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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 13 of 13. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by TofuEmmy on June 22, 2004, at 13:55:45
I recently had some blood work done, and they said I was borderine anemic. OK, I haven't been eating all that well lately! What should I be eating more of? I'm bruising like an old banana and and thinking of buying iron pills. But now that seems ridiculous since I should just be eating better, right???? Someone suggested Liquid Liver pills - that they are the best thing since sliced tofu....but since it's liver and I'm a vegetarian, I ain't taking that. Any other suggestions?
Em
Posted by partlycloudy on June 22, 2004, at 15:09:02
In reply to Anemic vegetarian....bad Emmy, no biscuit, posted by TofuEmmy on June 22, 2004, at 13:55:45
Dark leafy greens like spinach or kale. I use kale as an ornamental plant, I think you have to cook the heck out of it. Actually, I have a cookbook circa 1950-something that lists veggies high in iron. I'll check it and post again tonight.
(Spinach would be my choice. Just check your teeth before you go out the door!)
Also maybe prenatal vitamins? Think they are higher in iron. Solgar is a good brand with no (ahem) animal sources.
Posted by partlycloudy on June 22, 2004, at 19:04:10
In reply to Re: Anemic vegetarian....bad Emmy, no biscuit » TofuEmmy, posted by partlycloudy on June 22, 2004, at 15:09:02
Lima beans, split peas, mustard greens, collards, turnip greens, canned (or frozen) peas, asparagus, prunes, raisins, apricots. This is as listed in my mom's old encyclopedia of cooking.
Posted by Cass on June 22, 2004, at 23:52:11
In reply to Re: Anemic vegetarian....bad Emmy, no biscuit, posted by partlycloudy on June 22, 2004, at 19:04:10
I agree that a good way to get iron is by eating dark leafy greens. I have an enormous salad of dark greens every day with lots of other veggies. If you don't mind the taste, black strap molasses is also an excellent source of iron.
Posted by shadows721 on June 23, 2004, at 1:04:47
In reply to Anemic vegetarian....bad Emmy, no biscuit, posted by TofuEmmy on June 22, 2004, at 13:55:45
I would follow the advice the others stated. Also, I would add the iron pill just in case.
Posted by TofuEmmy on June 23, 2004, at 7:23:11
In reply to Re: Anemic vegetarian....bad Emmy, no biscuit, posted by partlycloudy on June 22, 2004, at 19:04:10
Wow...lima beans, turnip greens, musturd greens and prunes. Hmmm good!? Could I just take a pill please? lol! Thank you for looking all that up. Maybe if I add the molasses, put in a blender with some vodka and ice.....?
Posted by Jai Narayan on June 23, 2004, at 8:21:37
In reply to Re: Anemic vegetarian....bad Emmy, no biscuit, posted by TofuEmmy on June 23, 2004, at 7:23:11
Emmy,
There is a company called Flora that makes Floradix or Floravital and these are veggie Iron but taste really good. They are a liquid and often recommended by practioners.
You can find them in health food stores.Also vitamin c helps with the absorption of iron.
There are two others that makes food combined products:
1. MegaFood....Blood builder is great
2. New Chapter has a food Iron too
I hope this helps, I forgot you were a veggie.
Posted by partlycloudy on June 23, 2004, at 9:05:19
In reply to Re: Anemic vegetarian....bad Emmy, no biscuit, posted by TofuEmmy on June 23, 2004, at 7:23:11
Tell me about it! It sounds like an argument for meat-eaters. It's a wacky cookbook, lots of jello mold salads and time consuming processes. I'm pretty sure my mom never used it (judging by her cooking, she did not~).
Posted by TofuEmmy on June 23, 2004, at 10:27:40
In reply to iron, posted by Jai Narayan on June 23, 2004, at 8:21:37
Cool...I can DRINK iron! Now that will go better in blender drinks. Thanks Jai!!
Posted by Emme on June 25, 2004, at 11:42:51
In reply to Anemic vegetarian....bad Emmy, no biscuit, posted by TofuEmmy on June 22, 2004, at 13:55:45
All the food recommendations are good. But when I'm depressed I tend to not get enough variety in my diet. So I often just take a chewable children's multivitamin with iron (flintstones or equivalent). They have 15 or 18 mg iron. I've never been anemic in my adult life. The vitamins have artificial colors and flavors, but they're chewable, which is very important in my book.
Posted by Jai Narayan on June 26, 2004, at 21:15:33
In reply to Re: Anemic vegetarian....bad Emmy, no biscuit » TofuEmmy, posted by Emme on June 25, 2004, at 11:42:51
The vitamins have artificial colors and flavors, but they're chewable, which is very important in my book.
***There are chewables without artificial colors and flavors. Often at health food stores you can try out the vitamins to see if you like them. The artificial colors and flavors effect some people poorly. I like Natures Plus Grape Source of Life Kid's chewables....yumm.
Posted by Minnie-Haha on June 30, 2004, at 17:58:36
In reply to Anemic vegetarian....bad Emmy, no biscuit, posted by TofuEmmy on June 22, 2004, at 13:55:45
I've had severe anemia before and it makes you feel like s***, so nip yours in the bud.
The advice on dark-green leafies is good. Also, asparagus, dried fruits, molasses, almonds, sunflower seeds, whole grains, and potatoes. Finally, endive and eggplant have 20 times more iron than spinach, so if you like either or both of these, enjoy! Try going to allrecipes.com and enter eggplant into the "find recipes" box and see if anything tickles your fancy. (Easy Eggplant Pita looked good to me.)
If you decide to take an iron supplement, try Slow FE. It has fewer side effects (like constipation).
Posted by Racer on July 2, 2004, at 18:40:36
In reply to Anemic vegetarian....bad Emmy, no biscuit, posted by TofuEmmy on June 22, 2004, at 13:55:45
I nearly flunked the iron test once, and they suggested Malt-O-Meal to bring it up. Best part is, it tastes good, is warm and comforting in the morning, did seem to keep me going through the day pretty well -- and the cat loved it, too! (He always got to lick the bowl when I was done...)
They also said Cream of Wheat was pretty good, just not as good. And if you really wanna go for it, molasses as sweetener on your cereal! (Hey, sounds good to me, but whaddiknow?)
Hope that helps
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