Need iron

[Guest guest]

I went to donate blood yesterday, and my iron level was low. It has

to be at least 38 and I was 36. This is the third time in a row!

Before I was 37.

 

The previous time, I ate broccoli and spinach that weekend before

donating. This time, I started taking iron tablets. I was still low.

 

Can anyone recommend what I should eat to build up iron? The Red

Cross said broccoli, spinach, and chickpeas. I hate chickpeas. Is

there anything else? Do you think I needed to eat it for longer than

the 3 days to build up my levels?

 

They also said that vegetarians must drink anything with Vitamin C

with meals so the iron stays in the blood, unlike eating meat. Is

that true? I know I'm probably not wording that right.

 

Thank you for any help!

[Guest guest]

Do you like cream of wheat cereal?

How about the grain quinoa?

Donna

 

, " Kerry Blackwell "

<mail@e...> wrote:

>

> I went to donate blood yesterday, and my iron level was low. It has

> to be at least 38 and I was 36. This is the third time in a row!

> Before I was 37.

[Guest guest]

, " Kerry Blackwell "

<mail@e...> wrote:

>

 

> Can anyone recommend what I should eat to build up iron? The Red

> Cross said broccoli, spinach, and chickpeas. I hate chickpeas.

Is

> there anything else? Do you think I needed to eat it for longer than

> the 3 days to build up my levels?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

I brought my iron level up using molassas in hot cereal and eating

greens which I couldn't stand but there are so many tasty ways to

prepare them as I discovered.

Sissy

[Guest guest]

I take a liquid iron supplement called flouridix and while it tastes

NASTY & is expensive it does the trick every time and is made from

plants so it doesn't have the side effects of man-made iron. Everyone

should take their iron with vitamin C, not just vegetarians. The vit C

helps the iron absorb better. Plant iron is way more useful to the body

than manmade iron, but even with plant iron you will absorb only so much

and you don't want to overdose, so always think of taking small amounts

frequently. Meats do have some iron in them (liver being the best

choice), but it isn't any more efficient at providing your body with

absorbable iron than a plant source, in fact, plant sources have a

higher rate of absorption, especially if you eat them at te right time,

with the right things.

 

You don't need to eat anything special to increase your iron if you eat

a lot of veggies, really. the key is how to buy and how eat. In general

organic items have more iron in them than non-organic. Veggies today

have nowhere near the amount of iron they had in them 40 yrs ago, thanks

to modern farming techniques (which have benefits in other things, but

still...) iron fortified cereals (especially Raisin Bran) usually have

more useable iron than eating a whole head of non-organic spinach. If

you use dairy or drink any kind of tea, or eat/drink anything with

caffeine (incuding chocolate) you want to abstain from eating/drinking

those for at least an hour (better yet, 2 hours) before and after taking

your iron supplement or eating your iron-rich foods. The tannins in the

tea, the caffeine in anything and dairy (not sure what part of dairy, I

forget) will block the absorption of iron into your body.

 

my suggestion would be to get the flouridix (they have one that is vegan

and another flavored with honey) and take it twice a day for a few weeks

before your next donation, making sure to take it with OJ or pineapple

juice, and to avoid dairy/tea/caffeine aorund the time you take it. I

bet by the time you get to the blood bank your iron will be high enough.

 

Are you in the US? I've always heard 16 as a decent iron level, 38

seems so high. When I was pregnant my iron levels consistently dropped

below 8, and to deliver in the out-of-hospital birthing center I had to

have a 10. About 4 hours before my appts I would take the flouridix and

a glass of OJ and my levels would reach 12-14 at the time of my appt. I

felt so much better, too. my non-pregnant iron level average is 14, and

my midwife says that's on the low side of perfect. I've never given

blood though (I know, I know...)

 

meg

 

Kerry Blackwell wrote:

 

> I went to donate blood yesterday, and my iron level was low. It has

> to be at least 38 and I was 36. This is the third time in a row!

> Before I was 37.

>

> The previous time, I ate broccoli and spinach that weekend before

> donating. This time, I started taking iron tablets. I was still low.

>

> Can anyone recommend what I should eat to build up iron? The Red

> Cross said broccoli, spinach, and chickpeas. I hate chickpeas. Is

> there anything else? Do you think I needed to eat it for longer than

> the 3 days to build up my levels?

>

> They also said that vegetarians must drink anything with Vitamin C

> with meals so the iron stays in the blood, unlike eating meat. Is

> that true? I know I'm probably not wording that right.

>

> Thank you for any help!

