Avoiding Iron -- Which Foods?

[SunnyK]

My doctor told me today that I should avoid all iron-rich foods (and make sure my vitamins don't contain iron).

I guess I always thought that we veggie-types had to look out for getting enough iron, ha. I'm going to do some research, of course, but off the top of my head all I came up with, veg-wise, was spinach!

If anyone can list foods that are particularly iron-rich, I'd appreciate it. Thanks. :)

[clickman]

You can give me your excess iron. Thanks.

[SunnyK]

Yeah, I know! :rolleyes: Everyone's always saying that vegans and vegetarians might get anemic, and the doc actually checked for that probably just because I said I was veg.

I looked at some old threads -- mainly about anemia and trying to get more iron -- and most of the foods that people mentioned aren't things that I tend to eat a lot of.

:confused:

[thebelovedtree]

Watermelon, dried fruit, green leafy veggies, wholegrains, legumes...thats all I can think of, there have been several threads about where to get iron, you could look at those to see what to avoid.

[catgurrl978]

Wow - send me everything you don't eat, I'm anemic!

Watermelon has iron? Really? Yum... :drool:

[SunnyK]

Yeah, I'm in a dietary twilight zone, here, haha. I'm still taking in the concept of too much iron. It seems bizarre.

My grandmother had a similar thing, in a way: her calcium was too high, which is not what women in their 70's and 80's expect to hear! They made her quit all dairy (she's omni).

*reeling from shock at thinking that I should avoid whole grains*

:rolleyes:

The doc did mentions lentils (which I almost never eat), and some nuts (which I sometimes eat).

Just out of curiosity, what are high iron foods for omnis? When I think of iron, I think of a steak -- which is obviously out of the picture.

[SunnyK]

OK, this might be slightly crazy, but I was reading another thread about anemia ... several posters mentioned that tea and/or other caffeine sources could block iron absorbtion. So, might it be good for me to drink more tea?

Currently I drink nothing with caffeine. Occasionally I drink decaf tea.

Just a random notion ...

[Walter]

In the middle of the night, when you get out of the bed to find something to eat, don't take a spoonful of molasses!

That's my only advice. :yes:

[SunnyK]

:lol:

Exactly! I can't imagine many vegan things so high in iron that I should avoid them.

I must be the only person on this board with this issue ... it's counter-veg-intuitive!

[Kyo]

I've read (in the book Becoming Vegan) that 10% (if I remember correctly) of the population are sensitive to iron. It's a genetic thing. My wife is the same way. She doesn't avoid iron rich foods but she never ate a lot of iron rich foods anyway. Whenever we get vitamins for her we need to get ones with 50% of the DV for iron or less.

[Kyo]

Sunny;
I looked in the book and here's what it says


Getting a lot of iron is not an advantage for everyone. A genetic condition called hemochromatosis causes affected individuals to absorb more iron from the food than the body requires. About 10% of the North American population carries one gene for this disorder, while about 1 person in 250 carries 2 such genes. Someone with a single iron-loading gene is at very low risk for iron deficiency. A person with both genes absorbs large amounts of iron, and if left untreated, the condition could be fatal. For these people, the form of iron in meat (called heme iron) is associated with the greatest risk, especially in a diet that is low in the antioxidant vitamin E. This condition has alerted scientists to the fact that factors in plant foods that limit iron absorption, such as phytates, can actually be seen as protective, though it is possible for hemochomatosis to develop in someone on a vegetarian diet.

So there are a lot of people that are susceptible to iron overload.

[Kyo]

I found this artile on hemochromatosis

Hemochromatosis (http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/hemochromatosis/)

from the article


Hereditary hemochromatosis is one of the most common genetic disorders in the United States. It most often affects Caucasians of Northern European descent, although other ethnic groups are also affected. About 5 people in 1,000 (0.5 percent) of the U.S. Caucasian population carry two copies of the hemochromatosis gene and are susceptible to developing the disease. One person in 8 to 12 is a carrier of the abnormal gene. Hemochromatosis is less common in African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, and American Indians.

So, I misunderstood. To be susceptible a person needs carry 2 copies of the gene. That's only about 0.5% of the population.

[MollyGoat]

That's so interesting! I wonder if that has something to do with the fact that northern europeans historically have eaten dairy, which negatively affects iron absorption...it might be a compensation or something.

The fact that I have never, even in my most pathetically malnourished days, had anemia leads me to wonder if I have one copy of the gene. That would be kinda cool!

I know vitamin C helps iron absorption, so maybe avoid citrus?

What are the indications of iron overload? How does it affect you?

[SunnyK]

Thanks, Kyo! Hemochromatosis is what I just got tested for ... it'll take a few weeks for the results. The doc doesn't think it's all that likely, just a possibility to check out. (BTW she said it's very easy to treat if it turns out to be the case.) Interesting that they mentioned vegetarians... Maybe some more vitamin E would be a good idea.

Molly, I haven't looked into all the symptoms ... the doctor actually told me that I don't have a lot of them (she mentioned a change in skin color, for example). I went in for fatigue and a lot of other little stuff. The very high iron showed up in my bloodwork, so that's what she's looking into now.

Hehe, avoid whole grains and citrus?! This is like the opposite of everything you're "supposed" to do! :rolleyes:

[RedWingsFan]

Did your doctor say the reason for this? I think it's strange to suggest you stay away from iron rich foods, especially as a vegetarian. Since becoming a vegetarian I have struggled with trying to get enough iron. I have been anemic on and off over the years because of it, I have to really go out of my way to make sure that I get enough iron in my diet. Many cereals are a great source of iron.

[Skylark]

Sunny, since I've been turned down for donating blood because my iron was too low, perhaps you ought to go donate. ;)

If the blood work comes back "hemochromatosis", be sure to ask your doctor for suggestions on avoiding iron and still getting all the other nutrients you need. Since you're probably accustomed to counting on grains and citrus for things like vitamin C and fiber, it would be a shame to end up with scurvy or an elimination problem!