posted February 18, 2003 01:43 AM         

Perhaps the people you know who still eat chicken and fish are not really vegitarian they just avoid red meat.

I eat everything but commend you ikachigo for trying to do some research first. Yes you can find many good sources of iron like what people here said.

Sometimes family gets wierded out when we learn new things in life- they just get afraid we will learn the wrong things. They really just want to help you. I would say just don't make a big issue out of it, sometimes arguing a point is pointless and you can just make the change anyways. Or I don't know I am not trying to tell you what to do, i just know with my parents the more i fought for something, the more they wouldn't budge. But if I just dropped the discussion things were alot calmer.

Well whatever you do I support you and hope you know that you can come here and vent and/or let us know what is going on

posted March 06, 2003 03:08 AM         

I have found that the more "time" passes, the less people hassle you. I had just become a vegetarian, and everyone was on my back- even perfect strangers who were eavesdropping on a conversation. Now that I say I've been a vegetarian for a while, most people don't say anything.

Eating red meat is not necessarily proportionate to iron absorption. In fact, I was diagnosed as being slightly anemic back when I was eating two hamburgers a day! The problem seemed to solve itself even before I became vegetarian. All of the above sources are excellent, and also you can take a vegetarian iron supplement. I don't mean to get personal, but heavy menstrual periods can also cause general anemia, so it can be especially important to take the supplement then. Also, milk, milk products, and antacids can block iron uptake, so you might want to not mix those with iron-containing food or the iron supplement. Conversely, vitamin C aids greatly in iron absorption, so make sure and include that as well. Also, it can take a month or two for a demonstrable difference in your blood work, so be patient!

Iron deficiencies statistically are not more common with vegetarians than with omnivores. The only nutrient that generally is deficient in many vegetarian diets is vitamin B12. Babies that are breastfed by ill-informed vegan mothers tend to develop cognitive impairment and brain development problems due to a lack of vitamin B12.

Any well-informed vegetarian knows that there are no reliable plant sources for vitamin B12. However, there are several yeasts that are better sources of it, not to mention multivitamins that include vegetarian B12.

Anyway, nutritional deficiencies are a pandemic in a society that consumes so many overprocessed foods. In fact, such deficiencies, including those relating to pregnancy and breastfeeding, are just as common among meat-eaters (e.g., the March of Dimes' awareness campaign on folic acid, another B vitamin!). Also, properly educated vegetarian mothers are less likely to pass on harmful chemicals and hormones, such as DDT and BGH, during breastfeeding. Those and similar compounds have been linked to everything from autoimmunological problems to premature puberty.

posted March 12, 2003 01:56 AM         

Some great advice in this thread.

I learned that my blood type (A) doesn't absorb iron too well from food, and so I started to supplement my dark leafy greens with an herbal tonic called Floradix, available in many health food stores across North America. A vegetarian pal of mine recommended it. Although pricey, it tastes great!

posted April 13, 2003 05:07 AM         

I dug around to find some resources for you.

I hope this helps.

quote:

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Table 1: Iron Content of Selected Vegan Foods

FOOD AMOUNT IRON (mg)

Soybeans, cooked 1 cup - 8.8
Blackstrap molasses 2 Tbsp - 7.0
Lentils, cooked 1 cup - 6.6
Tofu 4 oz - 0.7-6.6
Quinoa, cooked 1 cup - 6.3
Kidney beans, cooked 1 cup - 5.2
Chickpeas, cooked 1 cup - 4.7
Lima beans, cooked 1 cup - 4.5
Pinto beans, cooked 1 cup - 4.5
Veggie burger,
commercial 1 patty - 1.1-4.5
Black-eyed peas, cooked 1 cup - 4.3
Swiss chard, cooked 1 cup - 4.0
Tempeh 1 cup - 3.8
Black beans, cooked 1 cup - 3.6
Bagel, enriched 3 oz - 3.2
Turnip greens, cooked 1 cup - 3.2
Prune juice 8 oz - 3.0
Spinach, cooked 1 cup - 2.9
Beet greens, cooked 1 cup - 2.7
Tahini 2 Tbsp - 2.6
Raisins 1/2 cup - 2.2
Cashews 1/4 cup - 2.0
Figs, dried 5 medium- 2.0
Seitan 4 oz - 2.0
Bok choy, cooked 1 cup - 1.8
Bulgur, cooked 1 cup - 1.7
Apricots, dried 10 halves- 1.6
Potato 1 large - 1.4
Soy yogurt 6 oz - 1.4
Tomato juice 8 oz - 1.4
Veggie hot dog 1 hot dog- 1.4
Almonds 1/4 cup - 1.3
Peas, cooked 1 cup - 1.3
Green beans, cooked 1 cup - 1.2
Kale, cooked 1 cup - 1.2
Sesame seeds 2 Tbsp - 1.2
Sunflower seeds 1/4 cup - 1.2
Broccoli, cooked 1 cup - 1.1
Brussels sprouts,cooked 1 cup - 1.1
Millet, cooked 1 cup - 1.0
Prunes 5 medium- 1.0
Watermelon 1/8 medium- 1.0

Sources: USDA Nutrient Data Base for Standard Reference, Release 12, 1998. Manufacturer's information.

The RDA for iron is 10 mg/day for adult men and for post-menopausal women and 15 mg/day for pre-menopausal women.

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Table 2: Comparison of Iron Sources

FOOD IRON (mg/100 calories)

Spinach, cooked 5.4
Collard greens, cooked 3.1
Lentils, cooked 2.9
Broccoli, cooked 2.1
Chickpeas, cooked 1.7
Sirloin steak,choice,broiled 1.6
Figs, dried 0.8
Hamburger, lean, broiled 0.8
Chicken, roasted, no skin 0.6
Flounder, baked 0.3
Pork Chop, pan fried 0.2
Milk, skim 0.1

Note that the top iron sources are vegan.

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And here's an informative article for debates between meat eaters and veggers- http://www.vegfamily.com/articles/win-argument-meat-eater.htm

posted April 18, 2003 12:34 AM         

Thanks!