low iron- nice recipes to boost.

[MrsBartlettforthewin]

My midwife has given me iron tablets as I had very low blood pressure today (24 week check) and I'm pasty, get dizzy easily etc. but was wondering if anyone could suggest some nice recipes that would boast my iron levels as last time round the iron tablets made me rather.. um.. constipated

Spinach and feta pie, Google the Jamie Oliver version.

And if the tablets make you constipated request the liquid formulation from your GP, I have been on it for 6 months now and it's great.

Thanks acquiescence will look into both of those.

Get Spatone ( think you can get it on prescription) and eat what you like! Much more bioavailable than iron tablets and won't bung you up.

Cashew nuts have more iron in them per gram then beef

Really rufus ? I love cashew nuts they are going on the shopping list. Will also look into Spatone thanksvery

agree with others, diet will not cut it.
try if the liquid iron agrees better with you. if not gp can prescribe tablets that only dissolve in the intestine and have fewer side effects.

another recommendation for spartone here. its fab

Spatone sachets, for recipe lentil dahl with spinach in is lovely

The apple flavoured Spatone sachets are much easier to take than the original flavour. The original ones made me shudder!

Vegetable sources of Iron have a low bioavailability, so you need to eat more than you think to get what you need. There are tables if you google iron bioavailability foods and similar terms.

The most readily absorbed iron is that which has already been absorbed from plants and turned into meat, the animal has done all the hard work for you! So unless you are veggie, good quality red meat and liver have the highest levels and lots of other important nutrients too.

Lots of iron tablets are rubbish formulations with low bioavailability (they tend to be the ones that cause constipation), again, a bit of googling will tell you the best brands to go for).

thanks everyone - will look up those tables Foggy not veggie so that won't be a problem and also the Spatone sachets.

black pudding must have plenty of iron i'd imagine....and it's nice turned into a pasta sauce :)