Spinach, cheese and iron intake...bad combination?

[pavlovthecat]

I really need to up my iron intake, and have spinach, lots of it to eat.

But I really want macaroni cheese. We usually have this with a huge handful of spinach in.

The calcium in the cheese/milk will ofset the iron in the spinach won't it ?. How about if I drink lots of orange juice?

What else can we have with spinach if this is a no no?

[pavlovthecat]

We are having spinach, chickpea and potato curry. YEY for me as I love it. Booo for DH as there is no meat involved. Poor thing

[misscreosote]

Sounds lovely - can I have what your DH doesn't want?!

Seriously though - I think the whole lots of iron in spinach thing is an urban myth, the iron that is in there is in a format that you can't absorb or something... Other ideas here, e.g. baked beans/lentils/other leafy greens etc..
www.eatwell.gov.uk/healthissues/irondeficiency/

[pavlovthecat]

misscreosote wow did not know that about the iron, just read it on the eatwell site, oh dear, DH bought an enormous bag of it!!! At least we all like it . Thanks for posting the link. There are some good nice tasting suggestions for meals.

DH ate all of his curry, he added some mackerel on top afterwards so he got some meaty type stuff!

[madlentileater]

spinach is still good, though, folic acid and other b vitamins ( I think)
dried apricots have iron.
but I think meat is the simplest way of getting it if you eat that.

[pavlovthecat]

madlentileater - I am not a red meat eater. DH said I might have to start (he would love that of course so any excuse for him!), but I do eat chicken, fish and eggs, so I shall increase my intake of these foods, in particular oily fish (but not above the guidelines for a pregnant woman!).

And more lentils . In fact my mother made the most fab lentil, apricot and spinach couscous once...if only I coulr remember the recipe

[MustHaveaVeryShortMemory]

Apparently the dark meat in chicken has much more iron than the white meat - 2-3 times more.

[pavlovthecat]

oh dear, I really don't like the dark meat! I might have to compromise for a while eh, to get some iron back in me...

[misscreosote]

Mackerel on top of curry? Now thats a combo I never would have thought of. Maybe its a man thing...

[TamTam29]

I swear by spatone, it was the only thing that worked at boosting my iron levels this pregnancy.

[pavlovthecat]

tamtam - I have been told that actually, I might get some.

Mrscreosote - well, actually, it is quite nice, but needs to be a dry curry, mixed together then its pretty much a kedgeree. But he had it cold, yes think its a man thing!

[pavlovthecat]

misscreosote, do apologise!

[misscreosote]

Ok, I can see the kedgeree thing, yes, sounding quite nice actually... (tummy rumbling...off in search of vaguely healthy dinner...)

(and actually I am a Mrs, just that someone else had taken MrsCreosote - no offence taken!)

[madlentileater]

are you sure you need to up your iron intake?
I managed 3 pregnancies (one DTs) without eating meat. The lentil apricot and spinach couscous sounds fab- let us know if you get the recipe.

[pavlovthecat]

madlentileater - i have had severe hyperemesis and although on the better side of it am suffering from severe tiredness, dizziness, breathlessness. I am of course self diagnosing, until i see my midwife on thursday, but I figured as there is a high chance I am, given until a week or so ago I was not eating anything and had not for about 8 weeks, it would not hurt to be proactive in this.