Looking for iron?!

Question:

Looking for iron?

so i'm vegetarian. and i'm afraid that i've become quiet low in iron, i'm a an anemic level. there's absolutely no way in hell i'm going to eat animal skin and flesh and muscle again, so how can i get iron and stuff? i know, vitamin supplements, but i don't really like medicine. it's just odd to me. keep in mind i'm only 15 and i have braces, so please don't say nuts, heh. thanks in advance, everyone. :]

Additional Details

4 days ago
oh, and i do eat meat replacements, boca products and stuff. but it's not enough apparently. thanks. :]

Answers: 4 days ago
oh, and i do eat meat replacements, boca products and stuff. but it's not enough apparently. thanks. :] sorry this is copied from the vegan society but its quite useful

Iron is a trace element which is needed by the body for the formation of blood. The human body normally contains 3-4g of iron, more than half of which is in the form of haemoglobin, the red pigment in blood. Haemoglobin transports oxygen from the lungs to the tissues. Iron is a constituent of a number of enzymes. The muscle protein myoglobin contains iron, as does the liver - an important source during the first six months of life. The body's iron balance varies mainly according to dietary intake, as losses from the body are generally small - although women lose iron during menstruation.

Iron Requirements
In 1991 the UK's Department of Health recommended Reference Nutrient Intakes (RNI) for iron was as follows. The RNI is a daily amount that is enough or more than enough for 97% of people. The RNI is similar to the Recommended Daily Amount used previously in the UK.

Type of Person Amounts Required (mg/day)
infants from 0-3 months 1.7
rising at 12 months 7.8
children 6.1-8.7
teenagers 11.3-14.8
men 8.7
women 14.8

The US Recommended Dietary Allowances are similar at 10mg a day for adult men and post-menopausal women; 15mg for adolescents and pre-menopausal women, and an additional 15mg a day for pregnant women.


Vegan Sources of Iron
Good plant sources of iron include dried fruits, whole grains (including wholemeal bread), nuts, green leafy vegetables, seeds and pulses. Other foods rich in iron but which are usually eaten in smaller amounts include soya flour, parsley, watercress, black molasses and edible seaweeds. The use of ironware when cooking foods also contributes to dietary intake.


Examples of amounts of foods providing 2mg iron

Type of food Quantity (g)
Pistachios 14
Cashews (roasted) 32
Whole lentils 57
Chick peas (boiled) 95
Wholemeal bread 74
Sesame seeds or tahini 19
Black molasses 22
Apricots (dried) 59
Spinach (boiled) 125


Iron Absorption
Up to 22% of the iron in meat is absorbed, while only 1-8% is absorbed from eggs and plant foods. If the body stores fall, the rate of iron absorption rises. About 40% of the iron in animal foods is in a form called haem iron, while the remainder, and all the iron in plant foods, is in the less well absorbed non-haem form. Iron absorption can also be reduced by tannins (e.g. in tea) and phytates (found in nuts, grain and seeds). At this point one tends to wonder whether the rumours of vegans suffering from anaemia have substance, however, this isn't the whole story and the reader will be heartened to learn that research has shown that iron deficiency in vegans is no more common than in the rest of the population.

The absorption of iron from plant foods is improved by the presence in a meal of vitamin C (ascorbic acid), other organic acids such as malic acid (e.g. in pumpkins, plums and apples) and citric acid (in citrus fruits). Laboratory research in which experimental meals were given to 299 volunteers has shown that the inclusion of foods (such as fresh salad, orange juice or cauliflower) providing 70-105mg of vitamin C in each meal increased the absorption of iron. A particularly pronounced effect was seen when 4.5oz cauliflower containing 60mg of vitamin C was added to vegetarian meals, causing more than three-fold increase in iron absorption. [1]

Earlier studies have shown that, when iron intake from plant foods is relatively high (14-26mg/day), even large amounts of phytate do not adversely affect iron balance. [2]

There has been some concern that fibre in food can also inhibit the absorption of iron. However a study has shown that the iron balance was more favourable when fibre intake was 59g a day, than on a low-fibre regime of only 9g.


