Why did I never get low iron?

[SingingKettles]

I was vegetarian for 30 years and never gave it any thought. As I got older I noticed many women saying they had to supplement of return to eating meat due to low iron. I am curious why I never experienced this, so is it an individual thing or was I an anomaly?
Checking the advice via NHS I see that I was probably getting very low iron over those years and rarely ate lentils, etc. All blood tests were fine and I never had symptoms, etc.

I did have very light periods, if that has any link?
I now eat fish so it isn't too much of a thing for me, and I no longer have periods! But I am curious as to how it works as many threads here mention experiencing it without red meat.

I was vegetarian as a child and have now been vegan for many years. I’ve never been iron deficient as far as I know. I was tested in my pregnancies and a few other times when having bloods done, including when I was part of a study on veganism. I have quite heavy periods. I do have a good diet though and presume I just absorb iron well from food. A friend of mine who has always eaten meat and has a varied, good diet but is often borderline for anaemia and was anaemic in pregnancy.

Iron is in absolutely loads of things not just meat
think it’s genetic as well

I think different people have very different abilities to absorb and store iron from foods

I’m the opposite - I have perpetually low iron despite eating plenty of meat, dairy, greens etc and despite barely having periods (as I run the Pill back to back for other reasons). It’s a mystery and very annoying! You’re lucky.

I've only ever been anaemic after childbirth. However I have been very very low in ferratin which is a separate blood test. Did you have that checked at all?

I was a vegetarian for 20 years (even now, I only eat meat for maybe 4 meals in a given week). I had really good iron levels in my pregnancies, even the midwives remarked on it. At a point, my transferrin saturation was quite high (this is a measure of how iron binds to the protein that carries it in the body). It turns out that I don’t have haemochromatosis, but I am a carrier for it (I have one but not both of the gene mutations, it’s more complicated that that, but in really simple terms).

The doctor assumed that that could be the reason why my iron has always been so good. I’m just a little more prone to carrying more iron that the average person, but not in such a way that I actually have haemochromatosis. It’s not dangerous to me in any way. It’s just one of those things. I do need to have my children tested as young adults though in case they’ve inherited the other gene from Dh.

I (meat eater) regularly get turned away from giving blood for low iron unless I take a supplement. I have a really healthy and varied diet. Just one of those things?

Light periods wil most likely be a factor.

Light or no periods would make a massive difference. As would the quality of your diet.

I was vegetarian as a student and my diet was well, typical of a student. Crap diet plus heavy periods = anaemia.

Metabolism and physiology are startlingly different between individuals. You got a good roll of the genetic dice, enjoy it!