Guest guest Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 I have been veg for some time now, have always had good iron levels (donated blood and everything) without needing supplements, have avoided supplement because of the knowledge that too much iron can be contribute to problems (cardio, etc). Now having weird health problems which is being " blamed " on my low Ferratin levels. Anyone else encounter this? What foods can I eat besides enriched tofu and added vit c for absorption to counter this? If you had this same problem did you have to use supplements or were you able to gradually correct it with a more careful vegetarian diet? thanks, melissa p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 Hi Melissa, I was able to raise my ferritin levels by consuming lots of greens. I eat a bag of spinach or a large bunch of chard (or collards or kale) every day. I also eat beans, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds every day, which are high in iron. Check out this page: http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=nutrient & dbid=70 Sharon Melissa wrote: > I have been veg for some time now, have always had good iron levels > (donated blood and everything) without needing supplements, have > avoided supplement because of the knowledge that too much iron can be > contribute to problems (cardio, etc). Now having weird health > problems which is being " blamed " on my low Ferratin levels. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 Melissa, The funny thing is, I was never able to give blood until I became vegetarian. Iron balance tends to be better on pure vegetarian diets than on other diets. Dark green leafy vegetables (broccoli, swiss chard) and legumes (beans, peas, and lentils) are rich in a form of iron that is more absorbable if your body needs more iron and less absorbable when your body already has plenty of iron. I am not a big tofu fan, myself, so I don't eat very much of it. Avoiding dairy products helps, because they contain virtually no iron and can actually inhibit iron absorption. Other good iron sources, that are vegi include iron-fortified cereals, enriched bread, pasta, rice, chickpeas, and blackstrap molasses. ¸.·´ .·´¨¨)) ((¸¸.·´ .·´ -:¦:- Terri -:¦:- ((¸¸.·´ On Apr 22, 2008, at 5:55 PM, Melissa wrote: > I have been veg for some time now, have always had good iron levels > (donated blood and everything) without needing supplements, have > avoided supplement because of the knowledge that too much iron can be > contribute to problems (cardio, etc). Now having weird health > problems which is being " blamed " on my low Ferratin levels. Anyone > else encounter this? What foods can I eat besides enriched tofu and > added vit c for absorption to counter this? If you had this same > problem did you have to use supplements or were you able to gradually > correct it with a more careful vegetarian diet? > thanks, > melissa p > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 For iron, I'd say off the top of my head spinach and probably other leafy dark greens like it. I know for certain spinach is high in iron. Dennis -- I am using the free version of SPAMfighter for private users. It has removed 73126 spam emails to date. Paying users do not have this message in their emails. Get the free SPAMfighter here: http://www.spamfighter.com/len Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 Hi, Melissa, The root of the herb, known as Yellow Dock (Rumix crispus) Is very high in iron, and you probably have some growing right in your yard. It looks like this picture below. Just dig it up, clean it off, pour water over it, bring to a boil and let steep for 15 minutes. It is very cleansing and highly nutritious. Happy tea drinking! Melissa <mapalicka wrote: I have been veg for some time now, have always had good iron levels (donated blood and everything) without needing supplements, have avoided supplement because of the knowledge that too much iron can be contribute to problems (cardio, etc). Now having weird health problems which is being " blamed " on my low Ferratin levels. Anyone else encounter this? What foods can I eat besides enriched tofu and added vit c for absorption to counter this? If you had this same problem did you have to use supplements or were you able to gradually correct it with a more careful vegetarian diet? thanks, melissa p Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Mobile. Try it now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 I have had low iron levels from time to time, taking iron pills usually did the trick. I no longer have iron deficiency since I started incorporating lots of greens into my diet, and I mean every day. Kale, collards, broccoli, gai lan, bok choy, mustard greens, turnip greens, beet greens, all or most greens....Also dried peas, lentils and peas are very good iron sources. Vitamin C helps iron absorption, so sprinkle some lemon or lime juice into those greens (and beans). Another trick: cook in cast iron. I mean the older stuff, not the enamel coated fancy gourmet stuff (Creuset pans won't work for this, even though I love my creusets). If you make some food that is naturally slightly acidic in cast iron, it will get a lot of iron from the pan. An example would be tomato based pasta sauces cooked in cast iron, (it just became iron rich pasta sauce). This really works and it is so simple, I wish I had known this when I was younger. Roseta @ Los Angeles , " Melissa " <mapalicka wrote: > > I have been veg for some time now, have always had good iron levels > (donated blood and everything) without needing supplements, have > avoided supplement because of the knowledge that too much iron can be > contribute to problems (cardio, etc). Now having weird health > problems which is being " blamed " on my low Ferratin levels. Anyone > else encounter this? What foods can I eat besides enriched tofu and > added vit c for absorption to counter this? If you had this same > problem did you have to use supplements or were you able to gradually > correct it with a more careful vegetarian diet? > thanks, > melissa p > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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