Low Iron

[Green Diva]

Hello everyone!

I don't post much here but I do read the threads every day.

I've been raw since 11/07 but not 100% lately. I have been eating cabbage soup (from the diet) and I drink tea a lot because I have been cold lately. Since being raw i have released 45 lbs. Yay! I still have some to lose though but it is so easy to do with the raw lifestyle.

I had a physical the other day and everything was great. My cholesterol was good but my iron was low and that i am anemic. I was surprised because i eat a lot of leafy greens. I was told I had to start taking Iron right away. Any suggestions on alternatives or do you think the iron pills are ok? I have to take 325mg daily.

Have a great day!!

[SandraDee]

I am also very low in iron... usually! But since I started the month out eating raw my levels are very good now. I was even able to donate blood!! I'm not sure how many greens you are getting in each day... but 1-2 bunches are good... 3 is even better. I really think this has helped me.

[Traceyraw]

I have been drinking lots of Green "LEmonade: This gives me most of the Iron i need.

1 head of Romaine
6-7 stalks of kale ( Spinach somedays
1 bunch of celery
1 ginger
1 lemon
1-2 apples

I juice it and drink about 40 ounces a day so I get all of great green nutrients without all of the chewing.

[kaybee]

i believe jerusalem artichokes are high in iron. double check, but im pretty sure.
also, beets, and maybe yacon syrup?
also, if it were me, i would lean towards taking blackstrap molasses as a supplement rather than the pill. i believe blackstrap molasses are also supposed to be rich in iron. not raw, and not something i would consider including in my diet unless i were having a problem such as youre having, but for me Id rather take something that at least is a food, rather than a pill. that said, i guess if you could find a "whole food supplement" pill, that might be a way to go and would be better than a synthetic pill, ...but then if you find a whole-food supplement iron pill, why not just eat the whole fresh foods it came from in the first place i guess....???? cheaper and fresher anyway...

good luck

kaybee

[mel_s12]

If it were me, I wouldn't take the iron supplements. Iron supplements usually make you deficient in other minerals. Just increase your green leafy vegetables even further and have lemon with it as this increases iron absorption. Also, jerusalem artichokes and cherries are other good sources of iron. Try pumpkin seeds as well!

[Green Diva]

Thanks for you suggestions everyone.

I do drink green smoothies but I guess I'll have to put more greens in them.

I did read online that blackstrap molasses is good for low iron, gotta get some.

Thanks again!

[kaybee]

blackstrap=not raw, but probably way better than supplements, in my opinion. hey, many raw fooders use nutritional yeast, and thats not raw either, so.....whats the difference. i would think that the advantage to really raw sources for iron might have iron that is more assimilable/usable though. but i really dont know.

[rawfoodmommy#1]

Raisins are very good for iron. Every time I go to donate blood I eat a lot of raisins and my iron test is always good. So raisins help me a lot. And like others said pumpkin seeds are very good for the iron improvement.
I would join others in saying no to iron pills and black strap molasses taste horrible, just from my own experience.
Good luck

[shashibala]

Prunes, quinoa, lentils, spinach, and swiss chard, also have lots of iron. Eat iron rich foods with a source of vitamin c to increase absorption.
Good Luck!

[jacsam]

Before I knew anything about raw foods, I was also told to take iron pills because I was anemic. I bought the pills and read the contraindications and thought this is worse than being tired....so I did what I had been told to do in herb school and the next time I went in to have my iron rechecked, it was great. Here's what I did....1 TBsp of black strap mollasses 2-3 times a day...pretty simple but it works. I've had others try it and it really does work. It has to be blackstrap and look on the back where it tells you about the iron content....it should be 20 where other mollasses is I think about 5. Good Luck.

[Tharani]

Black Raisins soaked over night . . Pomegranate especially red ones , Beetroot , Finger millet , Dates are good iron sources . .

[EscapeArtist]

Greens greens greens baby! I bet a juicer would help in this case? Do you have one? Time to whip up some mighty green juices.

Can't iron deficiency also be caused by low B12? Or am I wrong? What were you in B12? Sometimes they say you're okay in certain vitamins/minerals even if you're on the lower scale.

[Raw Angel Mom]

Greens greens greens baby! I bet a juicer would help in this case? Do you have one? Time to whip up some mighty green juices.

Can't iron deficiency also be caused by low B12? Or am I wrong? What were you in B12? Sometimes they say you're okay in certain vitamins/minerals even if you're on the lower scale.

Absolutely. This could be one of the main caused.

[kariaber]

Was you told to take more than 300 mg pr day??? I an really shocked!!! That is way too much! Your body can't absorb it all, and you will end ut with a lot of stommac pain/trouble. It also can be REALLY dangerous taking that much.

If you are going to take Iron, don't take that much. It's not necessary at all. We only absorb 10% of the iron taken normally. When you are low in Iron, you will absorb more. We only need 14 mg pr day. If you take 18 mg 1 or 2 times a day, with some orange juice, I'm sure you will be fine after some time. But it WILL take some time. But the point is: you can't speed this prosess op, even if you take 1000 mg. This I have for professionals. (Sorry about my english, but I am norwegian.)