Foods with Iron

[Meditrina]

I tried to donate blood today and found out that my iron was low. It is 11.1, and they need it to be 12.5. I have no idea what the numbers mean, except that my iron is low. I am not a big meat eater. I do eat meat, just not often enough. I have a difficult time cooking it. So I am looking for other suggestions, other foods, that I can eat that have iron in them. I would like to try NOT to take a supplement, unless I absolutely have to. Is there anything besides spinach that I can eat to increase my iron level? Please keep in mind that I am a simple cook, I don't do fancy.

[aberkok]

Iron not from meat is "non-heme" iron, which is more difficult to absorb than heme iron from meat. Obviously, don't let that dissuade you. The paragraph below (From city of Toronto website, of all places) makes the good point that eating some Vitamin C of some kind with your non-heme iron aids absorption:

"Non-heme iron comes from grain products, vegetables and fruit, eggs, legumes
and nuts. It is not absorbed as well by the body. Eating foods rich in Vitamin C and eating a small amount of meat, fish or poultry with non-heme iron-rich foods will help your body absorb iron better. For example, having chilli made with beans
(non-heme iron), a little bit of ground beef (heme iron), and canned tomatoes and other vegetables (Vitamin C), will help your body absorb more iron
from your food."

I've also heard that caffeine inhibits iron absorption, so don't drink your coffee within at least 30 mins. of eating your iron + vitamin C. My winning combination when I was training for half-marathons was oatmeal with walnuts and maybe some ground flax or wheat germ, plus half a grapefruit. Coffee later.

Other sources:

Beans: pinto, chickpeas, lentils

Other greens: collard greens, kale, mustard greens, swiss chard (you should be eating these for other reasons as well... such as calcium)

[Baraka_Guru]

Try eating more beans, lentils, and seeds. Vegetarian soy products are often fortified with iron, so try tofu, soymilk, and veggie meats now and again.

If you don't have a cast-iron skillet, get one (they last forever), because when you cook food in them, some of the iron leeches into it. A properly seasoned skillet will be an excellent non-stick pan. The more you use it (and properly clean it), the better it gets. They're heirloom items.

Also, see here: WHFoods: iron

[EDIT: cross-posted with aberkok]

[The_Jazz]

I love my cast-iron skillet and rarely use anything else. As B_G said, iron leeches into the food, which is an added benefit.

[ShaniFaye]

Is it your time of the month by any chance? You lose a lot of iron then lol I know this because I have hemochromatosis, and its the one time of the month I can eat red meat without getting sick.

Raisins have a good amount of iron

[Meditrina]

This is great info! I can see there are things that I actually like to eat that have iron.

Shani - that ended last Friday. Would my body have regenerated it by now?

[ShaniFaye]

I would think so, but I cannot say for certain. I know if I finished friday and tried to eat red meat today I'd be sick as a dog, so Im guessing that prob wasnt a factor for you today.

[ring]

An easy non-cooking of meat solution for iron loading:

Thaw out a bag of pre-cooked shrimp, & munch away.

After my bleeding ulcer left me iron wasted, this helped quickly,
and was easier to digest than red meat.

[snowy]

When I feel I need/want some iron, I usually make a spaghetti sauce with lots of spinach, mushrooms, and zucchini. The spinach is the vegetable that provides the most iron in this combo; mushrooms provide a bit and I just like the zucchini (plus it's good for other vitamins and minerals). Use cremini mushrooms (baby portobellos) for a meatier flavor. If you serve it on top of pasta fortified with iron, all the better.

Also, fortified cereals can be a good source of iron.

[Meditrina]

I had a spinach salad for lunch today. With Gorgonzola cheese, cranberries, grilled chicken, cherry tomatoes, and raspberry walnut vinaigrette. Then I looked at my soda. Not caffeine free. I remembered what Aberkok said, and switched to water. I think I could actually do that on a regular basis.

[genuinegirly]

The legume family is your iron-filled friend!
Fabaceae / Leguminosae: If it forms in a pod, it has a lot of iron.

Beans


Lentils


Chickpeas


Peas


Peanuts


Another option that is packed with iron: Quinoa! Try it in a Tebouleh salad. Yum!

