Iron deficient - and I'm TIRED of supplements!

lwhitman4
lwhitman4 Posts: 144 Member
edited October 3 in Food and Nutrition
Yeah, so... iron supplements have unpleasant side effects. I'm tired of having to take them. I'm highly anemic (I have a PCV of 10-12 normally) and am tired of taking extra pills. I try so hard to eat more red meat and leafy greens but on a normal day I get about 30-40% of my RDA of iron.

Just putting it out there in case anyone knows of any DOABLE recipes that are high-iron. I won't eat liver so that's out of the question. Just wanting to know if anyone has high-iron recipes they can share. Please and thanks ;)

Replies

  • withchaco
    withchaco Posts: 1,026 Member
    Clams, clams, CLAMS. Anything with clams.

    (Not oysters or mussels though, as far as I know.)
  • lwhitman4
    lwhitman4 Posts: 144 Member
    Clams, clams, CLAMS. Anything with clams.

    (Not oysters or mussels though, as far as I know.)

    Really??? Who'd'a thunk it?
  • silkysly
    silkysly Posts: 701 Member
    I slow cook spinach & onions with a dash of garlic & a pinch of salt. (maybe add a TBSP of butter for good measures.)
  • MamaDee2
    MamaDee2 Posts: 843 Member
    Liver and spinach
  • lwhitman4
    lwhitman4 Posts: 144 Member
    I slow cook spinach & onions with a dash of garlic & a pinch of salt. (maybe add a TBSP of butter for good measures.)

    I try to eat fresh baby spinach at least every other day. I wonder if cooking it does anything to the nutrients?
  • fadeddreamz58
    fadeddreamz58 Posts: 29 Member
    I have very low iron, my go to.
    I take light cream sauce, clams, spinach, garlic and onions in a slow cooker and done!
  • Jorra
    Jorra Posts: 3,338 Member
    I would like to know this as well. I remember my doctor prescribed iron supplements that wouldn't give me "AS MUCH" constipation. Needless to say, I never took those babies.

    Try looking on this website, I always use it when looking for nutritious foods
    http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=70
  • Forensic
    Forensic Posts: 468 Member
    Pumpkin seeds!

    Also, Turkey, a lot of breakfast cereals, tofu, beans... clams (mollusks and oysters are good too, per webmd...)
  • lwhitman4
    lwhitman4 Posts: 144 Member
    I have very low iron, my go to.
    I take light cream sauce, clams, spinach, garlic and onions in a slow cooker and done!

    Clams and spinach in one recipe? Good idea.
  • lwhitman4
    lwhitman4 Posts: 144 Member
    Pumpkin seeds? Soooo awesome, I love those. Thank you!!!!!!
  • agulledge32
    agulledge32 Posts: 17
    Take a look at this link...looked like some tasty recipes!

    http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/recipe_slideshows/iron_rich_recipes?slide=1#leaderboardad


    Amy
  • lwhitman4
    lwhitman4 Posts: 144 Member
    I would like to know this as well. I remember my doctor prescribed iron supplements that wouldn't give me "AS MUCH" constipation. Needless to say, I never took those babies.

    Yeah, I take Slow FE and still, no likey.
  • withchaco
    withchaco Posts: 1,026 Member
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinach

    Apparently, spinach can not only hinder your body's ability to absorb iron, it can also REMOVE iron from your body. It may not be an issue for some people, but if you're already iron deficient, limiting your spinach consumption seems like a good idea.
  • lwhitman4
    lwhitman4 Posts: 144 Member
    Amy, thank you SO much! I'll be checking out that link you posted for quite a while. Who knew veggie taco salad would be high in iron? Appreciated greatly!
  • MizzDoc
    MizzDoc Posts: 493 Member
    Excellent thread. I stopped taking my prescribed supplements as the constipation was too severe. I try to increase my red meat. But the clams sounds interesting.

    @Faded-- do you have a recipe you can share? That slow cooker dish sounds yummy!
  • Fayve
    Fayve Posts: 406 Member
    I second all of these suggestions for food. My iron usually settles around 8, and i've been on 2 iron supplement pills a day. They do suck a bit :( I've been getting iron injectons into my hiney for a bit though, as well as an IV iron infusion - I think it's up over 10 now, yippee!! Good luck!
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,453 Member
    It's actually better nutritionally to eat lightly cooked spinach as opposed to raw.
  • lwhitman4
    lwhitman4 Posts: 144 Member
    It's actually better nutritionally to eat lightly cooked spinach as opposed to raw.

    Wonder what happens in the cooking process that makes that possible. Amazing!

    Thanks everyone for all your input, I love getting new ideas from my MFP friends.
  • lwhitman4
    lwhitman4 Posts: 144 Member
    I wish chocolate and wine were high in iron. :)
  • shepar79
    shepar79 Posts: 9 Member
    What about cereal - it's fortified with iron quite frequently - the only time I am near my iron requirement is when I eat cereal.
  • skinnnyxoxo
    skinnnyxoxo Posts: 210 Member
    What about cereal - it's fortified with iron quite frequently - the only time I am near my iron requirement is when I eat cereal.

    I agree. One serving of multigrain cheerios provides 100% iron for only 110 calories.
    Can't beat that.
  • grimm1974
    grimm1974 Posts: 337 Member
    My wife is also iron deficient, which is common in redheads. I cook worth cast iron cookware to add iron to the foods we cook.
  • MissMaggie3
    MissMaggie3 Posts: 2,464 Member
    A nutritionist told me beetroot is good.
  • karmajules
    karmajules Posts: 18 Member
    Two of my friends are nutritionists and they both swear by Spatone. One takes if herself as she is pregnant and iron deficient, so it is very very safe.

    Good Luck
  • BeverageTreats
    BeverageTreats Posts: 149 Member
    If you are finished having children or decided you won't be having any... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endometrial_ablation

    I had iron deficiency anemia for 20 years and now my iron is high.
  • Jill_newimprovedversion
    Jill_newimprovedversion Posts: 988 Member
    I use blackstrap molasses as a sweetener in many recipes- that contains a GREAT source of iron
  • Troll
    Troll Posts: 922 Member
    turnip and mustard greens. Buy greens, remove leaves from stems. Wash. wash again. and one more time for good luck!

    put leaves in a large pot (cram them in there, it cooks to almost nothing) put water to almost cover. put on a lid, cook until greens are tender and really wilted.

    serve next to baked chicken and brown rice. (or dumplins and cornbread, if you want to do it right-but that's a cheat day here these days).
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