Meat and Iron levels?

[LiteraryGoat]

How much meat, in general, per week do you think is enough to keep iron stores healthy?
Once, twice? Or every day?
What can I get away with if I don't like meat?

I googled this and there's a lot of contradictory info, not to mention indecipherable recommendations via NHS (says a woman should have 18mg per day but even a chicken breast only contains 1.6g).

Sorry, miss-printed that, chicken is 1.6mg, if i recall correctly.

You don't need any meat to have good iron. I recently moved from being a vegetarian of many years to being a vegan and since making the switch my iron levels have shot up! I give blood and they test iron levels each time and my iron levels are excellent.

You don't need to eat meat at all.

I only eat meat a few days a week (maybe 3 days for dinner) and my iron is great. I was a vegetarian for 20 years and it was great then too. Even when I was pregnant.

If your iron is low, it’s likely much more to do with how well your body stores and handles iron than what’s in your diet, meaning you probably need a supplement.

Haven't eaten meat in 30 years and don't seem short on iron.

Not everyone is the same though, I really struggle healthwise if I don't eat meat and use supplements. Its not because I dont like veggies either, because I do love kale, broccoli, spinach and most veggies, will happily eat vegan or vegetarian at meals. I just can't go full veggie 100% of the time because my health does start to suffer. I tried veganuary once and felt awful by the end of it. I eat one meat based meal most days to keep feeling healthy.

Thanks!
Ive never had low iron, and no longer menstruate, but when eating only fish I did seem to have less energy and eventually went back to poultry and ham.

I think what I read online confused me, that if a woman needs 12-18mg per day, how the heck is she getting that? Even 3 chicken breasts per day would only come to less than 4mg. Surely the literature is either wrong or I'm reading it incorrectly.

I would love to be veggie as I don't even like meat or fish, but most vegetarian women I have known needed iron tablets or had low iron. I understand everyone reacts differently though.

Red meat is higher in iron.

I prefer to supplement. I am always low on iron regardless of diet.

I take a Spatone sachet everyday.

Have a Google at what foods contain the most amount of iron. Everyone is different. I’ve always been ok as vegetarian apart from late in pregnancy when I was eating rubbish and well pregnant! 50% of pregnant women have low iron even meat eaters.

But red meat has the most if you just want a quick fix that way.

its also how your absorb is - vit c increase absorption and caffeine reduces it, you need to look at whole diet not just meat (or not)

Haven't eaten meat for years, told have excellent iron levels whenever I give blood.
I do take a multivitamin/minerals but also eat non-meat food rich in iron (beans, nuts etc.)

I think it must vary from person to person, as my mum has been a vegetarian for almost 40 years and has never been anaemic even whilst pregnant. She doesn't even eat a lot of fruit. Meanwhile I have meat regularly (only white meat though), lots of fruit, dairy, quite a varied diet and yet I am low on iron.

I have been vegetarian on and off for around 20 years but I can honestly say I don't think I ever could be again.

I'd say I've always had an 80/20 fantastic diet in terms of eating lots of vegetables and a range of food. Prioritise organic where possible etc, but I just look so different as a meat eater. I didn't clock it for ages but the last time I went back to eating meat people thought I'd been on holiday. I have so much more energy and my skin glows - or perhaps it just doesn't look pale and off.

It's been proven that different people need different diets to thrive but as much as I'd actually prefer to be vegetarian I feel that high welfare, organic meat and a place in my diet.

The good news is, I don't think you need that much. I use bone broths in my curries and sauces to hide it.

If you're worried about iron, try spatone with orange juice first thing and then don't have anything for a while. The vitamin c in the orange will help your body absorb the iron, as will the empty stomach.

If you want to try eating meat again just go with once a week or twice. There's other nutrients and amino acids that could be having a beneficial effect beyond iron.

@wispadelight if thats true then why are my iron levels so high? I haven't eaten any red meat in over 24 years,

I actually crave meat when I'm low. Specifically a medium rare burger

My levels are slightly low, I have a pretty varied diet and eat red meat twice a week but have endo with horrendous periods and also take an iron supplement

OP I think what you can take from the replies so far is that you’re not going to get a straight answer here! Everyone is different and there are a lot of different factors in play (e.g., menstruation, other vitamins, genetics).

Chicken, however, is pretty low in iron. It’s the red meats, dark green vegetable and pulses that you need.

I’m an ex-veggie who is prone to anaemia. I make sure to eat a decent portion of higher welfare red meat every 2 weeks or so, minimum. So, a Friday night steak or beef stir fry, or a proper butcher’s beef casserole at the weekend. Or a spag Bol with mince and extra lentils and vegetables, so the meatiness is less intense. I personally prioritise eating one piece of red meat once a week over chicken twice a week. But that’s also because I don't like to buy cheap chicken and it’s just less nutrients per gram… I’d rather eat veggie. Everyone has their own balance of health, taste, financial and ethical reasons, it’s not one size fits all :-)

True, there is no straight answer to this!
Thanks everyone for your advice.

I would like to do something @booksandbrooks suggests - hiding it, lol.

I prefer organic but it is difficult to source locally, I am semi rural and not one bloody farm shop.
Tesco used to stock organic chicken then it suddenly stopped, and the free range is a weird patchy, unpleasant orange colour. Is this something they coat it with?