Forums: September 2011 Kickstart Forum: Iron in diet
Created on: 12/13/11 08:26 AM Views: 900 Replies: 3
chickadee Joined: 01/12/11 Location: North Eastern Ontario, Canada Posts: 52	Iron in diet Posted Tuesday, December 13, 2011 at 8:26 AM My husband went to the dr. yesterday and they took blood, found he had a very, very low heamoglobin and the dr. suggested that it was a nutritional problem. this was in emerg, we have an appt. with our dr. next week but frightened that they're going to suggest he eat meat - haven't had any in 20 years. Because he hasn't been feeling great lately he has wondered about whether his diet is good. I don't have meat in the house any suggestions on how we can get more diet into his diet. Thanks,
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Susan Levin Joined: 12/26/09 Posts: 1191	RE: Iron in diet Posted Tuesday, December 13, 2011 at 9:19 AM First, of course, the doctor(s) will want to make sure it's nutritional and not something else like internal bleeding. If there is no medical reason for low iron (usually means blood loss of some sort) then there are definitely things your husband could be doing to improve his iron stores nutritionally, even on a plant-based diet. For starters - is he vegan? Dairy and eggs actually inhibit iron absorption so if those aren't out already, I would consider losing those products. Secondly, depending on how low his stores are, he may need a supplement temporarily. This a man should never do without a health care professional's advice and monitoring. Over consuming iron is toxic and linked to cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. Remember that plant forms of iron (non-heme iron) are susceptible to "enhancers" and "binders." Enhancers include acids such as vinegar and vitamin C – so adding citrus fruits or vinegar to spinach salads or sautéing iron-rich greens with vinegar are great enhancers. Great sources of iron besides spinach and chard are dried fruits like raisins (make these a regular snack food), dried apricots, dates, and prunes. Adding blackstrap molasses to baked goods or into stews adds a wallop of iron too. Read more here about iron sources of food: http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/iron.htm. Susan Levin, MS, RD PCRM Director of Nutrition Education
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Oceandog Joined: 01/10/10 Location: California, USA Posts: 642	RE: Iron in diet Posted Tuesday, December 13, 2011 at 11:23 AM One additional comment here, a few years back the same sort of thing happened to my sister (her test was related to extreme fatigue). They found extremely low iron and scheduled a colonoscopy to look for a bleed. They found out she has Celiac Sprue (celiac disease) which led to the diagnosis of my own. So now we both eat a vegan, gluten-free diet with perfet iron levels. Always offer kindness and a soft word to the beings around you; You do not know their journey. Your words can be the hug they need or the shove that breaks them.
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chickadee Joined: 01/12/11 Location: North Eastern Ontario, Canada Posts: 52	RE: Iron in diet Posted Thursday, December 15, 2011 at 1:39 PM Thank you for your assistance, this gives me some information for when he goes back to the dr. Yes we are both vegan. I'll also check out the iron link, thanks to you both.
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