Hi, im a 17 year old college girl and have just been told i have iron deficiency anemia and a very low blood pressure.
Ive got iron tablets to take and have to change my diet, however food and drink is an issue as i dont have any breaks in college and i usually only eat one regular meal a day. I'd also much rather rely on diet changes to get my iron levels up as the tablets have side effects that are quite nasty.
Im just wondering if anyone has any high iron content recipes for drinks or snacks that are easy to make and are easy to eat or drink whilst walking to lessons.
Help would be appreciated x
Comments
Thanks Redhouse!
Im taking Ferrous Sulphate tablets 3 times a day and have started feeling sick after i take the tablet which doesnt help with lessons at all which is why im searching for more alternatives.
I live at home with my parents in England so i dont really have a say in what i can or cant eat as cooking for the whole family is quite stressful for my mum, but she has made sure i eat loads of green veg. Im quite willing to change my lifestyle to suit my health as it doesnt matter what i eat as long as i get my strength back up!
Love the green smoothie idea and will definitly try that!
Thanks again
x
Sorry i probably gave you the wrong impression there ras-saadon!
I do have a say in what i eat, its just that with 7 people in the house, its kinda hard to specify meals and i dont really want to cause undue stress to my mum. She wants me to continue with the tablets as it is easier but i dont want to rely on artificial means (especially as im going to have to start paying for any medicines when i turn 18), id much rather stick to something more natural.
After college and completing my assignments im usually too tired to even think of making my own meal, which is why im trying to find more snack based things that i can eat during the day.
Have you got any recommendations of what sort of fruit or veg spinach would go well with?
Many thanks
x
cacao nibs and seaweed help me to feel better, but they didnt make the problem go away. I have really low iron too... at least i used to, before i started taking floradix. its awesome. it does have yeast in it, which might not be raw. i'm not sure if floravit is raw, but it's certainly closer (gluten and yeast free).
http://www.florahealth.com/flora/home/Canada/Products/R4775.htm
2 months ago i had the worse period ever. i was nautious, light headed, dizzy, i couldnt think, i couldnt stand up, it was terrible. over the next month i took this once a day (supposed to take it twice a day) and this past period was no problem at all!! it reminded me of what my periods were like before i went vegetarian, much better.
My iron levels have always been good (between 13 and 15). After converting to a vegan diet from a vegetarian diet in mid 2007, about 3 months after, I was experiencing lethargy. I thought that it might have been my iron levels. I thought I best have a blood test to find out. I have a book on nutrition, so consulted it to find the high vegan iron foods. Chick peas and pumpkin seeds (pepitas) were at the top of the list. I have read information on the net that contradicts chick peas as high iron source but I'm not sure what is correct. All I know is I ate lots of chick peas (a good hand full a day) and had pepitas with every meal (about 2 tea spoons). I did this for a week before the blood test. The result from the blood test concerned my doctor. She told me that my iron levels were at 37, which is to high. So I would have to think that the chick peas and pepitas did have a definite upward affect on my iron levels. It appears that my body is very good at absorbing iron too. I would like to think that eating a good amount of chick peas and pepitas will help you as well. Remember to combine your iron foods with vitamin C. I've heard good things about seaweed.
I stopped eating pepitas and chick peas for a month and my iron levels drop back to 15. The lethargy was from not drinking enough water.