn't need a supplement. Apparently I have enough for me, but not to share. :ohwell:
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    I had a concern about that to. 100 of what? According to Eat Right Ontario women 18 to 50 are supposed to get 18 mg a day (men in the same age only need 8). So what's this 100?

    I think it's 100% of the USDA RDA. 50 yo is just a general age for women. The requirement actually drops after menopause, which is generally around age 50.
  • vim_n_vigor
    vim_n_vigor Posts: 4,089 Member
    I take a B-Complex vitamin
  • debbiej5430
    debbiej5430 Posts: 2
    Yesterday I ate 152.5% of my daily iron goal. I had one serving of Kellogs Mini Wheats, hoping to get enough fiber and it also gave me 90% iron. I ate a Ms Callander's Frozen Dinner - Swedish Meatballs (only 470 cal) 25% iron. These were the big % of iron.

    I also ate:
    10.5% Cup of long grain white rice
    8% lima beans
    8% Triscuit original baked whole grain crackers
    4% Boneless grilled pork chop
    3.3% hard boiled egg
    3% red seedless grapes
    .7% baby carrots

    Hope this helps with your iron intake
  • rmoore1
    rmoore1 Posts: 1 Member
    Its percent daily value
  • MinaAriel
    MinaAriel Posts: 138 Member
    Prenatal vitamins, even if your not planning on a baby. Great source of iron and other vitamins. They really are a lot of bang for the buck.
  • rtroiani1
    rtroiani1 Posts: 1
    It is % daily value. It is shown in the column header if you add it to the diary.
  • Creiddylad
    Creiddylad Posts: 27
    Only been doing the diary for two days and on both days it's noticeable how low my iron is. I am well under the daily requirement, and as a vegetarian this is a little worrying.

    I'm going to try and up the amount of iron rich foods I eat and see if I can correct it with diet, but if not I am going to take a supplement.
  • sistrsprkl
    sistrsprkl Posts: 1,010 Member
    I'm always really low too, like in the teens (I'm a vegetarian). I've read that using a cast iron skillet will leach iron into your food so I always use that. There's no way to measure though so who knows. Allegedly, cooking acidic foods in iron will help even more iron to leach out. It can't hurt.
  • m0dizzle
    m0dizzle Posts: 101 Member
    Quakers cereal squares have a ton of iron and are delicious.
  • SKME2013
    SKME2013 Posts: 704 Member
    I hit my micro nutrients every day and am over 100% for my iron needs by making myself a vegetable/fruit morning smoothie. You can look into my diary for the ingredients.
    Stef.
  • Coll_OB
    Coll_OB Posts: 1 Member
    To everyone saying that it is the % of the daily recommended amount is wrong. It is set to 100mg which is way too much - you can check this by looking at the iron value on a food you have logged. For instance a large boiled egg has 0.6mg of iron (Google) and when I look at the iron content on MFP it lists it as 0.6% of my daily iron goal.

    This seems to be extremely careless of MFP as people are obviously thinking that they aren't getting enough by not hitting the target and subsequently over eating iron rich foods to compensate for it

  • Iwantahealthierme30
    Iwantahealthierme30 Posts: 293 Member
    Oatmeal has 45%, on days I eat oatmeal, I always go over my iron because I have two 29g packages. That's the only tip I have.
  • silverpl2525
    silverpl2525 Posts: 138 Member
    I used to be vegetarian but got anemic...so now I take a multivitamin daily and have good quality beef regularly and my lab work is all normal now.
  • Gerbil184
    Gerbil184 Posts: 2 Member
    edited May 24
    I have an opinion and I was wondering what other people think about it. MFP is used a lot by people wanting to lose weight. If they add a food or a recipe to the database they concentrate on calories, fat, sugar and possibly protein. How many foods do you see on here that don’t have the iron, salt, cholesterol or vitamins logged? So I think that I generally get more of those than MFP says. It’s really hard to hit my daily targets in anything except calories, fat and sugar, if I up the protein it tends to come with fat. But if people entered ALL the nutrition info instead of just what matters to them then I think we would all see our iron intake stats go up. What do you think?
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,944 Member
    Gerbil184 wrote: »
    I have an opinion and I was wondering what other people think about it. MFP is used a lot by people wanting to lose weight. If they add a food or a recipe to the database they concentrate on calories, fat, sugar and possibly protein. How many foods do you see on here that don’t have the iron, salt, cholesterol or vitamins logged? So I think that I generally get more of those than MFP says. It’s really hard to hit my daily targets in anything except calories, fat and sugar, if I up the protein it tends to come with fat. But if people entered ALL the nutrition info instead of just what matters to them then I think we would all see our iron intake stats go up. What do you think?

    Why not start an own thread instead of dragging a zombie thread up from the depths of MFP?

    But to answer your question: Nutritional info differs by country. None of the vitamins you mention are listed here, no iron, cholesterol, etc. some countries use salt, others sodium, even the type of fats available on labels differs. And yeah, some people might just not mind. Make your own entries, keep them private or share them.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,234 Member
    Yes, zombie thread.

    Also: Wanting other people to do things we want them to do, but that they aren't interested in doing? That's a plan that's likely to fail, seems like.

    Lietchi suggested a method that you can use yourself to get the results you want: Higher odds of success, remodeling your own behavior, vs. aspiring to remodel other people's behavior.

    Also, if you want protein sources with less fat, take a look at this thread:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10247171/carbs-and-fats-are-cheap-heres-a-guide-to-getting-your-proteins-worth-fiber-also

    Protein doesn't automatically come with lots of fat, I'd say. I eat moderately high protein (0.8g minimum daily per pound of goal weight, usually get closer to 1g/pound, but have to pay close attention to be sure I reach my minimum fat goal (0.4g per pound minimum daily).
  • KareninCanada
    KareninCanada Posts: 962 Member
    Chick peas, edamame, black beans, pumpkin seeds, lentils, sesame seeds 👍

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