posted September 04, 2008 06:50 PM         

I don't want to take an additional iron supplement, due to digestive differences that the iron pills have caused me in the past...

Any suggestions besides diet and supplements..I am a terrible eater...you can tell me I need spinach or brocoli, but honestly it will probably sit in my fridge, and go bad..before I get around to preparing it...

Thank you...this has been on my mind a couple weeks now.. not sure what to do??

Thank You....

posted September 04, 2008 08:48 PM         

Get your iron with food instead of pills
And it doesn't just have to be broccoli and spinach

Iron rich foods can fortify your Blood, in a properly balanced diet, which can become weakened by a lack of foods rich in iron. Iron, the metal, is an element that is also a trace nutrient mineral that we all need to consume as a part of our everyday diet. Iron, in some form, is essential for good health. Below is a list of foods rich in iron, with some general nutritional guideline of iron content or dietary sources of iron in the foods that we eat. A small amount of iron in our Blood, about 200 milligrams (mg.) per pint of Blood in our systems, or 3 to 4 grams total in mature adults, is necessary to build hemoglobin.

Some Good Sources Foods Rich in Iron* (Dietary Iron) are:

List of Grains Rich in Iron: Iron (mg.)
Brown rice, 1 cup cooked 0.8
Whole wheat bread, 1 slice 0.9
Wheat germ, 2 tablespoons 1.1
English Muffin, 1 plain 1.4
Oatmeal, 1 cup cooked 1.6
Total cereal, 1 ounce 18.0
Cream of Wheat, 1 cup 10.0
Pita, whole wheat, 1 slice/piece, 6 ½ inch 1.9
Spaghetti, enriched, 1 cup, cooked 2.0
Raisin bran cereal, 1 cup 6.3

List of Iron Rich Legumes, Seeds, and Soy:
Sunflower seeds, 1 ounce 1.4
Soy milk, 1 cup 1.4
Kidney beans, ½ cup canned 1.6
Chickpeas, ½ cup, canned 1.6
Tofu, firm, ½ cup 1.8
Soy burger, 1 average 1.8 to 3.9*

List of Vegetables Rich in Iron:
Broccoli, ½ cup, boiled 0.7
Green beans, ½ cup, boiled 0.8
Lima beans, baby, frozen, ½ cup, boiled 1.8
Beets, 1 cup 1.8
Peas, ½ cup frozen, boiled 1.3
Potato, fresh baked, cooked w/skin on 4.0
Vegetables, green leafy, ½ cup 2.0
Watermelon, 6 inch x ½ inch slice 3.0

A Sample List of Foods Rich in Iron:

Blackstrap Molasses, one tablespoon 3.0
Dates or Prunes, ½ cup 2.4
Beef, Pork, Lamb, three ounces 2.3 to 3.0
Liver (beef, chicken), three ounces 8.0 to 25.0
Clams, Oysters ¾ cup 3.0
Dark meat Turkey ¾ cup 2.6
Pizza, cheese or pepperoni, ½ of 10 inch pie 4.5 to 5.5

* Varies with brand. Check the iron content on the label.
** Pregnant women should not eat liver because of its very high Vitamin
A content. Large amounts of Vitamin A can be harmful to the baby.

posted September 05, 2008 07:24 AM         

I will print out that list, and check out that site...

posted September 05, 2008 01:24 PM         

My Mom said the same thing, and suffered from low iron at my age..until of course her menses ceased...So I'm pretty sure that is my problem as well...

She suggested I visit my local herb shop here, and pick up some Yellow Root, and make a tea out of that. I guess My great-grandmother use to make her this, and send her up a batch a couple times a year..

Ever heard of it? or had any experiences with this herb?

I will look into the remedies you suggested...and yes I have a cast-iron skillet, I should pull it out, and use it more..the whole family could probably benefit from that...

Meat..can't do the liver or rare meat.

Thanks alot for the advice...I have alot to try and see what helps now..

I'm such a healthy bug most of the time...little things like this worry me a little bit..

posted September 06, 2008 09:46 PM         

To be fair, low hematocrit (the finger stick used to determine if one is able to give blood or not) does not necessarially mean you have low iron. It IS, however, indicative of "anemia," and anemia has many causes.

Anybody who tells you you cannot donate blood cause your "iron is low" is making an assumption.

For example, it could be genetic, someone could be bleeding internally or someone could be volume-overloaded intravascularly which would skew results. Just to name a few.

Usually it is due to low iron, but not always.

Having said that, I have been boarderline anemic all of my life, probably genetic. When I give blood it is by the skin of my teeth for passing the required value and I feel horrible the next day, so I only donate when I am feeling very well.

I consume a very iron-rich diet but remain low, so genetics probably plays a part.

I have taken iron supplements a time or two and I always feel much better when taking supplements, so that in itself tells me it is an iron related issue. I only take oral iron supplements during mensus as too much iron is far more dangerous than too little.

I would say to try beefing (excuse the pun ) up your current nurtition to iron-rich foods, atleast try a supplement (with caution and research) and see if you feel better and try to donate again.

posted September 09, 2008 12:47 AM         

Pearlty, I guess what would go through my mind is "if it ain't broke, why fix it?" Meaning, why alter your existing lifestyle if you don't have more facts? It would be a precious waste to let spinach and broccoli go bad anyway.

May be consider taking a few hours of your day to see a doctor and get a lab test done? Probably takes less than 10 minutes on the phone to get an appointment and 20 minutes with a doctor. Then a quick drive to the lab for a blood sample. Having facts will help you make more educated decisions than pure speculation.

posted September 09, 2008 07:32 AM         

Aphrodite... My yearly physical is coming up soon, and I'm sure a proper blood test will be in order..

The only other time in my life, I have had low iron is with all three of my pregnancies...I would take my prenatal vitamin along with extra iron tablets...which was tough on the digestion for me..

In all honesty now that I'm aware of this more, I guess maybe I do feel a bit run-down. I work really hard at my job, then at home, I kind of crash..maybe Iron related idk?

We'll see what the Dr. says...

Thanks everyone..