Vegans what do you eat in a day and how are your iron levels?

[kissmelittleass]

Would like to compare with my diet as I'm low in iron and tablets prescribed by doctor nearly a year ago are not rising my levels!
HB11.6 ferritin 96,
My HB was 11.7 when I started on tablets but recent blood test showed a drop to 11.6 so doctor said to take every second or third day for some reason, always take with orange juice.

I was vegan and felt so awful I ended up having to eat red meat again! I literally couldn’t function. I suspect I was also low in B12.

I think for some people’s genetic make up veganism is very hard

Breakfast: vegan yoghurt with granola, porridge with coconut milk or toast with marmite.
Lunch: something like bean or tofu chill and brown rice, lentil soup or Humous veg and pitta.
Dinner curry, chilli, Thai curry, rissoto. I try to eat lots of veg, complex carbs and protein.

Have you tried Feroglobin iron supplements? Plus Vitamin C aids the absorption of iron. And research on the vegan society website. We eat loads of lentils and pulses and vegetables. I think dried apricots are good too.

Do you normally take a multivitamin?

I just eat anything and everything that's vegan tbh. So breakfast could be porridge, nut butter on toast scrambled tofu on toast or a smoothie. My main meals tend to be things like curries, salads, soups, pizza, sushi, stir fries, chillies, etc made with lots of veg, pulses and tofu. I snack on things like nuts, seeds, chickpeas, crisps, biscuits...

I've never been low in iron.

@EveryPlanetHasAYorkshire hi I take Galfer iron 305mg prescribed by the doctor last October, I also take vitamin D and vitamin C with Zinc, a probiotic too because I have awful digestive issues.
There is a lot of food I can't eat anymore because of digestive issues.
Breakfast for me is porridge,and coconut water
I don't eat lunch but usually have some dark dairy free chocolate or an Ella ball
Dinner would be chickpea sausages, green salad with hummus or green veg sometimes I would have ginger and carrot organic soup with soda bread
I add flaxseed, sunflower seeds, chia seeds to the porridge I also eat almonds and cashews for a snack or a green apple.
I also eat rice cakes occasionally or berries and have plant based milk like almond or coconut.
Really thought my iron would of gone up with prescription supplements and my diet so interested to see how others eat and if you're iron levels are ok.

Not vegan so can’t comment on diet. But I was on a higher level of iron supplement when I had anaemia so you could ask GP about increasing it? I had 210mg, three times a day.

The first thing that comes to my mind is that you are not eating enough.

I was reading something the other day, I can’t remember what, sorry, about how many digestive issues are due to people simply not eating enough. And when people eat more they tend to resolve. I wish I could remember where I read it :/

Why don’t you eat lunch? Maybe try that?

I take a multi vitamin each day. I try to include beans and pulses each day because they are good for iron.

What kind of digestive issues? Upset tummies or flatulence?

It sounds like you aren’t absorbing What you need from your diet (which sounds like it might be low in iron anyway).

I would ask for a coeliac test from the GP to rule it out. I would then consider non coeliac gluten sensitivity or even a stool test to rule out possible cause for your gastric discomfort.

I’ve been vegetarian for 25 years and have never been iron deficient, including through years as a blood donor.

When I went vego my mum insisted I see a dietician; it was an excellent idea as it helped me to transition and make sure I still had a healthy, balanced diet. I think you should do the same - an accredited dietician, not some random ‘nutritionist’. I don’t think you’re eating enough but you need expert advice.

Your HB is only a little bit low (I believe the normal range is 12-16 for women). And your ferritin seems fine.

I would try a different kind of iron supplement. Some are more digestible than others, plus I'd add in spatone at every meal. Everytime you take iron/spatone, take a vitamin C tablet too. A general multivitamin would be better than a few extra specific ones like the zinc and vitamin D (unless you are deficient).

I agree I think the problem is that you aren't eating enough. That will make you feel run down and mimic a lot of the symptoms of anaemia. You need protein and fat in your diet. Try adding coconut oil or coconut cream to your porridge. Or nut butter. Eat more raw nuts throughout the day, beans and lentils, chickpeas. A chickpea salad for lunch or make a stir fry. Can you eat tofu? Raw or marinated/smoked is good. Lots of green leafy veg sauteed in olive oil or coconut oil.

I'm not vegan but I was a vegetarian for 20 years. My iron was always on the upper end of the range, and actually HCPs used to be pleasantly surprised that I was vegetarian and had been for so long. I never used any supplements really, except when I was pregnant (and even then levels were good).

trixie these things are often highly individual both in relation to biochemistry and lifestyle factors.

My iron levels fell of a cliff when I was vegetarian. It just doesn’t suit me at all despite eating very well. It was a “random nutritionist” that turned my life back around.