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Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Iron Levels

Tastefully Simple Giveaway Here-
Winner will be announced Friday. 
So, after I talked with my Dr's office on Tuesday,
 I received a letter from them on Saturday saying my hemoglobin levels are low,
thus resulting in an iron deficiency, which could cause potential anemia.
I spoke with them on Monday and they said my levels are at 35,
which is right on the border.
They just want me to be all pumped up for delivery.
{whoa, this is really happening soon folks!!}
So what do low levels mean?
 google images
This is not good for anyone, but especially not for pregnant women!
I've been feeling a bit tired,
but what pregnant woman doesn't feel tired 7+ months in??
I really don't want to take more pills,
so I naturally turned towards foods.
Plus I heard the pills make it harder to poo, 
which is already an issue for most pregos! 
My first response is to always talk to my acupuncturist.
She said these are best:
  • Spinach every day
  • Egg yolk {organic obvi}
  • lentils
  • artichokes
  • raisins
I found this list to be helpful:
 and
google images
**Anyone else see that turkey above and begin dreaming about Thanksgiving?
No?
Just me?
Okay...
 I'm currently sipping on a glass of organic prune juice.
It's not the best thing I've ever had,
but certainly not the worst either.
I'm going to be adding spinach to a daily smoothie
[I think I'll use the prune juice that way too, I don't think I can drink this plain daily!]
According to www.whattoexpect.com
Iron Absorption Enhancers
  • Meat, fish, or poultry
  • Fruits: Orange, Orange Juice, cantaloupe, strawberries, grapefruit and other Vitamin-C rich fruits
  • Vegetables: Broccoli, brussels sprouts, tomato, tomato juice, potato, green & red peppers
  • White wine
Well, that makes a lot of sense, since most of those are horrible 
heartburn triggers and I've been avoiding them like crazy!!
I need to eat more meat too.
I cut back with cooking it so much, as I felt it bothered Joe's crohn's.
Well, I guess I have to amp it up a little more.
Besides, we have a fresh supply of venison in our freezer just waiting to be cooked.
Sorry, but my man's a hunter and I love to cook his game!
Of course, I also turned to Dr. Oz and his opinions,
which can be found here...
Dr. Oz Daily Dose: Iron
Have any of you experienced low iron levels?
Any good spinach smoothie recipes I must try?
I know I eat fairly healthy,
but, it's just one more thing to be mindful of,
as I carry this sweet baby girl.
I also find it interesting, if perhaps even non-preggars people
find themselves feeling any of those symptoms, do you take a look at your diet first?
Or do you just pop a pill to alleviate...
Thoughts to ponder on this
 Happy Hump Day!

10 comments:

  1. I had low iron at one point in college. I was absolutely exhausted all the time. I don't eat meat so I had to eat a lot of spinach and nuts. I also ate a lot of rice. It definitely made a difference!

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  2. Make sure you don't take calcium or drink/eat dairy when you are getting your iron on. Calcium hinders iron absorption (no yogurt in the smoothie).

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  3. I always try to look at my diet first anytime I'm feeling exhausted, sick, etc. I haaaaate taking pills and try to avoid it!

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  4. My husband recently made these deer steak rollup things out of the back strap and I thought I would share the recipe:
    He soaked two back straps in Dale's seasoning for three hours, filleted the back strap in half (didn't cut all the way through) so they would be thinner and longer then cut them into 4 inch sections and tenderized the meat. He then picked off a piece of cream cheese and a jalapeno, put them into the middle, rolled them up, then rolled a piece of bacon around that and stuck them with a toothpick. He then put them on the grill for about 20 min. OH MY GOODNESS they tasted so delicious! They tasted better than steak (and that's hard for me to say because we are cattle farmers).

    Good luck with your iron levels!

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  5. You are making me feel AWFUL. I haven't been eating well AT ALL. considering I can only keep certain things down! LOL I hope you start to feel better and I'm with you on the meds. My doctor wants me to take Zofran because I've been getting so sick but I hate medicine PERIOD especially while I'm pregnant..and although I'm not really dreaming about Turkey so much as the pies and the actual Holiday itself I'm right there with you about Thanksgiving;)

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  6. I'm anemic and have been for as long as I can remember and I totally just take the pill lol

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  7. I was told that I was iron deficient during my pregnancy as well. I got a prescription for iron pills and didn't have any side effects! Good luck! :)

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  8. Thanks for your comment! I think I fixed being a 'no-reply blogger'...hopefully! I still don't know all the ins and outs of blogging. :)
    I hope you enjoy the oatmeal, I usually just eat mine with a little butter and brown sugar, but adding raisins would probably be a good addition as they are high in iron...I'm not a huge fan of raisins though!
    I have never had liver either, but my husband has gotten it before at Wal-Mart, but I refused to eat any...there's just something about eating liver that I don't think I can do. :)
    I know the feeling of trying to get all the good nutrition while pregnant without having all kinds of side effects, but it is definitely worth it, and it's amazing how you can forget so much of the whole pregnancy when you get to hold your little baby! :)
    You look great though, so just continue eating healthy!

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  9. Oooh man! I have low iron problems myself. I was constantly craving red meat, but now I take a women's multivitamin in the morning with iron, and I feel MUCH better. My grandma had a problem with low iron, too, and she swore by her iron pills in the AM! Haha

    Thanks for all of these tips, Jenn! Enjoy all of that spinach :)

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