Weight-Loss Best sources of iron?

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amy1985

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I was wondering if people could suggest good sources of iron in a diet. I've been all-but anaemic for a few years now (as in, they keep testing me and saying "if your iron levels get any lower..."), and I can't take iron supplements because it counteracts another medication I'm on (which quite literally keeps me alive and there's no getting around. I'd rather be anaemic than dead). My doctors usually suggest red meat (and have specifically told me not to become a vegetarian, I was considering it at one point), but I've found myself having less of that in my diet (mostly because it's expensive. I'm a meat eater, but I mostly eat chicken, which is more affordable).

I'm not a fussy eater (except a few things- coriander/ cilantro makes me hurl and I can't handle burny-spice in foods), so pretty anything you suggest I'm happy to give a go (subject to availability/ price- oh, and I'm not interested in supplements). I'm also a calorie counter so the lower calorie count the better.
 
I recommend tofu, chicken, tuna, shrimp and basically anything green (kale, collards, broccoli). All of these can be easily found in stores too.
^_^
Hope that helps.

Try this site. It shows you the iron content in food per serving size.
 
I actually picked up some brocolli yesterday at the supermarket and had it with dinner. I'd completely forgotten how much I like it :)
 
LIVER. yes. LIVER. eat liver. If it had any more iron, you'd have to eat it with a welding torch. True story.
here's a link..
with a RECIPE!!!!
 
Oooh, brocolli, in a oven friendly bowl. mix a little minced garlic and olive oil, pour it over the broccoli (which you've torn or cut into bite sized chunks), add a little salt, throw that in the oven till it gets a little brown on the outer most edges, but before blackness sets. (or just till it feels right when you poke it with a fork).

That is one super delicious way to get it down.

And yeah, liver is a super super good food nutrition wise, but it made me gag even before I became a vegan so I didn't even think of it :p
 
I'm lucky- I'm an incredibly unfussy eater. OK, offal makes me pause a little bit- but with brocolli I just heat it up in the microwave and have it on the side of whatever I'm eating. (Yesterday I snacked on some frozen corn- I might do more of snacking on veggies like that)
 
I'm a former vegan and during my research of meat-less nutrition I recall reading that unfortunately, despite the high iron content of many dark green veg (kale, broccoli etc), that the iron in veg is not as readily available to our bodies as the iron you find in meat. That's because iron comes in two formats. One type (the type you find exclusively in meat) is attached to the 'haem' part of the blood (as in haemaglobin). In vegetables the iron is less easily absorbed because it does not come attached to haem. So basically, if your iron comes from purely non-meat sources then you'll have to aim for more than the recommended daily intake.

Just thought I'd add that in there.
 
Last edited:
Holly88 said:
I'm a former vegan and during my research of meat-less nutrition I recall reading that unfortunately, despite the high iron content of many dark green veg (kale, broccoli etc), that the iron in veg is not as readily available to our bodies as the iron you find in meat. That's because iron comes in two formats. One type (the type you find exclusively in meat) is attached to the 'haem' part of the blood (as in haemaglobin). In vegetables the iron is less easily absorbed because it does not come attached to haem. So basically, if your iron comes from purely non-meat sources then you'll have to aim for more than the recommended daily intake.

Just thought I'd add that in there.
Click to expand...

Exactly Holly. The website I gave initially () breaks the iron contents into two groups: plant iron and animal iron basically.

Thanks for pointing that out ^_^

Amy our bodies can absorb heme iron better than we can non-heme iron. But I also want to point out, since I know you're a tea drinker like I am, there is a substance in tea called Tannin. Tannin can decrease the absorption of non-heme iron (veggies and nuts). So it's better to drink tea between meals rather than with your meal if you are looking for an increase in iron. Black tea has more tannins than say green or white tea. (think of it this way: The darker the tea, the more tannins...the more it will decrease the absorption of non-heme iron).
 
Thank you both :)

I find the compromise between "don't eat too much meat" and "get your iron up" quite difficult. I've been trying to get more red meat into my diet (replacing the chicken) as a consequence, but on a normal day can't bring myself to eat meat more than once a day. Hence trying to go for other sources. I also tend to drink black tea away from meals, or with fruit (if apples have iron in them it's news to me), and have increased that habit since I came across that tidbit about tannin. (I eat spinach with lemon juice to increase the bioavailability of that iron as well, as I understand it)
 
hi i dont know if i am anaemic or not. I eat fish, sometimes chicken or turkey, but wont eat any other meat. I do eat broccoli sometimes spinach, but also drink a lot of normal (defaf) tea throughout the day and as I am eating. :( does anyone know if taking an iron tablet everyday is ok to do? and will it be absorbed even if i drink tea?
 
I would suggest liver. That's really rich in iron - whatever the recipe may be.
 
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