As a vegetarian, are iron tablets enough?!

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as Popeye says "eat your spinach"

also cook in a cast iron skillet.. adds iron to your foods...

If you're eating a balanced diet that includes fruits, vegetables, legumes, pasta, cereal, soymilk or ricemilk, and mock meats, then there is no need for you to take iron tablets.

Vegetarian food has more nutrients than meat. That is why people who eat meat are omnivores and not carnivores.

Iron can be found in cereal(especially raisin bran), soy milk or rice milk, bread, pasta, beans, broccoli, and imitation meat.

If you're not eating the right foods, then you should take DEVA Vegan Multivitamins. They're sold on Amazon, and you get much more nutrients than just iron.

Vegetarian

I don't think iron tablets are enough. If you are vegetarian, you are only consuming non-heme iron, which is not as well absorbed by the blood. You need to have a source of Vitamin C, such as an orange, with a non-heme source of iron so the iron can be better absorbed. Otherwise, you will be left feeling fatigued and have low energy.

I'm a vegetarian. :)

Maybe. Iron tablets are only partially digested from some people. Eat lots of deep leafy greens such as spinach, kale and collard or turnip greens to keep your iron up. Eat a little vitamin C, like a piece of citrus fruit or drink a little orange juice to maximize absorption,

A lifetime of battling anemia

No. I've been vegan over 10 years and have enjoyed excellent health and energy. I use Kal brand nutritional yeast flakes; they contain 150% of the daily requirement of B12, along with essential amino acids and lots of other vitamins and minerals. You can sprinkle the flakes on almost any dish you prepare--in soups and meat alternative dishes, they can add a "meat" taste.

Here's a link that shows all the supplements contained in the Kal Nutritional Yeast Flakes:
http://www.vitacost.com/Kal-Nutritional-…

And this site explains the benefits and uses of the yeast--I think their price of $14.84 is good--I pay $16.89 at my local health food store...sounds expensive, but I only eat about 3-4 tbsp per day...3 tbsp is a whole serving that contains all the nutrients.

I also take a regular multi vitamin/mineral supplement most days.

Here's an excellent site for all things vegetarian: health, articles, videos, etc:

http://www.vegsource.com/health/

personal experience as vegan over 10 years; research

Maybe. You should be getting iron in the foods you eat, not in pills. But veggies contain non-heme iron which is not as well absorbed as used as the heme iron in animal products. So you need to eat a lot of those iron rich veggies or take pills.

If you aren't a lacto-ovo vegetarian who eats eggs and dairy products, you probably should be taking more supplements. Certainly something for B12. While you can get iron (non-heme, but iron) from veggies, there is no plant source of B12 and it is very important to your body. You can get B12 as pills, shots or in highly processed foods that have been "fortified" with B12.

This link will help you know what nutrients you need to specifically watch out for in your diet if you cut out all animal products:

http://www.veganhealth.org/

Perhaps too much!
YOu should only take iron supplements if directed by a doctor, and they will only tell you to do so after a blood test reveals you are anaemic. Too much iron is harmful, check with your doctor whether you actually need the supplements in the first place.

vegan biologist

you get get iron other ways

green leafy vegies
mushrooms
quinoa
wholegrains like cereals and breads
chia seeds
beans and peas
nuts
brocolli