Guest guest Posted April 24, 2006 Report Share Posted April 24, 2006 Shree, As a vegan for 21 yrs., I have never had a problem with iron. Even when I was pregnant. When I give blood, I love to tell them I'm vegan, because they always have such strange suppositions. When I see clients with low iron, I look at a few things. The first is, the iron absorption. Email me if you have questions. Laura in MD This brought up a question as to is this the case with all vegetarians. what do I do to increase my iron level(other than taking pills)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 24, 2006 Report Share Posted April 24, 2006 Hi everybody Of late I have been hearing/ reading a lot about how the iron content is less in veggies when compared to meat and so most vegetarians tend to be anemic. I know i had iron deficiency when i was pregnant with my son so the doc asked me to take some iron pills which i stopped after giving birth to my son. Recently when i went for a blood drive i was turned down saying i was just below the min requirement for iron level. I have donated blood several times in the past mostly before my son was born, I had no issues then:( And again the suggested i take some iron rich food This brought up a question as to is this the case with all vegetarians. what do I do to increase my iron level(other than taking pills)? Shree Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 24, 2006 Report Share Posted April 24, 2006 Hi Shree, My husband and I are both vegetarian and neither of us ever has a problem with being anemic. My husband gives blood as often as is allowed and has always had a great hemoglobin count. On the other hand two of my cousins have always been anemic even when they used to eat meat. They just tend to have low iron no matter what they eat. There is info at the link on iron for vegetarians http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/iron.htm Jacqueline > > Shreelakshmi Krishnamurthi <shreelak > 2006/04/24 Mon PM 12:10:34 EST > > iron content > > Hi everybody > > Of late I have been hearing/ reading a lot about how > the iron content is less in veggies when compared to > meat and so most vegetarians tend to be anemic. > I know i had iron deficiency when i was pregnant with > my son so the doc asked me to take some iron pills > which i stopped after giving birth to my son. > Recently when i went for a blood drive i was turned > down saying i was just below the min requirement for > iron level. I have donated blood several times in the > past mostly before my son was born, I had no issues > then:( > And again the suggested i take some iron rich food > > This brought up a question as to is this the case with > all vegetarians. what do I do to increase my iron > level(other than taking pills)? > > Shree > > > > > > > > > For more information about vegetarianism, please visit the VRG website at http://www.vrg.org and for materials especially useful for families go to http://www.vrg.org/family.This is a discussion list and is not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. > > edical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 24, 2006 Report Share Posted April 24, 2006 We just switched over to iron skillets. Not sure how much it will add, but figured it was better than Teflon anyway. Tracy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 24, 2006 Report Share Posted April 24, 2006 Shree asked: <<This brought up a question as to is this the case with all vegetarians. what do I do to increase my iron level(other than taking pills)?>> Cook in an iron pan! Liz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 25, 2006 Report Share Posted April 25, 2006 Shree, All green leafy veggies are high in iron. Cheers, Maria --- Shreelakshmi Krishnamurthi <shreelak wrote: > Hi everybody > > Of late I have been hearing/ reading a lot about how > the iron content is less in veggies when compared to > meat and so most vegetarians tend to be anemic. > I know i had iron deficiency when i was pregnant > with > my son so the doc asked me to take some iron pills > which i stopped after giving birth to my son. > Recently when i went for a blood drive i was turned > down saying i was just below the min requirement for > iron level. I have donated blood several times in > the > past mostly before my son was born, I had no issues > then:( > And again the suggested i take some iron rich food > > This brought up a question as to is this the case > with > all vegetarians. what do I do to increase my iron > level(other than taking pills)? > > Shree > > > > > Tired of spam? Mail has the best spam > protection around > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 25, 2006 Report Share Posted April 25, 2006 Hello, Shree. Like many of the other respondees, I have never had a problem with iron and I give blood regularly. Also, I was vegan for over 13 years (during my pregnancy too) and I never had iron issues. However, when pregnant, my midwife wanted me to have a higher level and so I took 1 - 2 tablespoons of the unsulphured blackstrap molasses everyday. I would mix it in with a bowl of oatmeal and it was fine - I actually liked the taste. Also, to increase the absorbtion of iron, eat foods with vitamin C at the same time you eat your iron-rich foods. When I was eating the oatmeal with the blackstrap molasses, I would eat a clementine at the same time. Regarding iron supplements: my understanding is that unless you are anemic, one should not take iron supplements as iron is a pro-oxidant (enabling free radicals) and has possible implications in several neurological disorders including Parkinson's disease. I hope that helps. Good luck. Shannon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 30, 2006 Report Share Posted April 30, 2006 beans beans beans!!!! Eating a diet rich in your veggies and whole grains gives you lots of iron! A diet with lots of variety also helps lots! Peace to all jls , Shreelakshmi Krishnamurthi <shreelak wrote: > > Hi everybody > > Of late I have been hearing/ reading a lot about how > the iron content is less in veggies when compared to > meat and so most vegetarians tend to be anemic. > I know i had iron deficiency when i was pregnant with > my son so the doc asked me to take some iron pills > which i stopped after giving birth to my son. > Recently when i went for a blood drive i was turned > down saying i was just below the min requirement for > iron level. I have donated blood several times in the > past mostly before my son was born, I had no issues > then:( > And again the suggested i take some iron rich food > > This brought up a question as to is this the case with > all vegetarians. what do I do to increase my iron > level(other than taking pills)? > > Shree > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 1, 2006 Report Share Posted May 1, 2006 Being a childbirth educator I have to chime in on this. First of all, not every pregnant woman goes to an OB. Not every OB puts their pregnant patients on vitamins with iron. Most OB's have taken the same amount of nutrition courses as other MD's. So, their nutrition knowledge is limited. Midwives, on