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Best foods to increase IRON for anemia?

S

spidey07

No Lifer
For a female. At first it looked like nuts, big fleshy nuts like cashews, were high in iron and other essential minerals like copper. Then it seems like iron from animals is better than veggies in terms of absorption?

Anybody know good foods to assist with temporary anemia? There seems to be two problems - getting the content and then actually being able to use/take it.

She's really been working out hard the last few months and coupled with a really heavy menstruation doc told her she's anemic/iron deficient.
 
Spinach! Like in a spinach & cheese omelet, spinach lasagna etc. I like fresh spinach salad and you can usually get it on a Subway sandwich.
 
Originally posted by: Brutus04
Spinach! Like in a spinach & cheese omelet, spinach lasagna etc. I like fresh spinach salad and you can usually get it on a Subway sandwich.
Click to expand...

That's what I thought as well and why I started plenty of spinich. But many intarweb sources say that veggie actually inhibits absorbtion! I can't find any real consensus. Doc said food is the best way to get it, otherwise with supplements you just piss it out.

Google gave me this, which seems to agree with common knowledge.
http://www.webmd.com/diet/feat...top-10-iron-rich-foods

But other googles say other minerals have a big affect on uptake? As one would think - animal liver is probably the best source of iron there is.
 
Originally posted by: interchange
What's wrong with iron supplementation?
Click to expand...

Well, natural sources are the best way to go for most things due to increased absorption rates and less processing. If one can change something through diet, it is often more beneficial than changing it through supplementation - that's the case with most vitamins.
 
I struggle with this exact same issue. I've always found it ironic that the body decides to have heavier periods when blood loss is counterproductive like that. Anyway, beef has one of the highest absorption rates for iron (heme iron). A mix of heme and non-heme (from plants) is good. The doc probably gave her supplements as well? Taking in Vitamin C helps increase uptake, which is still slight. Different sources I've found indicate dismal (2%) to slightly less than dismal (15%) rates of absorption. Drinking a lot of water is helpful, as the body needs it to make more blood cells. I found that I crave more sugars while my iron is low, because my energy is so low, and it gave me a quick boost. Tell her to listen to her body's cravings, aside from the heavy periods thing, our bodies are pretty smart about knowing what we need. Tons of things can inhibit uptake, caffeine and soy are two of the most commonly consumed culprits though, so she might want to cut back on those (and they hide everywhere). Good luck! I completely feel her pain and frustration!
 
Thanks fraggle - that helps a lot. We eat a pretty balanced diet. With the increased daily workouts she's probably building muscle. Those absorbtion rates are terrible!

Interchange - Doc said the supplements don't do nearly as well as from diet.
 
I too have heard that spinach is good, but then heard that there are iron sources which are harder to absorb than others. Apparently liver is good, veggies are not so good.

Oh, I also heard that cooking food in a cast iron skillet transfers quite a bit of iron to the food, although I hear it's not easily absorbed.
 
Other good food sources for iron: beans and lentils, some fish.

IIRC, dairy products tend to decrease the efficacy of iron absorption, but I am not sure whether this is because of the calcium, vitamin D, or something else. I couldn't find a source on this - can anyone confirm or deny?

Edit: Just found an article that states that, for cow's milk, whey and fat content have no effect on iron uptake, but casein is an inhibitor.

I'm not sure if soy milk would be a good alternative though, because soy is a known inhibitor too.
 
My wife found out she had a low iron count a few years ago when she was trying to donate blood. They advised beans and raisins. Her iron is fine now, but she was just beneath the cutoff.
 
There are two main types of dietary iron - heme and non-heme. Heme-iron is found in animal sources while plants are sources of non-heme iron. Heme iron is much more absorbtive than non-heme iron so I would suggest getting most of your iron from animal sources (fish, poultry, red meat) instead of veggies. Yes, spinach is loaded with iron, but our bodies can't absorb most of it...as low as 5% absorption I believe.

Also, i think most iron "enriched/fortified" products are non-heme iron so be careful there.
 
Thanks for the linke bossman,

Now I know why eating liver tastes like I'm sucking on a rusty nail. 😉

"Chicken liver, cooked, 3½ ounces 12.8mg 70% daily value"
 
Originally posted by: spidey07
Originally posted by: Brutus04
Spinach! Like in a spinach & cheese omelet, spinach lasagna etc. I like fresh spinach salad and you can usually get it on a Subway sandwich.
Click to expand...

That's what I thought as well and why I started plenty of spinich. But many intarweb sources say that veggie actually inhibits absorbtion! I can't find any real consensus. Doc said food is the best way to get it, otherwise with supplements you just piss it out.

Google gave me this, which seems to agree with common knowledge.
http://www.webmd.com/diet/feat...top-10-iron-rich-foods

But other googles say other minerals have a big affect on uptake? As one would think - animal liver is probably the best source of iron there is.
Click to expand...

Spinach is iron-rich. It is also rich in the cofactor needed to properly absorb spinach - vitamin c. It's probably one of the best things you can eat to improve iron intake.
 
Make sure that she is taking Vitamin C. It enhances Iron uptake. Men, do not take Iron supps. Increases the risk of heart disease.
 
I've also found that when I am craving iron, I unconsciously start looking at the iron content of everything I eat. It's kind of funny, because I'll notice I'm doing it, and then realize why later.

Another thing to consider is that there are bodily functions/malfunctions which can cause anemia. Solving the anemia doesn't really solve the problem, and it comes back. If thyroid issues run in that family, she should have hers checked out. Hypothyroidism is strongly liked to anemia.

 
Originally posted by: The Sauce
Make sure that she is taking Vitamin C. It enhances Iron uptake. Men, do not take Iron supps. Increases the risk of heart disease.
Click to expand...

I don't know if supplements increase the risk of heart disease, but they're not the most financially intelligent thing to consume. Most of the contents of supplements are flushed right out of your body and, in light of the cheaper, natural ways to get iron, it makes no sense to go out and splurge on pills.
 
Well thanks to the links and eating iron rich foods - both plant and animal, she's no longer technically anemic. We'll keep it up just in case. Apparently heavy menstruation is a leading culprit.
 
I had this problem. After a blood test my doctor told me I was borderline anemic. She told me to eat more red meat, leafy green vegetables.

My red blood cell count and hemoglobin have improved. I also started taking iron supplement pills, but am not sure I should. I started taking them only two times a week instead of every day because I'm concerned about negative consequences. Don't know that much about this stuff. BTW, I'm male.
 
Originally posted by: Muse
I had this problem a few years ago. After a blood test my doctor told me I was borderline anemic. She told me to eat more red meat, leafy green vegetables.

My red blood cell count and hemoglobin have improved. I also started taking iron supplement pills, but am not sure I should. I started taking them only two times a week instead of every day because I'm concerned about negative consequences. Don't know that much about this stuff. BTW, I'm male.
Click to expand...

Um, I agree that info on this problem is spotty and confusing. My researches left me rather confused. Taking iron supplements was my idea, not recommended by a doctor. In any case, my blood tests have improved and my current doctor hasn't seen fit to mention anything concerning it. He's equivocal about my taking supplement pills. He wasn't thrilled but didn't tell me not to. I suppose that dietary strategy is best, which is typical.
 
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