 

[Guest guest]

If you are consistently low then I would use a combination of iron supplements

(don't go overboard) and food things that are high and make sure to combine them

with things that help. I very much doubt that eating something how in iron for a

few days prior to donating will do the trick and the bottom line is that you

want that iron at normal levels regardless of whether or not you are giving

blood. And giving blood will drop those iron levels again taking a number of

days to rebuild. And then, if you are a woman, (long story behind that

statement) and your period is right around that time you are going to have a

bigger drop. If you can't get it up to normal levels and keep it there you need

the input of the doctor to get supplements appropriate to your particular needs.

You probably need a complete blood work-up to make sure that none of the other

blood components are out of whack . In the early 90's I had a terribly low blood

count and it can lead to strokes and heart attacks. No oxygen getting to the

brain and organs. I am not a doctor or nurse, just from my experience and it did

nearly kill me...seriously. Please do something...diet will probably not take

care of this until you get it stabilized. Sorry to be kind of a downer....

Namaste

linda

" Whatever you do will be insignificant and it is very important that you do it. "

Mohandas Gandhi

 

linda's Growing Stitchery Projects: womyn47

 

 

, " Kerry Blackwell "

<mail@e...> wrote:

>

 

> Can anyone recommend what I should eat to build up iron? The Red

> Cross said broccoli, spinach, and chickpeas. I hate chickpeas.

Is

> there anything else? Do you think I needed to eat it for longer than

> the 3 days to build up my levels?

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

, " Kerry Blackwell " <mail@e...>

wrote:

>

> I went to donate blood yesterday, and my iron level was low. It has

> to be at least 38 and I was 36. This is the third time in a row!

> Before I was 37.

>

> The previous time, I ate broccoli and spinach that weekend before

> donating. This time, I started taking iron tablets. I was still low.

 

Oh, that is too bad, Kerry. i have heard that iron tablets

are difficult to digest, and that they are not the best choice

for iron absorption... but i am not a nutritionist or expert,

but merely stating what i have read on the subject in the

past. i think it holds true for most vitamins and minerals

that they are absorbed into our bloodstream and tissues

best when taken in whole food than in pill-suppliment form.

 

 

>

> Can anyone recommend what I should eat to build up iron? The Red

> Cross said broccoli, spinach, and chickpeas. I hate chickpeas. Is

> there anything else? Do you think I needed to eat it for longer than

> the 3 days to build up my levels?

 

Yes, i can recommend eating Cream of Wheat hot

breakfast cereal, and also adding some molasses to

your diet. Both are yummy ways to get added iron.

As to your question about how long it takes to build

up iron, i do not know. Just a guess here, but i would

say you should probably adopt an iron-rich diet all the

time. It sounds like it is one nutrient your body is low

on frequently.... so make the regular addition of iron-rich

foods a lifestyle change.

 

 

>

> They also said that vegetarians must drink anything with Vitamin C

> with meals so the iron stays in the blood, unlike eating meat. Is

> that true? I know I'm probably not wording that right.

 

 

i have not heard that we [vegetarians] need vitamin C

more than meat eaters to absorb iron; i would think

vitamin C would be good for everyone. i have heard that

taking foods rich in vitamin C is a good way to assure

iron and calcium get absorbed more effectively.

 

~ pt ~

 

One kind word can warm three winter months.

~ Japanese proverb

[Guest guest]

, " ~ PT ~ "

<patchouli_troll> wrote:

 

> Yes, i can recommend eating Cream of Wheat hot

> breakfast cereal, and also adding some molasses to

> your diet.

 

Thanks!

 

> As to your question about how long it takes to build

> up iron, i do not know. Just a guess here, but i would

> say you should probably adopt an iron-rich diet all the

> time.

 

Yes, I know but I wondered how long because I still want to donate

blood and I don't know if I have to wait to get this level up. They

need donors badly, and I'm O- (the demand is bigger). Do I have to eat

iron every meal for 7 days? Or 1 meal for 30 days? If I knew, I

could set up an appt for the proper time; otherwise, I'm wasting their

time and mine.

 

The weird thing is, I was perfectly fine in iron levels until the last

couple of months. I have no idea why it dropped.

 

The nurses have already told me that I really should eat beef to get

the iron level up, but I don't want to do that.

[Guest guest]

I have regular blood workups every year, and nothing else is low.

 

Thank you for the help.

 

Kerry

[Guest guest]

, " Kerry Blackwell " <mail@e...>

wrote:

 

> Yes, I know but I wondered how long because I still want to donate

> blood and I don't know if I have to wait to get this level up. They

> need donors badly, and I'm O- (the demand is bigger). Do I have to eat

> iron every meal for 7 days? Or 1 meal for 30 days? If I knew, I

> could set up an appt for the proper time; otherwise, I'm wasting their

> time and mine.