the other hand, study nutrition in depth, which is why many of us choose midwifery care. Many times, it's not necessary to take a prenatal with a large amounts of iron. I took a food based prenatal, with no extra iron, and had no problem. I encourage my students to look to their individual systems in consulting with their practitioner. Sorry for the rant. Pregnancy nutrition is big on my list, especially being a vegan and dispelling the myths about growing a healthy baby on a vegan diet. Peace, Laura in MD Every pregnant woment need twice the amount of iron, that she normally needs, so OB doc's always put their pregnant patients on Special Vitamins with Iron to take during this special time that your body require much more of these to support the new life growing inside you. Heavy periods and many other medical conditions may cause you to be anemic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 1, 2006 Report Share Posted May 1, 2006 I posted a ton of veggies that includes Iron and I agree that a large variety will give you plenty of iron, especially if you also consume Vitamin C along with it. It helps the body take up the iron. Every pregnant woment need twice the amount of iron, that she normally needs, so OB doc's always put their pregnant patients on Special Vitamins with Iron to take during this special time that your body require much more of these to support the new life growing inside you. Heavy periods and many other medical conditions may cause you to be anemic. Judy > beans beans beans!!!! Eating a diet rich in your veggies and whole > grains gives you lots of iron! A diet with lots of variety also helps > lots! Peace to all jls > > > , Shreelakshmi Krishnamurthi > <shreelak wrote: >> >> Hi everybody >> >> Of late I have been hearing/ reading a lot about how >> the iron content is less in veggies when compared to >> meat and so most vegetarians tend to be anemic. >> I know i had iron deficiency when i was pregnant with >> my son so the doc asked me to take some iron pills >> which i stopped after giving birth to my son. >> Recently when i went for a blood drive i was turned >> down saying i was just below the min requirement for >> iron level. I have donated blood several times in the >> past mostly before my son was born, I had no issues >> then:( >> And again the suggested i take some iron rich food >> >> This brought up a question as to is this the case with >> all vegetarians. what do I do to increase my iron >> level(other than taking pills)? >> >> Shree >> >> >> >> >> >> >> For more information about vegetarianism, please visit the VRG website at > http://www.vrg.org and for materials especially useful for families go to > http://www.vrg.org/family.This is a discussion list and is not intended to > provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a > qualified health professional. > > edical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health > professional. > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 1, 2006 Report Share Posted May 1, 2006 Me too chime in. No additional iron supplements during pregnancy or years of lactation. Had 3 healthy babies, was a La Leche League Leader, ate lots of lentils and other beans and had iron levels off the chart. Iron supplements plug me up like concrete. Returned to eating vegan after first delivery when I discovered the whey/casein in bread was causing colic. I now train doctors for media interviews and find most of them still don't take nutrition classes, though that is slowly changing. Till then, do your own homework. Ellen FL _____ On Behalf Of VAP79 Monday, May 01, 2006 12:34 PM Re: Re: iron content Being a childbirth educator I have to chime in on this. First of all, not every pregnant woman goes to an OB. Not every OB puts their pregnant patients on vitamins with iron. Most OB's have taken the same amount of nutrition courses as other MD's. So, their nutrition knowledge is limited. Midwives, on the other hand, study nutrition in depth, which is why many of us choose midwifery care. Many times, it's not necessary to take a prenatal with a large amounts of iron. I took a food based prenatal, with no extra iron, and had no problem. I encourage my students to look to their individual systems in consulting with their practitioner. Sorry for the rant. Pregnancy nutrition is big on my list, especially being a vegan and dispelling the myths about growing a healthy baby on a vegan diet. Peace, Laura in MD Every pregnant woment need twice the amount of iron, that she normally needs, so OB doc's always put their pregnant patients on Special Vitamins with Iron to take during this special time that your body require much more of these to support the new life growing inside you. Heavy periods and many other medical conditions may cause you to be anemic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 2, 2006 Report Share Posted May 2, 2006 Hi Laura, My OB did put me on SlowFeFolic, an iron and folic acid supplement when I was expecting my first child. It totally ripped up my stomach. I just couldn't handle the iron in the supplement so I stopped taking it after the first day (I was in extreme pain). I promised my doctor that I would make sure to get enough iron and folic acid in my diet and then made sure that I did so. It really wasn't hard at all since I ate well anyway. I had three very healthy babies without taking prenatal supplements. Jacqueline http://adhdnme.blogspot.com On Behalf Of VAP79 May 1, 2006 1:34 PM Re: Re: iron content Being a childbirth educator I have to chime in on this. First of all, not every pregnant woman goes to an OB. Not every OB puts their pregnant patients on vitamins with iron. Most OB's have taken the same amount of nutrition courses as other MD's. So, their nutrition knowledge is limited. Midwives, on the other hand, study nutrition in depth, which is why many of us choose midwifery care. Many times, it's not necessary to take a prenatal with a large amounts of iron. I took a food based prenatal, with no extra iron, and had no problem. I encourage my students to look to their individual systems in consulting with their practitioner. Sorry for the rant. Pregnancy nutrition is big on my list, especially being a vegan and dispelling the myths about growing a healthy baby on a vegan diet. Peace, Laura in MD Every pregnant woment need twice the amount of iron, that she normally needs, so OB doc's always put their pregnant patients on Special Vitamins with Iron to take during this special time that your body require much more of these to support the new life growing inside you. Heavy periods and many other medical conditions may cause you to be anemic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 2, 2006 Report Share Posted May 2, 2006 Jaqueline, I have had woman that I work with not take prenatal supplements as well. They also had normal healthy babies. Again, just as you did, important to know your own body and listen to the messages that it gives you. Happy to hear you are raising three veg. kids! Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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