[Meditrina]

mmmm chick peas = hummus! YUM!

[snowy]

Originally Posted by Meditrina

I had a spinach salad for lunch today. With Gorgonzola cheese, cranberries, grilled chicken, cherry tomatoes, and raspberry walnut vinaigrette. Then I looked at my soda. Not caffeine free. I remembered what Aberkok said, and switched to water. I think I could actually do that on a regular basis.

That sounds really yummy.

Don't be afraid of legumes! Canned legumes are easy but they're usually also full of unnecessary sodium. I suggest learning how to cook from dried--it's easier than you think, and cheaper than buying beans in cans. However, I do not recommend trying to cook kidney beans from dried until you've mastered cooking beans from dried; kidney beans give off a toxin if they're not cooked correctly.

Mark Bittman's methods for cooking dried beans:
Cooking Beans the Quick-Soak Way from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

1 lb. dried beans or split peas (picked over and washed)
salt and pepper

1) Put the beans in a large pot with a tight-fitting lid and cover with cold water by 2-3 inches. Bring to a boil and boil the beans, uncovered, for about 2 minutes. Cover the pot and turn off the heat. Let the beans soak for about 2 hours.
2) Taste a bean. If it's tender (it won't be done), add a large pinch of salt and several grinds of black pepper and make sure the beans are covered with about an inch of the soaking water (if not, add a little water). If the beans are still raw, don't add salt yet and cover with about 2 inches of water.
3) Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat so the beans bubble gently. Partially cover and cook, stirring occasionally, checking the beans for doneness every 10-15 minutes, and adding water as necessary. If you haven't added salt yet, add it when the beans are just turning tender. Stop cooking when the beans are done the way you like them, taste and adjust the seasoning, and use immediately or store.

Cooking Beans the No-Soak Way from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

Mark notes: This is the only method you need for lentils and split peas.
My note: This still works for regular dried beans--it just takes a couple hours to cook the beans. To be honest, I've had batches of beans that have soaked that took as long to cook as beans I didn't soak.

1 lb. dried beans, split peas, or lentils, washed and picked over
salt and pepper

1) Put the beans in a large pot with a tight fitting lid and cover with cold water by 2-3 inches. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat so that the beans bubble gently. Partially cover and cook, stirring occasionally, checking the beans for doneness every 10-15 minutes, adding more water as necessary.
2) When the beans start to get tender, add a large pinch of salt and several grinds of pepper. As the beans get closer to being finished, they need to be covered with only an inch or two of water. Stop cooking when the beans are done the way you like them, taste and adjust the seasoning, and either use immediately or store.

Cooking Beans, the Long-Soak Way from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

Mark notes: A long soak, to him, is 8-12 hours. Anything more and the beans will get mushy quickly when cooking.

1 lb. dried beans, washed and picked over
salt and pepper

1) Put the beans in a large pot with a tight-fitting lid and and cover with cold water by several inches. Let them soak for 8-12 hours.
2) Drain the beans and return them to the pot. Check a bean for doneness. If it's tender but not yet done, add a large pinch of salt and several grinds of black pepper and make sure the beans are covered by about an inch of water. If the beans are still raw, don't add salt and cover with 2 inches of water.
3) Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat so that the beans bubble gently. Partially cover and cook, stirring occasionally, checking the beans for doneness every 10 minutes or so, and adding more water as necessary. If you haven't added salt yet, add salt just as the beans are turning tender. Stop cooking when the beans are done the way you like them, adjust the seasoning, and use immediately or store.

Some suggestions for legumes that I like:

Black beans and rice
Black bean Mexibake (corn tortillas, enchilada sauce, cheddar cheese, and black beans stacked up like a lasagna)
Spinach and chickpeas (check out this recipe here, props go to noodle for the linky: spinach and chickpeas | smitten kitchen)
Black beans and polenta
Hummus
Lentil soup (easy-peasy: saute diced onion, carrot, and celery in butter with a bay leaf, add washed and picked over lentils [I like Puy or French green lentils, they stay firmer], add a quart of stock, and cook until lentils are tender).

[genuinegirly]

Originally Posted by snowy

... However, I do not recommend trying to cook kidney beans from dried until you've mastered cooking beans from dried; kidney beans give off a toxin if they're not cooked correctly.
...

