ISO Iron Rich Foods

[crewsk]

When I went to the doctor last week, my iron was very low & she put me on iron pills. Well, I can't take them because they make me sick. I know that liver & dark leafy greens, such as kale, spinich, & broccoli, are rich in iron. What are some other iron rich foods?

 

[middie]

i think any kind of beef is pretty high in iron other than the liver. i can't take the pills either cause i end up looking like i have have 2 black eyes. what about black beans are those high in iron?

 

[crewsk]

Thanks middie! When I take them they mess up my tummy. I'll have to check out black beans, I never thought about those.

 

[GB]

I have heard that in order to get the benefit from spinach, it needs to be cooked. Raw won't do much for you. This is just what I have heard though. I am not sure how true it is.

 

[crewsk]

I've heard that too GB. The only ways I like cooked spinich is if it's creamed, made into a dip, or added to meatballs. Hmmm...I need to make more meatballs anyway!

 

[middie]

crewsk here's a link that has food and how much iron is in it.

http://www.sandiegobloodbank.org/education/iron_rich_foods.php

 

[crewsk]

Cool! Thanks middie! I'll have to check it out a little later, time to get ready to pick TC up from school. Today's the last day & I get to sleep late tomorrow!! YIPEEEE!!!!

 

[middie]

wow mine's in school until the 7th. enjoy your sleep-in crewsk !!

 

[crewsk]

I checked out the site & bookmarked it to refer to. Thanks middie!

 

[jkath]

I became anemic way back in the 80s. I hated taking those iron pills, so the doc said to keep eating lots of red meat and potatoes, along with the dark green leafies, etc...
woo hoo!
(Now I have a reason for being such a carnivore!)

 

[jkath]

Also, some of the high-protein drinks have a larger amount of iron than you'd think. The only problem is that they taste like they have iron in them....
(nothing a little chocolate couldn't help....)

 

[crewsk]

Thanks jkath! Chocolate makes just about everything better!

 

[jkath]

I was looking through my old 1942 BH &G cookbook for a question someone had posted regarding a #2 can and found this info on iron:

Richest Natural Sources for Iron:
Liver, molasses, dried apricots, egg yolk, green and leafy vegetables, potatoes, whole grain and enriched cereals, flour, and bread.

 

[marmalady]

Hi Crews -

You might want to try taking a 'ferrous gluconate' supplement instead of the more usual 'ferrous sulfate'. In my midwife days, when a lot of my moms couldn't take the sulfate, they were able to tolerate the gluconate - apparently it's a little easier on the tummy. Try taking it with a little yogurt, too.

As for cooked spinach versus raw, how 'bout the baby spinach? It's so easy to just saute up with a little garlic - just wash it and throw in a hot pan with a little oil and/or butter; the moisture from the washing will 'wilt' the baby spinach, so you only need to cook it a few minutes - delish!

 

[crewsk]

Thanks jkath!


Marmalady, I'll have to check that out, thanks. Since I'm having to increase my calcium too, yogurt has become a part of my daily eating routine. I had a bone density test a couple of weeks ago & it mine was worse than my mom's. Fortunately for me your bones don't stop regenerating, for lack of a better word, until in your 30's. So I still have a few years to help them out. Since I don't drink milk it's a calcium + D supplement & other calcium rich foods for me every day.

 

[PA Baker]

It's a good excuse to eat a lot of ice cream, crewsk! Actually, the reduced fat frozen yogurts have more calcium than ice cream.

Here's another good calcium recipe for you, too (it's out of one of my pregnancy books, but what the heck--it's yummy!)

Double the Milk Shake

* Freeze a ripe banana, peeled and wrapped in plastic, 12 to 24 hours before making this shake

1 c fat-free or low-fat milk
1/3 c nonfat dry milk
1 frozen ripe banana, cut into chunks
1 tsp vanilla extract
Dash or ground cinnamon (optional)

Place all the ingredients in a blender and puree. Serve immediately.

Berry Variation:
Add 1 1/2 c berries, fresh or unsweetened frozen and 1 Tbsp frozen apple juice concentrate before blending. Omit cinnamon.

Creamsicle Variation:
Add 2 Tbsp frozen orange juice concentrate (thawed). Omit the cinnamon.

 

[crewsk]

Thanks PA! That looks wonderful, looks like I need to get more bananas. The kids eat them faster than I can buy them!