Iron rich recipes/meals

theoldcynic

Thanks everyone. Managed to have some minced meatballs with tonnes of thyme and a small carton of orange juice. I was told by my GP today to limit the OJ though as they said the acid in it will make the sickness i've been getting worse. They said blueberry juice is better if you suffer with this as it has loads of vitamin C in too and is less acidic. Not sure i've seen it at the supermarket before so will have to hunt some down.

So far managed to keep it all down.

Got some bran flakes for tomorrow morning and think i'll give the chicken and lentil recipe a go...sounds like i'm in for being bunged up the other end from what i've read about taking iron supplements so trying to counteract that before it happens !

Thanks again, feel free to add more recipes/ideas if you have any.

Mrs_Bones

I would have a talk with your GP about other iron supplements. I have server anemia, many of the iron preps made me feel really terrible. After a lot of trial and error the hospital has put me on Spatone and I get this on prescription now. Link here if you want to read about it. Have to admit it's not the best tasting thing in the world I tend to have a glass of orange juice after taking it but it's the only one that doesn't seem to upset my stomach.

BitterAndTwisted

No-one has mentioned lentils or beans yet. These are iron-rich as are soya beans, tofu, oysters and dark turkey-meat. The highest are chicken-livers. Yummy

DundeeDoll

Already mentioned but just to emphasise Yes to orange juice while eating meal and dont drink tea within an hour of eating. Have a look out for a Cast iron pot (but not enamelled lol) We inherited an old cast iron frying pan and my last bloods were 'unremarkable' iron levels fine for first time ever. May be coincidence but not ditching it to find out! Oh and spinach is a fallacy. It was a typing error on placing of decimal point years back. It does have a trace but not super high

snowleopard61

Penny-Pincher!! wrote: »

Mines down to my SLE, Hughes and other drugs I'm on. I was on ferrous sulphate but wasn't enough, so got switched to ferrous fumerate and also have intense iron infusions every few weeks.

I always have OJ with any meals and iron tablets as this helps the iron absorb better.

Maybe your GP could test for basic auto-immune diseases first. Process of illumination really.

Have you lost weight recently or gained, changed diet, cut certain foods down etc?

Thanks for this; interesting to hear. I think the medics tend to start by eliminating the possibility of abnormal blood loss, e.g. from somewhere in the digestive system. Don't think mine is down to anything I've done recently as the problem is so longstanding (think the levels were as bad as they were because it was so long since they'd been checked - obviously being repeatedly turned down for donating blood tends to be a bit of a deterrent to doing it often, and the blood service doctor who rang me after the last time said it might not be a bad idea if I kept my blood to myself in future!). But no doubt being (almost) vegetarian doesn't help, especially when I was catering for a meat-eating daughter for a long time and therefore not eating the ideal vegetarian diet but the one that fitted in best with her. After a few months of treatment my levels had come back into the normal range, but only just, and I know they want to check them again and then investigate if they slip down again ... which is why I'm hiding from the GP!:o

Thanks to the poster who suggested thyme; I drowned my dinner in it last night!

patchwork_cat

The thing with iron rich tables is that they compare the same weight of a product whilst thyme has 687% of daily recommended amount for iron per 100g - I don't know about you I'm not eating that much thyme! As it is a non meat source too ( non heme) you only absorb between 2 and 20% of it! Incidentally lots of dried herbs also contain a lot of iron for their weight.

Having said that every little helps! However non vegetarians should be concentrating on meat. I do despair when the nurse practioner at our practice told me to eat plenty of spinach when I was diagnosed - she didn't even mention liver or black pudding ( another excellent source)

To the OP , heme iron does not rely on vitamin C for increased absorption, but for the non heme vitamin C is necessary. The amount of vitamin C needs to be quite high with 1 g of vitamin C assisiting the absorption of 3 g of iron. Would taking a vitamin C supplement with meals be OK for your nausea ( very cheap from Wilko where I get mine, I take 2 a day with my Galfer - ferrous fumerate)- mind don't replace the OJ with tea or coffee as this inhibits uptake of non heme iron!!

bizzylizzy

Mrs_Bones wrote: »

I would have a talk with your GP about other iron supplements. I have server anemia, many of the iron preps made me feel really terrible. After a lot of trial and error the hospital has put me on Spatone and I get this on prescription now. Link here if you want to read about it. Have to admit it's not the best tasting thing in the world I tend to have a glass of orange juice after taking it but it's the only one that doesn't seem to upset my stomach.

You can put the Spatone in the juice and drink it that way, disguises the taste and you get the Vitamin C at the same time.

kafkathecat

If you drink a lot of cow's milk that inhibits iron absorption. Herbs like parsley, nuts, green leafy vegetables and dried fruits are all good sources as others have said. I have been vegan for over 20 years and a blood donor so you do not need meat. There is also a seaweed called dulse with very high iron levels if you are feeling adventurous.
A meat eating friend was anaemic and was eventually advised to cut down on milk and eat 5 fruit and veg a day; this stopped her anaemia, so the idea that meat is the best is slightly simpllistic.

Chris25

blackstrap molasses are good for iron - lovely stirred into porridge, especially with a couple of chopped-up, dried apricots on top.

Black pudding is another food perhaps to try? And as others have suggested, the darker meat of chicken & turkey.

I seem to remember that you have to be careful with the type of bran that you sprinkle onto things - the raw bran - it includes compounds that inhibit absorption of iron but bran flakes, I think are ok

Mojisola

kafkathecat wrote: »

If you drink a lot of cow's milk that inhibits iron absorption.

It's calcium that affects iron absorption - not just milk - so be careful if you are taking calcium supplements as well as what you eat.