Went to the Doctors....

I always thought I ate all the right things, but recently have become more and more tired. Went to the doctors a while ago and discovered to my amazement that I have anaemia! bugger! any suggestions as to how I can rebuild my iron levels and keep em going? I can't take supplements cos I aways forget!

Sorry to hear about that. I had the same thing earlier in the year. First of all, did your doctor do a comprehensive test (not just iron, but blood feritin, B12, and all the rest)? What suggestions did s/he give? If it is just iron that you need, and not B12, then I'm afraid that a supplement is the best way. No excuses here - put it out the night before next to your bed with a glass of water and take it first thing in the morning if that's what it takes! The best ones are the 200mg ones from Boots (you have to ask for it at the prescriptions area). Take three a day for a month, then one a day after that.

Alternately, red meat does the trick, as does veggies such as spinach. Eggs too. Beans, esp. chick peas, have good iron content. Also, you might like to check out a fortified cereal (bran flakes usually have the best iron content) - probably the easiest solution for you, if you really don't want to take the supplements.

Mangos and chocolate are also supposed to have lots of iron in .....

The doc said that I should eat more red meat (as I haven't for about 1 month!)

As for hardcore blood tests... I just gave him what he needed! I'll find out in a few days with any luck?!

I've heard that iron supplements on their own are useless... Must have with vitamins!

How anaemic are you, Jon? It takes more than a month of not eating red meat to give you iron-deficiency anaemia.

If you're putting in a lot of miles, especially on the road, that might be contributing because pounding the pavements breaks up red blood cells and iron is lost in sweat. If there's really no reason for it, your diet is otherwise good, and especially if your blood count doesn't improve over the next 6-8 weeks, I'd start to wonder if there was an underlying medical problem (but usually there isn't).

You don't need to take vitamins with iron supplements, and you certainly don't need fancy combination products. Iron is absorbed better with vitamin C, but if you're getting your 5+ portions of fruit and veg a day that shouldn't be a problem.

For most people (apart from heavy-training distance runners!), it's quite easy to remain in iron balance on a good mixed diet, but it's difficult to take in enough iron from your food to make up for an established deficiency. It would be worth taking a supplement of ferrous sulphate or ferrous fumarate (not the ferrous carbonate which is sold over the counter - it isn't absorbed very well) even if you only take one tablet a day.

When I say I haven't had red meat for a month... That means I had it once on holiday!

I tend to eat fish/vegetarianish diet rather than red meat... Out of convienience and laziness rather than any moral attitudes!

vits aren't a problem. I eat loads of F&V.

Ta