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Food to boost dds energy and iron levels - gluten free

60 replies

Tirednest · 09/02/2023 08:21

She's 16, anaemic and being tested for coeliac disease. We've gone gluten free while waiting for results and this is definitely helping with her tummy issues. She's been taking ferrous sulphate from the gp for a few weeks now and feels more tired than ever 😢

We eat healthily but with not much red meat which dh and I think we may need to change. Her typical diet is
Porridge and fruit for breakfast sometimes Greek yogurt
School lunch - she gets a cooked lunch which can be hit and miss, ie yesterday was a roast which was great, but Monday was chicken katsu curry so she was given rice only as the chicken was in breadcrumbs 😐
Dinner - this week she's had a vegan beyond meat burger (using up what was in freezer) with gf bun and salad and a few chips
Gf pasta with sausage peas and cream
Homemsde Chicken curry with rice

Any advice for food or snacks to boost her iron and energy levels? She just looks tireder and paler than ever. She does a lot of sport and is very active but I'm secretly hoping she'll give that a rest in half term.

Thank you.

OP posts:
lupinlass · 09/02/2023 12:00

Please get her B12 checked, along with folate and ferritin. Join the Fb group Vitamin B12 wake up. It is eye opening!! Seriously, just have a look... :-)

Tirednest · 09/02/2023 12:03

Waynettaaa · 09/02/2023 11:58

Ah, it's good she's had the blood tests already. I thought you meant you were waiting for them. Be aware, you can get a false negative result. Good luck!

Thanks! She's had the blood test but we are waiting for the results. She had the blood test while she was eating gluten.

OP posts:
LunchBoxPolice · 09/02/2023 12:10

Be careful with liquid iron supplements, some of them have barley in them.

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AllTheWeatherAllTheTime · 09/02/2023 12:11

My toddler is anaemic too. If you can get hold of haggis relatively easily (obviously plentiful in Scottish supermarkets, including gluten-free versions but also available online), the organ meats are incredibly iron rich, and it makes a cracking substitute for mince in things like cottage pies, 'Bolognese' sauces. Chop it up into smallish bits, fry off after the onions as you would mince and it goes all melty and unctuous - my lot prefer it to mince now.

SteaknSalad · 09/02/2023 12:17

I have coeliacs disease and have really struggled with anaemia in the past, particularly as a teenager. What really helps me is to focus on iron-rich protein-rich meals, being very strict about avoiding gluten contamination, and taking a daily multi (which includes iron, vitamin C, and all the B vitamins, all of which are helpful for anaemia).

Examples of iron-rich, protein-rich foods: for breakfast I like tomato and spinach omelette, bacon egg and beans, or make-ahead egg breakfast “muffins”. It’s great to focus on having plenty of red meat for dinners, and doesn’t have to be as expensive as regularly eating steak - I like cottage/shepherds pie, beef stew, chilli con carne, Chinese beef stir fry, lamb meatball tagine, bolognaise, etc. Focusing on mince-based meals keeps the cost down. Just make sure she’s getting a good sized amount of the meat.

Right now your daughters diet as described is quite low in protein and very low in iron, so I’d really try to prioritise this. Bear in mind that plant sources of iron are far less absorbable than meat sources, especially for damaged guts.

If she does get diagnosed with celiac’s disease, you might want to consider using a doctors note to make the school allow her to take her own lunch. It doesn’t sound as if the school kitchen is particularly coeliac aware if they are only serving plain rice to the students who can’t eat gluten, and frankly I wouldn’t trust them not to contaminate the supposedly ‘gluten free’ items. (It’s easily done in a busy kitchen!) Every time a celiac consumes gluten, even small amounts from contamination, damage is done to the digestive tract. Repeated exposure to gluten contamination increases risk of various digestive system cancers, so this is really important to keep in mind.

I know other posters have mentioned oats. Roughly one in three coeliacs are sensitive to oats. This is because even gluten free oats contain the protein avenin, which is structurally very similar to gluten and can trigger an immune response for many coeliacs. I’d personally get rid of the oats, at least until her digestive system is fully healed. Then you can try to re-introduce certified gluten-free oats and see if she reacts to them. It’s important that they are certified, because regular oats contain gluten.

Probably the most important thing to bear in mind is that the damage gluten causes to coeliacs intestines can take months to fully heal. As such, if she does indeed have coeliacs disease, it could be a while until she is fully absorbing nutrients from her food, no matter what you do.

SteaknSalad · 09/02/2023 12:25

Also, I second the advice to take a good, high-strength vitamin D supplement. Deficiency in this causes tiredness and can mimic a lot of the symptoms of iron deficiency. It’s a very common deficiency in teenage girls (and is common in the uk population more broadly due to the lack of sunlight here).

Tirednest · 09/02/2023 12:28

SteaknSalad · 09/02/2023 12:25

Also, I second the advice to take a good, high-strength vitamin D supplement. Deficiency in this causes tiredness and can mimic a lot of the symptoms of iron deficiency. It’s a very common deficiency in teenage girls (and is common in the uk population more broadly due to the lack of sunlight here).

Yes we very surprised at lack of vitamin d as she does a lot of sport and is outside a lot.

I've bought the vitamin d spray and the b12 spray. Hopefully she'll actually use them as she's getting fed up with me "fussing" over her.

OP posts:
HumourReplacementTherapy · 09/02/2023 14:19

HumourReplacementTherapy · 09/02/2023 11:25

What stage are you at in the testing process for celiac disease?

That's why I asked. You shouldn't be cutting gluten. Blood tests are first stage and further tests if needed will be inconclusive unless you put gluten back into her diet.

Tirednest · 09/02/2023 14:21

HumourReplacementTherapy · 09/02/2023 14:19

That's why I asked. You shouldn't be cutting gluten. Blood tests are first stage and further tests if needed will be inconclusive unless you put gluten back into her diet.

Thanks, we'll wait and see what the results say

OP posts:
AffIt · 09/02/2023 14:27

Green leafy veg - spinach, kale, broccoli, sprouts etc. As a PP mentioned, seaweed is also good, either as a packet snack or as sushi (although it is rich in iodine and can interact with medications, so I'd check this out with a dietitian first).

Nuts and seeds are good sources of minerals, particularly selenium - walnuts and almonds are best. Overnight oats made with chia seeds and Greek yoghurt are nice.

Oily fish such as salmon, tuna and mackerel are good sources of protein and omega-3.

Eggs, cheese, full fat milk and yoghurt, avocados, berries.

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