To think this should be more widely talked about

[RobotValkyrie]

I stumbled on a news article about the Lancet EAT diet: some attempt to devise a sustainable diet for the whole world.
This article included an interesting criticism: that the proposed diet did not meet recommended amounts of certain nutrients.
In particular, it would only meet about 50% of the RDA of iron for women and girls of child-bearing age.

This got me wondering: just how different are men and women needs, when it comes to iron?
A quick Google tells me women (from puberty till menopause) need more than twice as much iron than men. This is obviously linked to menstruation (and pregnancy, and childbirth, which can all cause anemia). But I had no idea the difference was so stark.
This means that any dietary advice to substitute meat for plant-based alternatives (where available iron is much lower) is much more likely to result in adverse health effect in women, than in men. One size does not fit all. Women are extremely likely to need supplements (or suffer from anemia), compared to men.

I've never heard anyone advocating a plant-based diet acknowledge that difference. I have in fact been lectured by (male) vegetarians on how "people" really don't need that much iron at all. But the reality is that many women (and not just vegan/vegetarian ones) in developed countries such as the UK actually suffer from iron deficiency (whether they realise it or not. I only discovered I was anemic while pregnant because of a routine blood test)

YABU: everybody knows that and/or it really doesn't matter

YANBU: the fact women need more iron in their diet than men should be talked about (at the GP, at school), and considered whenever advocating dietary changes (be they for an individual, or for the whole population)

And calcium.

Morning starling, you lost me at the word 'lecture'

If I can get my iron and other nutrients from a supplement instead of a dead animal, I'm going to do that.

Interesting, thanks OP.

Really strongly suggest you read Invisible Women (if you haven't already! ) for hundreds of more examples of where male bodies and priorities are the "default" and women are the exceptions.

I have suffered from low iron for most of my life even though I eat meat. In the past it was because of extremely heavy periods and shortly after I had an a hysterectomy because of fibroids I became diabetic and was given metformin which severely limits absorption of iron and b12.

There are different reasons for lack of iron but I have been advised to not eat just a vegetarian diet because even having iron supplements would not be enough for my needs.