Iron, Vegans and the General Population
Iron deficiency is believed to be fairly common in the general population and a 1985 survey of young British omnivore women showed that, on average, they were consuming only just over half the current recommended intake. The Dietary and Nutritional Survey of British Adults revealed that one third of all women had low iron stores. Symptons of iron deficiency anaemia include tiredness and breathlessness especially on physical exertion, giddiness, palpitations, headache and poor concentration.

Studies of British vegans have reported an average intake of approximately double the recommended Reference Nutrient Intakes. At this level of iron consumption, any possible inhibitory effects of fibre and phytate on absorption are unlikely to be important. As vegan diets contain about three to four times the British and US recommendations for vitamin C, absorption of iron is enhanced.


Conclusions
Vegans have a high dietary iron intake and although iron from plant sources is less well absorbed than that from meat, high levels of vitamin C in the diet enhances iron absorption. Studies show that the iron status of vegans is usually normal, and iron deficiency is no more common than in the general population.


Further Details
For more details on vegan nutrition see Plant Based Nutrition and Health by Stephen Walsh. This book is the most comprehensive survey of scientific research on vegan diets. It is ideal for vegans, would-be vegans and health care professionals
Related Items
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? Diet & Bone Health
? Essential Fatty Acids
? Iodine
? Protein
? Salt
? Sources of Vegan Nutrition
? Supplements for Children
? Vitamin B12
? Vitamin D
? Vitamin Supplement If you like to eat your vegetables then get those dark green colored ones down that throat of yours my friend. I have been vegetarian for almost 5 yrs and the way I get most of my iron is from Spinach. But if you don't like spinach you'll have to find other dark green veggies to full fill that iron deficiancy of yours.

Good Luck!!! Some good sources of iron are: broccoli, Swiss chard, other dark green leafy vegetables, iron-fortified cereals, enriched bread, pasta, rice, soybeans, chickpeas, and blackstrap molasses. If you eat foods with vitamin C (like orange juice) with iron-rich foods, you will absorb the iron better. Dairy products are extremely low in iron and can interfere with iron balance. Good luck. Dark Wolf & Julie R are right on the money! Add whole grain breads and pastas to the list as well as most legumes and skin-on white potatoes. And don't forget black strap molasses. Hi.The other answers are very good but too you could take iron pills & they work just as good..:) There is iron in green leafy vegetables and other fortified food. The main thing to remember is that if you are getting iron from a plant source, you need vitamin C with it to get it to absorb or else the iron is virtually useless. You also need to avoid dairy and caffience at the same time. A good way to get iron is to drink OJ fortified with iron, this works for me, as I also don't like taking tablets. I assume you live with your parents, ask them to buy you a cast iron cooking pot, then make all of your soups and stews in the pot, The iron from the pot will dissolve tiny amounts of Iron into the food and thus transfer it to you as you eat. This may sound simplistic but it does work, I lived and worked in Central Africa and this method was used with rural people instead of delivering pills. Please remember this is a long term solution for you but get cooking already................... veggies...especially green leaves...eggs & milk.. Besides veggies, i found a great source of iron- special K cereal with strawberries, one serving gets you 45% of your daily value. Hope this helps. there is a possibility that you are getting enough iron but you are anemic because you are getting too much copper poison in your drinking water. Check the copper levels. also zinc and aluminum. greens and beans.
get lots of greens in your diet, they are delcious.
raw or cooked.
there are sooo many too.
my favorites are spinach, but raw.
kale, in a pan with onions and such.
swiss chard-this is really good stuff in a pan too.
now look up yummy recipes for these greens. Apples, Spinach, Brinjals just to name a few sources of Iron! Dark-leafy greens: kale, mustard, collard, parsley, etc. Take vit C w/ these foods to aid in iron absorption.

Do not eat foods high in calcium in the same meal; calcium blocks the absorption of iron.

NO SPINACH!!!
Spinach, along w/ beet greens & chard, as a good source of iron is a myth; it contains too much oxalic acid which inhibits the absorption of its iron by your body. http://dataguru.org/misc/aquarium/foodox... The iron in it can be made more absorbable by cooking it & taking vit C, but since you have anemia, why risk it when there are plenty of better sources.

You're wise to not take the pills, with those it is easy to overwhelm your system w/ too much iron.

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