Need more iron?

Question

My gilfriend has been a vegetarian for a LONG time now. and she just went to the doctors and they said that she was anemic and has to eat meat...she was very sad and i want to try and find a way for her to get the iron she needs without eating meat. can anyone help???

Answer 1

Iron rich foods:

beans, including kidney, lima, navy, black, pinto, soy beans, and lentils
iron fortified whole grains, including cereals, breads, rice, and pasta
greens, including collard greens, kale, mustard greens, spinach, and turnip greens
tofu
vegetables, including broccoli, swiss chard, asparagus, parsley, watercress, brussel sprouts
chicken and turkey
blackstrap molasses
nuts
dried fruits, such as raisins, prunes, dates and apricots

Answer 2

Her doctor is an idiot.

First, iron, calcium and zinc will each block the absorption of the other two. That doesn't mean that she can only take one. It just means that you must leave a couple of hours between eating something with one and eating something with the next.

It helps to eat something rich in Vitamin C when you eat something containing iron, as the C helps iron absorption. Also, if you use cast iron cookware, any foods prepated in that cookware will absorb some iron.

Your girlfriend should check the public library for the books listed below. Or, she can either find them in a bookstore or order them from a bookstore. They will help greatly.

But she needs to go back to her doctor and have the doctor start investigating the actual reason for your anemia. There are many different possible reasons, and some of them can be fatal. As well, there is a differeence between hemaglobin levels and iron stores (ferretin). The latter test is the better indicator of whether or not there is an actual problem.

Tell your girlfriend that I've been a vegetarian now for 11 years, and for the last 6, I've been a vegan. I've only recently tested with low hemaglobin levels, but for me, it's related to one of my types of arthritis. Both my gp and my rheumatologist agree on this one.

Kudos to you for supporting your girlriend in this one.

Answer 3

Did she tell her doctor that she's a vegetarian? Does she have strong feelings about it? I'm surprised he didn't give her a list of foods high in iron or suggest an iron supplement.
There are several different iron supplements available, and no prescription is necessary. When you go to the pharmacy, take the time to talk to the pharmacist. I believe that the two most common supplement forms are ferrous sulfate and ferrous gluconate. I can't remember which, but one is more likely to cause some stomach upset than the other. There is also something called SLOW FE (and other brands, as well) which is a timed-release capsule, and therefore less likely to upset her stomach.This is what you want to discuss with the pharmacist, what is likely to work the best for your girlfriend without side effects.
Iron can also cause constipation, so she will want to eat plenty of the right foods to prevent that, and drink water.
Dried apricats are a really good source of iron, and will certainly help to prevent the iron supplement from causing a back-up to her system. So... get a list of foods high in iron (raisins, dried apricots, spinach, etc,), go grocery shopping, talk to the pharmacist, and pick up a good supplement. Best of luck.

Answer 4

Iron pills. I have the same problem. I eat my regular diet adding as many iron filled foods as possible and take an iron pill just to make sure. Right now I am on prenatal vitamins (don't panic) but those are about the best vitamins out there for women even those not pregnant. Being American, none of us eat as healthy as we should. Prenatal vitamins give you anything you miss on a daily basis.

Answer 5

Here are some links that might help(I just typed "vegetarian sources for iron* into Yahoo's search engine)

http://www.soystache.com/iron.htm
http://www.vnv.org.au/Nutrition/Iron.htm
http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/iron.htm
http://www.mckinley.uiuc.edu/handouts/dietary_sources_iron.html
http://www.bc.edu/offices/bcds/nutrition/topics/vegetarian/

Also, I think she might want to look for a doctor that would be more willing to help her with her veg*n lifestyle, not try to force her to change it. I don't have the inclination to become veg, but I do realise that with time and effort it can be a healthy lifestyle and if people are willing to put out that time and effort they shouldn't be discouraged, especially by their doctors.

Answer 6

Kix and Life cereal have lots of iron. My son is 2 and he's on a limited diet, due to feeding issues. Tell her to eat iron-fortified cereal, and take iron-fortified vitamins.
NO, she doesn't have to get iron from meat!! spinach and other veggies and fruits, such as raisins, have lots of iron. But tell her not to mix dairy with it (ie, spinach and cheese), because dairy products can block the absorbtion of iron.

Answer 7

that's when you switch doctors! :)

I have a mild case of anemia, but I beat it by eating tons of spinach, tofu, salad (darker green = higher iron), broccoli, whole wheat products, chick peas (hummus), etc. I also take a multivitamin that has a high amount of iron in it.

Answer 8

She should find a new doctor.

And spinach is a very good source of iron, think of Popeye.

Answer 9

Multivitamins...