Are you really getting enough

[Chicklady]

Iron? We're always told to get vitamin supplements without Iron, yet I have a heck of a time hitting 100% of the RDA for Iron unless I eat lots of liver on a given day.
any of you pc fitday/similar program users noticed how your Iron intake is? If you do hit 100%, what are you eating????

[Chicklady]

Re: Are you really getting enough

Ok, 32 folks looked and no one knows if they are getting enough iron???

[Elizellen]

Re: Are you really getting enough

When I started using fitday I didnt know much about the reports you could look at so didnt worry about the RDA etc, but looking back I see I averaged above my RDA for iron most months while using a multivitamin without iron.

I did use a tablespoon or two of flax most days, which seems to be quite high in iron (about 27% of RDA for 2T according to fitday).

Here is a list of foods high in iron - seafood seems good!
http://www.weightlossforall.com/iron-rich-food.htm

[Chicklady]

Re: Are you really getting enough

Am i not eating enought meat? I eat until i'm satisfied :shrug: I eat a serving of greens every day. I don't think I can stand any more liver than i eat (2-3 times a week)

[quotidianlight]

Re: Are you really getting enough

I don't really worry about it. If you eat a wide variety and don't have super heavy TOM your iron should be fine. The RDA's have a tone of padding in them for the average person (they do that because some forms don't absorb as well as others, some vitamins block absorption and some women need a lot more than others for monthly and just genetic variation). I like Elizellen eat flax daily. I don't really eat liver but I eat buffalo. Regardless I average around 75-80%. As long as I don't have low iron symptoms I don't worry about it too much. Plus iron is one of those minerals that we store so I figure the times I go way over sort of make up for times I go under. I don't eat the same foods all the time and tend to vary a lot.

When I was vegan and hardly ate any iron at all I always tested fine. I was told it had something to do with recycling or replacing my blood volume or something that had something to do with not having a very heavy TOM. If you look at mens vitamins most are iron free for similar reasons.

[Chicklady]

Re: Are you really getting enough

I do have one sympton---frequent lethargy. I like to blame that on not sleeping as well working the night shift, but I'm not too sure, since I do have heavy periods.

[quotidianlight]

Re: Are you really getting enough

How are your other vitamins? How much flesh are you eating? Are you getting most of your iron in veggies? I like to have a small amount with eat meal if I am exercising a lot or I just sleep all day long. I eat a wide variety of meat as well. One thing I have noticed is without my supplements (B vitamins) I feel like the walking dead, so it may be iron or another mineral or vitamin you are missing. If you think you are low iron, you could go over your supplements and fiddle with them to make sure and if not find a low dose iron only supplement to test out... you may only want to take it the week before and during your TOM.

[Chicklady]

Re: Are you really getting enough

my other vits are ok. the only other supps I take are cod liver oil and salmon oil. I only take a multi if I'm low on anything (other than Iron)

[quotidianlight]

Re: Are you really getting enough

You might still look at your B's. If you are under stress you need more than the RDA

[Georgiana]

Re: Are you really getting enough

My iron is also low in Fitday, but considering that I eat at the university canteen I don't have too many food choices. However, I spent a week home this semester (where my mom cooked for me), but I still couldn't bring my iron intake anything close to the RDA.

Here are my percentages:
- at the uni: ~ 55%
- home: ~ 65%

They never give us liver at the uni, but I do eat pate a few times a week. I try to keep it under control though, because the ingredients are not listed on the label.

My Fe % increased when I was home because my mom cooked a lot of spinach recipes. I also ate liver a few times, and she made devil eggs using liver.

[quotidianlight]

Re: Are you really getting enough

I've never had deviled eggs with liver in them. How are they?

[sallyseachange]

Re: Are you really getting enough

Hmmm... this thread made me go check. I clock in at an average 150% of RDA over time. I also eat flax crackers every day (approx 2 Ts)

[Georgiana]

Re: Are you really getting enough

Tastier and more filling than the normal ones.

[Georgiana]

Re: Are you really getting enough

Oh, btw, I'm on OWL Rung 1. Maybe as you go up the rungs you get to have more iron? Don't know...

[sheddingflab]

Re: Are you really getting enough

I don't eat any red meat, so I always supplement with Iron whether I'm eating a lot of dark green leafy veggies or not. I have wicked TOM's and have been anemic in the past. I suppose if you eat plenty of red meat and dark green leafy veggies, you might not need iron supplements. Its also important to make sure you are getting vitamin C which helps iron be absorbed in the body. Vitamin C is water soluble and should be taken in smaller doses throughout the day rather than a supplement with a ton of vitamin c in it all at once. And plenty of b vitamins for energy.

Men generaly don't need iron supplements as long as they get enough in their diet. Men are able to build larger stores of iron in their bodies and they don't bleed every month which helps.

It always bothers me when I see posts on here saying to take a multi vitamin without iron. If you are a woman of childbearing age and you don't eat much red meat or iron rich veggies then you probably need an iron supplement. Most of us on Atkins probably DO eat red meat and all the greens we should but some like me don't and have to be careful we're getting all of the vitamins and minerals we need. Unless you are eating well over 100% of iron a day, its probably a good idea for your multi to have iron it it if you are a woman. However if you are on birth control and you don't have heavy TOMs then you might be better off. Its a good idea to just have a quick iron test. They just stick your finger for a drop of blood and the results are fast.