In the past month or two, I’ve undergone a rather obnoxious amount of medical testing, poking, prodding, etc.

In the end, much is inconclusive save the fact that I seem to be low in iron. My doctor prescribed me iron supplements. I have very mixed feelings about this. While I do take a multivitamin and a B vitamin already, I’m not crazy about getting too many minerals from supplement form. I’ve heard nasty side effects (constipation, toxicity) about iron supplements, and thought first I’d perhaps check my diet and see if I could do some tweaks on my end without having to resort to supplements.

I’ve led a vegetarian lifestyle since I was a wee toddler. Some years have been heavier on the animal products, but never the red meat or shellfish which seem to be so high in that elusive iron. After some research, though, I’ve found some good sources of edible iron.

Veggie/Fruit sources:

• spinach (36% DV in one cup, cooked)
• palm hearts (one of my favorite veggies!) (25% DV in one cup)
• dried apricots, raisins, currants (20-40% DV in one cup)
• swiss chard (22% DV in one cup, chopped)
• asparagus (2% DV in ONE SPEAR)
• also: dandelion greens, leeks, broccoli, sun-dried tomatoes…

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from this alone, it seems I could be doing pretty well after one big chopped salad, or a side of veggies with some lentils (see below). But don’t worry, I’m not done yet… what about:

Other vegetarian sources:

• edamame (49% DV per cup)
• lentils (37% DV per cup)
• various types of beans (20-30% DV per cup)
• pumpkin/squash seeds (roasted)- 115% DV per cup
• sesame seeds (23% DV per oz)
• sunflower seeds (41% DV per cup)
• whole grain bread or oatmeal

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Next up, a little less natural…

Dietary supplements

• Iron Girl bars (40% DV per bar)
• Luna bars (30% DV per bar) and luna minis (10%)
• Pria 110 bars (20% DV per snack bar)
• fortified cereals (varying, but Cheerios- a personal favorite- have 45% DV per cup)

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Other…

• Dried herbs (this was a major surprise for me!) Below is per tablespoon of dried herb: dried thyme (21% DV), dried parsley (11% DV), dried spearmint (10%), dried: black pepper, marjoram, cumin, dill, oregano, bay leaf, coriander, basil, turmeric, anise seed, fenugreek seed, terragon, chervil, rosemary (all 5% DV per tbsp of dried herb)
• chocolate/ cocoa powder (10% DV in one tbsp of cocoa powder)
• molasses (5% per tbsp)

Of course, there are the obvious meat and fish sources: liver, clams, oysters, mussels, beef, turkey, caviar), but I’m not really  “there” yet. I might even go supplement before I start eating meat or fish to get my iron. Never say never, though! I have once tried mussels, and they were okay.

The moral of today’s story: I’m not ready for supplements quite yet. I’m still in research phase/ cynicism about iron supplements. I’m feeling optimistic that in no time at all, I’ll look and feel like this:

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Do you take vitamin/ mineral supplements? When it comes to deficiencies, do you go the food or supplement route? How do you pack iron into your diet?

Meri