Suffering from iron deficiency - ex-Tea Addict

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussion' started by JWK, Jul 11, 2013.

  1. JWK

    JWK Gardener Staff Member

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    I went to give my 55th pint of blood on Monday, but got turned away for the first time. I've got a low haemoglobin count, apparently it can happen if you regularly donate and don't have the right diet. Recently they have allowed men to give every 4 months (it used to be 6) so I probably don't have enough time in-between to replenish my iron stores.

    It's nothing to worry about medically, my result was 134 g/l and the cut off is 135, so I'm not aneamic, it just prevents me donating.

    I've been given a leaflet of things to eat to boost my iron stores. This is what I have learnt: the best source of iron is red meat which I hardly ever have, other things I eat in abundance like cereals & veggies but these are more difficult to adsorb. Drinking tea at the same time blocks the body's ability to adsorb iron.

    So I'm giving up tea at mealtimes, it's tough :) yesterday I only had three mugs. Mrs JWK is cooking me roast beef this weekend and I have requested fried liver another night - this might make up for the lack of tea!

    Also I have to change my GC status to ex-Tea addict :coffee:
     
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    • clueless1

      clueless1 member... yep, that's what I am:)

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      That's very useful info. I regularly show symptoms of slight iron deficiency. Lethargy, headaches, moods etc. I drink gallons of tea.

      Maybe I too need to cut down.
       
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      • Ellen

        Ellen Total Gardener

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        I also had no idea about tea blocking iron absorption!
         
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        • JWK

          JWK Gardener Staff Member

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          Me too until Monday! You ladies are already at a disadvantage, going by what I've read your iron stores are normally lower than men's anyway.

          I'm going to have to find another avatar now as well :)
           
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          • Ellen

            Ellen Total Gardener

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            True that :(

            What about decaff? Is it the caffeine that's the problem, or something else in the tea?
             
          • JWK

            JWK Gardener Staff Member

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            I don't really know, the leaflet doesn't mention coffee, I only drink tea and I'm only finding out stuff on the web by googling. I think one web site said the problem with tea is the tannins which I think you don't get in coffee?
             
          • Ellen

            Ellen Total Gardener

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            Ah yes, no tannin in coffee. So decaff wouldn't work then :(
             
          • JWK

            JWK Gardener Staff Member

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            No I don't think decaff makes any difference. I have been trying to find out more and Wikipedia threw this up:

            So coffee is bad :(

            Also I hadn't clicked milk was just as bad, I have that with my cereal in the morning. At this rate I'm going to be on a beef and water diet!
             
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            • clueless1

              clueless1 member... yep, that's what I am:)

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              Nooooo. I drink gallons of milk too.
               
            • JWK

              JWK Gardener Staff Member

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              It might be worth cutting down for a week or two to see if it helps.


              Sorry!
               
            • clueless1

              clueless1 member... yep, that's what I am:)

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              Its ok, I found an article that says everything in world blocks iron absorption (except no mention of meat so that's probably ok). So by 3/4 of the way down the page, I'd decided that I would just go and live in the woods and become a wild animal, eating the occasional raw cow before vanishing into the night, but then towards the bottom of the page it mentioned vitamin C. Vitamin C helps the body to absorb iron, so by ensuring you get plenty of vitamin C, your body will do a better job of extracting iron from your food.

              http://www.naturalnews.com/033078_anemia_iron.html

              I've decided that eating a bit more citrus fruit and green leafy veg is probably favourable compared to eating raw cows.
               
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              • Ellen

                Ellen Total Gardener

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                They say eating dark chocolate (the darker the better) with a glass of non-concentrate orange juice is a winner; iron in the chocolate, vitamin c in the juice. Sounds good to me! :)
                 
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                • clueless1

                  clueless1 member... yep, that's what I am:)

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                  But the tannin in the chocolate blocks the iron:ouch1:
                   
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                  • Ellen

                    Ellen Total Gardener

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                    Nooooo! :( life isn't fair :(
                     
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                    • Jiffy

                      Jiffy The Match is on Fire

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                      JWK
                      What about the tea and bic's at the end of giving blood
                       
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