 

~ Gee, i couldn't tell ya. That is way too technical for me

as i am not a nutritionist. Maybe you should call your

doctor to ask if they know a place you could get that

sort of information over the phone.

i think it is wonderful that you are so dedicated to giving

blood, especially since your blood type is so in demand ~

Bravo. i hope you can get your iron needs back up soon.

 

 

> The nurses have already told me that I really should eat beef to get

> the iron level up, but I don't want to do that.

 

 

~ That is pretty much the standard line that people who

are not informed on vegetarianism will give out, " You

can't get your iron, protien, calcium, you fill in the blank,

without going back to eating MEAT! " . *lol* It is simply

not true, so consider the source... next time ask where

they got their information and to direct you to some

nutritional data or studies to support the claim that

unless you eat meat you can't get enough iron. Ask them

how much iron is in a typical steak, etc. Tell them you can

get 20% of your daily requirement from one packet of

instant oatmeal, 15% from one 1/4 cup of TVP, 8% from

one tablespoon of molasses, and ask how a hunk of beef

stacks up if you can get so much from vegetarian sources.

[ i had to store my cream of wheat in a mason jar or else

i'd give you the % of iron in that, too. i know it has a good

supply though. *lol*] My point is, don't let just anyone

convince you to eat meat when you don't have to; there

are plenty of sources of vegetarian iron you can eat and

enjoy.

 

~ pt ~

 

Those who reach greatness on earth,

reach it through concentration.

~ The Upanishads

[Guest guest]

I believe it was talked about in Robbins' Diet for a New America how

animal protein can somehow make menses thicker, thus more iron is

lost each month. For many women who this happens to, it's sometimes

better to go all the way and be vegan rather than ovo lacto

vegetarian.

 

Also, I hadn't seen it mentioned in any of the posts on this topic,

seaweeds are good sources of iron too. Nori rolls, soaked arame

added to salads, kelp granules added to soup, kombu added to your

beans.....

 

, " linda " <lindai81@c...>

wrote:

>

> If you are consistently low then I would use a combination of iron

supplements (don't go overboard) and food things that are high and

make sure to combine them with things that help. I very much doubt

that eating something how in iron for a few days prior to donating

will do the trick and the bottom line is that you want that iron at

normal levels regardless of whether or not you are giving blood. And

giving blood will drop those iron levels again taking a number of

days to rebuild. And then, if you are a woman, (long story behind

that statement) and your period is right around that time you are

going to have a bigger drop. If you can't get it up to normal

levels and keep it there you need the input of the doctor to get

supplements appropriate to your particular needs. You probably need

a complete blood work-up to make sure that none of the other blood

components are out of whack . In the early 90's I had a terribly low

blood count and it can lead to strokes and heart attacks. No oxygen

getting to the brain and organs. I am not a doctor or nurse, just

from my experience and it did nearly kill me...seriously. Please do

something...diet will probably not take care of this until you get

it stabilized. Sorry to be kind of a downer....

> Namaste

> linda

> " Whatever you do will be insignificant and it is very important

that you do it. "

> Mohandas Gandhi

>

> linda's Growing Stitchery Projects: womyn47

>

>

> , " Kerry Blackwell "

> <mail@e...> wrote:

> >

>

> > Can anyone recommend what I should eat to build up iron? The

Red

> > Cross said broccoli, spinach, and chickpeas. I hate

chickpeas.

> Is

> > there anything else? Do you think I needed to eat it for

longer than

> > the 3 days to build up my levels?

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Although the vegetarian diet is high in natural iron sources,

it is also high in iron inhibitors, often in the very same foods,

i.e., the phytates in wheat and the oxalates in greens.

 

Here is a decent article on iron absorption:

 

http://sickle.bwh.harvard.edu/iron_absorption.html

 

This article seems to suggest the iron / phytate balance

in cereal grains about cancels each other out:

 

http://www.veg.ca/newsletr/janfeb97/iron.html

 

It offers a pretty lengthy list of vegetarian souces

toward the bottom as well.

 

 

Hope this helps,

-Erin

[Guest guest]

HI:

 

Maybe the Vegetarian Resource group could be of help to you.

Don't have the web address off hand however I am sure you could google it.