Yes! Be careful with Kidney beans. So tasty but potentially deadly.

[Jinn]

If it makes you feel better, I was watching a documentary on US food supplies and one of the most common deficiencies is iron, as a result of our corn-heavy supplies which are also heavily processed.

In the documentary, they made the claim that 1 in 4 women of 'menstruating age' is iron-deficient.

[ShaniFaye]

before you go overboard, read this Too Much Iron: Iron Overdose

especially this part

The other thing to note is that hemoglobin is not iron! Yes, you are anemic if your hemoglobin is low but that does not necessarily mean your iron is low. Indeed, what might be happening is that the iron is collecting in storage instead of going into hemoglobin. You are actually iron-loaded and need iron removed despite the anemia. The anemia should be treated with B vitamins, especially B12, B6 and folic acid. Many patients with anemia are dying of iron overload, and some are hastened to their death by their physicians who give them more iron.

or do some googling on your own about the subject. You might really want to consider going to the doctor to find out if you actually NEED to start intaking more iron before you do it.

As this article says, you can test anemic and still have the disease I have. Just because you iron tested low at the blood drive, doesnt necessarily mean you need to start loading up.

I would hate to see you make yourself sick of over a finger prick test that doesnt really tell you anything

[Meditrina]

Thanks Shani. I know you are right. I should go to the doctor. I am sure it has been awhile since I had a complete physical.

[mew]

I had the exact same problem. I failed twice, but passed once with a 12.5. Last time I failed, I had 12.4- still rejected. I even took multi-vitamins the whole time ~6 months, and I still couldnt get my numbers up. Your iron levels does not mean your low, its just that the blood services require people to have a high normal of iron in order to donate.

I thought that calcium is an inhibitor of absorption of iron (via reading material they gave me). There are great tips on here, so I'll be using those as well. Good luck, and keep us posted

[noodle]

My absolute favorite "I'm Feeling Low and Anemic" meal is:

Blackeyed peas cooked with finely shredded bits of ham (for a slightly salty flavor) and a little garlic and sriracha sauce, until slightly thickened with their own starch over a small scoop of basmati rice, topped with chopped onion and tomatoes.

With a big bowl of slow-cooker collard greens (fill the crockpot with chopped and de-veined greens and about half way with water, toss in some chopped lean ham steak, garlic powder, small amount of kosher salt and cracked pepper, cook on high for about 4 hours...) with a sprinkle of hot vinegar (made by the Louisiana Hot Sauce people, the stuff with the peppers in it). Add in a Guinness and you've got your B vitamins + iron.

I get a boost for days.

When I absolutely have to (like right now), I use a chelated iron supplement because I'm allergic to iodine. It's super easy on the stomach and I typically notice a difference in about a week and then I can quit taking it again. I'm starting to get in the habit of taking it for a few days before my period to about two days after. And I'm noticing a huge difference. So, if you end up needing a boost, there are a few options. And the Vitamin Shoppe has a low dose chelated iron tablet pretty reasonable.

[dlish]

without sounding stupid... but why dont you take iron supplements?

[ring]

Some people experience gastrointestinal & other problems with iron supplements.

There is good info. here:
Facts About Iron

Hi, Medi.
Yes, a doctor's visit & thorough check-up is a good idea.

Let us know how it goes.

[mew]

Originally Posted by dlish

without sounding stupid... but why dont you take iron supplements?

It's not a stupid question. I asked too, and apparently, it will also constipate and cause you to have black stool.

[Meditrina]

There is another blood drive in a week. Time to stock up on all these legumes and meat.

[snowy]

Iron-rich meal suggestion (also what I had for lunch, btw): falafel patties on spinach, drizzled with tzatziki sauce. A tahini-based salad dressing would also work well.

[eribrav]

Medi, just to clarify, that number they are telling you at the drive is your hemoglobin level.
It is not your iron level but it is a good reflection of iron stores in most people. As also noted above there are other causes of low hemoglobin that do not involve low iron.
The Red Cross is just in the business of finding good donors, not working up the cause of low hemoglobin when they find it. Evaluation of anemia is in your health care providers domain.