I may add more red meat to my diet

[easysurfer]

When for a physical. Blood test showed me a bit low on iron. Suggest is to eat foods more rich with iron. I've been good about limiting my red meat consumption. But now that maybe I should eat more along with liver and onions.

 

[Koolau]

When for a physical. Blood test showed me a bit low on iron. Suggest is to eat foods more rich with iron. I've been good about limiting my red meat consumption. But now that maybe I should eat more along with liver and onions.

Leafy green vegetables are a good source of iron (spinach, kale, broccoli, etc.)

 

[aja8888]

Yes, liver!

 

[engineernerd]

Liver is very healthy but only in smallish quantities. It has a ton of Vitamin A, which is toxic if you eat too much.

If, like me, you are not a fan of liver and onions, I found this great recipe online:

Nigerian fried Rice | Chef Lola's Kitchen (Video)

Nigerian Fried Rice is a meal we relish in gatherings and this is a very simple and easy way to make it in the comfort of your home.

cheflolaskitchen.com

I also realized that I could use liver in any fried rice recipe! I had purchased frozen calf liver in thin individually-packaged slices, so I could brown a slice in a small frying pan, then cut it up into quite small cubes so I never noticed the taste or texture once it was mixed into the fried rice.

Green leafy vegetables are good sources of iron, but their iron is not as easily absorbed as the iron in meat. Also found out recently that the oxalates in spinach interfere with absorption of the iron so the best way to eat spinach (for its mineral content) is by blanching it first (boil in water for a minute then pour out the cooking water AND rinse the spinach in cold water, so the oxalates are washed away in the water).

 

[audreyh1]

Red meat is very nutritious. Don’t limit it anymore.

Yes, you can get iron from some vegetables but it’s not nearly as bioavailable as red meat.

 

[RetiredHappy]

My husband eats alot of red meat, at least more so than me, and his red blood cell is low. We added daily iron pills to his regimen for the past 2 years and the numbers have not changed. His PCP thinks it's "normal" to be low in iron because of his alcohol consumption. I also read that as one gets older, red blood cell count can also fall below normal.

 

[Dtail]

Chopped liver is very tasty.

 

[Car-Guy]

I eat meat.... Well cooked but a lot of meat.

 

[Mark1]

I wouldn't try (or expect) to get your iron levels back up in a few days. You got me curious and looking at from a mass balance perspective, I came up with the following numbers for iron loss and gains.

- A typical male excretes about 0.6 mg of iron each day mainly into the feces (much of the rest is from blood loss).

- Iron absorption from the intestines is extremely slow, at a maximum rate of only a few milligrams per day. This slow rate of absorption means that even when tremendous quantities of iron are present in food, only small proportions can be absorbed.

- A typical person might have 3,000 to 5,000 milligrams within their body, most as hemoglobin (maybe 1,000 milligrams as ferritin).

Based on these numbers, I would give it some time before I retested.

 

[easysurfer]

Good thing I read this to know the precaution of not over dosing on liver.

I won't get tested again until in about 3 months.

 

[Koolau]

Also, when you say your iron is a bit low, does that mean outside of normal range or just lower than usual for you? All of the blood factors have ranges for reasons (such as normal variability between individuals and within individuals). In general, if you're within normal range, you probably needn't worry too much unless your numbers are continuously falling.

I have at least one blood factor which is always out of range. PCP says that's probably just "normal" for me as I have no indicators of disease which the numbers might otherwise suggest. Is your PCP concerned? If not, I don't think I would be too concerned either.

 

[Route246]

My wife tends to have low iron. She doesn't like red meat and most iron-rich foods. She also says that iron supplements cause constipation. I guess she can't win.

 

[athena53]

My cookware is cast iron. That may be why my hemoglobin levels are just fine every time I visit the blood bank. I'm practically vegetarian and can't tell you when I last ate red meat but I eat a lot of leafy green vegetables.

 

[folivier]

Yummmm, liver, yummm.

 

[Koolau]

Yummmm, liver, yummm.

Sorry, liver is the only "normal" food I won't eat.

 

[wrigley]

Nothing wrong with red meat.

 

[badatmath]

I recently learned that the calcium in dairy prevents you from absorbing iron when taken at the same time. So don't drink a big glass of milk with that burger! Not that I know anyone who drinks milk but I do get a lot of my protein from greek yogurt or shakes or whatever.

 

[latexman]

I recently learned that the calcium in dairy prevents you from absorbing iron when taken at the same time. So don't drink a big glass of milk with that burger! Not that I know anyone who drinks milk but I do get a lot of my protein from greek yogurt or shakes or whatever.

No cheeseburger with a chocolate shake!

 

[imjustawarrior]

Good thing I read this to know the precaution of not over dosing on liver.

When I was a kid, my brother would say if you ate a polar bear liver you would die from too much iron. Where does one get a polar bear liver? Who could eat a huge liver like that?

Red meat is extremely nutritious.

 

[MarieIG]

Good thing I read this to know the precaution of not over dosing on liver.

I won't get tested again until in about 3 months.

You could take the middle ground if you're worried about too much liver, i.e. add in liver once a week, along with adding in your increase of other red meats.

 

[MarieIG]

When I was a kid, my brother would say if you ate a polar bear liver you would die from too much iron. Where does one get a polar bear liver? Who could eat a huge liver like that?

Red meat is extremely nutritious.

I remember reading that polar bear liver was very high in Vit A content.

Maybe a killer whale.

 

[latexman]

When for a physical. Blood test showed me a bit low on iron. Suggest is to eat foods more rich with iron. I've been good about limiting my red meat consumption. But now that maybe I should eat more along with liver and onions.

My iron runs high at the upper edge of the range. My Dr. said start donating blood, but with several bouts of melanoma the Red Cross won’t take it. The plan is if I go above the upper limit I go to a phlebotomist and they trash it.

 

[imjustawarrior]

I remember reading that polar bear liver was very high in Vit A content.

I'm sure you are correct, and I'm not remembering correctly.

 

[badatmath]

My wife tends to have low iron. She doesn't like red meat and most iron-rich foods. She also says that iron supplements cause constipation. I guess she can't win.

Iron biglycinate does not have side effects for me. Grok told me to take vitamin c with it also so I take it 4 hours post morning meds and 2 hours before lunch on an empty stomach. Too soon for me to retest to see how well it works.

Grok also pointed out taking it 3 times a week was not as good as "every other day" which should of course be obvious but i was only thinking "easy to remember" and not "optimal".

Doctor said you absorb less taking it daily but wasn't real specific.

 

[Yipper]

I'll go contrarian here. I love red meat, burgers, steaks, chops, sausage, etc. But there's overwhelming evidence that too much red meat isn't great for you. One of the first things you'll hear from an oncologist if you're diagnosed with cancer is to cut out red meat.

See here for the American Cancer Society's dietary recommendations: American Cancer Society Guideline for Diet and Physical Activity