 

Gayle

 

 

~ PT ~ <patchouli_troll

 

Wed, 28 Dec 2005 18:13:14 -0000

Re: Need iron

 

 

, " Kerry Blackwell " <mail@e...>

wrote:

 

> Yes, I know but I wondered how long because I still want to donate

> blood and I don't know if I have to wait to get this level up. They

> need donors badly, and I'm O- (the demand is bigger). Do I have to eat

> iron every meal for 7 days? Or 1 meal for 30 days? If I knew, I

> could set up an appt for the proper time; otherwise, I'm wasting their

> time and mine.

 

~ Gee, i couldn't tell ya. That is way too technical for me

as i am not a nutritionist. Maybe you should call your

doctor to ask if they know a place you could get that

sort of information over the phone.

i think it is wonderful that you are so dedicated to giving

blood, especially since your blood type is so in demand ~

Bravo. i hope you can get your iron needs back up soon.

 

 

> The nurses have already told me that I really should eat beef to get

> the iron level up, but I don't want to do that.

 

 

~ That is pretty much the standard line that people who

are not informed on vegetarianism will give out, " You

can't get your iron, protien, calcium, you fill in the blank,

without going back to eating MEAT! " . *lol* It is simply

not true, so consider the source... next time ask where

they got their information and to direct you to some

nutritional data or studies to support the claim that

unless you eat meat you can't get enough iron. Ask them

how much iron is in a typical steak, etc. Tell them you can

get 20% of your daily requirement from one packet of

instant oatmeal, 15% from one 1/4 cup of TVP, 8% from

one tablespoon of molasses, and ask how a hunk of beef

stacks up if you can get so much from vegetarian sources.

[ i had to store my cream of wheat in a mason jar or else

i'd give you the % of iron in that, too. i know it has a good

supply though. *lol*] My point is, don't let just anyone

convince you to eat meat when you don't have to; there

are plenty of sources of vegetarian iron you can eat and

enjoy.

 

~ pt ~

 

Those who reach greatness on earth,

reach it through concentration.

~ The Upanishads

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Gayle and everybody,

 

That address is www.vrg.org/ and I just went there. What mouthwatering

graphics they've got! And I saw, off to the left, under Hot Topics, this

little title: " Vegan Diet for Diabetics " ...woo hoo, I'm off to see the

Wizard!

Bron

 

 

On 12/29/05, glpveg4life <glpveg4life wrote:

>

> HI:

>

> Maybe the Vegetarian Resource group could be of help to you.

> Don't have the web address off hand however I am sure you could google it.

>

>

> Gayle

>

>

> ~ PT ~ <patchouli_troll

>

> Wed, 28 Dec 2005 18:13:14 -0000

> Re: Need iron

>

>

> , " Kerry Blackwell " <mail@e...>

> wrote:

>

> > Yes, I know but I wondered how long because I still want to donate

> > blood and I don't know if I have to wait to get this level up. They

> > need donors badly, and I'm O- (the demand is bigger). Do I have to eat

> > iron every meal for 7 days? Or 1 meal for 30 days? If I knew, I

> > could set up an appt for the proper time; otherwise, I'm wasting their

> > time and mine.

>

> ~ Gee, i couldn't tell ya. That is way too technical for me

> as i am not a nutritionist. Maybe you should call your

> doctor to ask if they know a place you could get that

> sort of information over the phone.

> i think it is wonderful that you are so dedicated to giving

> blood, especially since your blood type is so in demand ~

> Bravo. i hope you can get your iron needs back up soon.

>

>

> > The nurses have already told me that I really should eat beef to get

> > the iron level up, but I don't want to do that.

>

>

> ~ That is pretty much the standard line that people who

> are not informed on vegetarianism will give out, " You

> can't get your iron, protien, calcium, you fill in the blank,

> without going back to eating MEAT! " . *lol* It is simply

> not true, so consider the source... next time ask where

> they got their information and to direct you to some

> nutritional data or studies to support the claim that

> unless you eat meat you can't get enough iron. Ask them

> how much iron is in a typical steak, etc. Tell them you can

> get 20% of your daily requirement from one packet of

> instant oatmeal, 15% from one 1/4 cup of TVP, 8% from

> one tablespoon of molasses, and ask how a hunk of beef

> stacks up if you can get so much from vegetarian sources.

> [ i had to store my cream of wheat in a mason jar or else

> i'd give you the % of iron in that, too. i know it has a good

> supply though. *lol*] My point is, don't let just anyone

> convince you to eat meat when you don't have to; there

> are plenty of sources of vegetarian iron you can eat and

> enjoy.

>

> ~ pt ~

>

> Those who reach greatness on earth,

> reach it through concentration.

> ~ The Upanishads

>

>

>