Posted by dreamboat_annie on January 31, 2007, at 20:21:52
In reply to Anemia...how do I know if I have it?, posted by Meri-Tuuli on January 31, 2007, at 13:10:17
Yucca (a tuber vegetable) is, apparently, an iron powerhouse! Clams have a lot of iron. Cream of wheat is good. Pumpkin . . . I didn't know that apricots were high in iron. I thought it was betacarotine. One thing I had read is that eating something high in vitamin C at the same time as you eat an iron-rich food maximizes iron absorption.
Blood work will tell you if you are anemic, but you should also make sure that you have your serum ferritin levels checked. Low serum ferritin (iron stores) can cause the same symptoms as anemia, but would not necessarily show up on the usual blood tests to check for anemia (RBC, hemoglobin I think).
I was severely anemic as a child and had to supplement often. I outgrew it, but I am a big red-meat eater (I crave it and could eat it three times a day). I ran into problems again a number of years ago, but it was my iron stores that were completed depleted and I was a mess. I ended up having iron shots, which made a world of difference.
> Okay, I'm fetching the dried apricots as I speak...
>
> I've suddenly realised that I've met some of the criteria for anemia. I don't eat red meat (never have done really) and I'm a 26 year old girl.
>
> Anyone had any personal experiences with anemia?
>
> I know that I once gave blood and before you can give you're tested for anemia. My level was fine and healthy even through I don't eat red meat. (but that was a long time ago!)
>
> Hmmm.
>
> What are good (non-red meat) food sources of iron then?
>
> Dried apricots
> lentils
> ????
> guinness? Or is this just an urban myth?
>
poster:dreamboat_annie
thread:728457
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20070114/msgs/728567.html