Too much meat = iron deficiency?!
Too much meat = iron deficiency?
Hi everyone,
I'm trying to find facts and information relating to over-consumption, or even simply consumption of meats and iron deficiencies.
It's a common concern (and approach of attack!) that many omnivorous people hold, of the body not having sufficient iron on a veg*an diet.
However - in my meat eating days where I would consume red meat often twice a day, I was diagnosed with an iron deficiency! Now vegan (two years), I have had two blood tests which show I am in the best health I have ever been in, with nutrient levels meeting and exceeding the optimum mark.
Thoughts?
Answers:
I think that is great!my health really improved after becoming vegan.
To each their own! Everyone's body chemistry is different. I have have a friend who is vegetarian who is on prescribed iron pills (the one's in the shops aren't strong enough) as she has a dangerously low level of iron.
I am not vegetarian, yet I am also taking iron tablets for an iron deficiency. It really depends on one's own body chemistry. Diet can make a difference, but it's not always the defining point.
I've read that in some people, eating dairy can cause very minor intestinal bleeding. It's not enough to cause much digestive disruption, but it is enough to leech iron out of your system. This same study showed that while vegetarians had the same risk of iron deficiency as omnivores, vegans had less. If I find the source, I'll send it to you.
I'm happy for you. Perhaps if you consult something like the USDA nutrient database (http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/se... you can account for where the extra iron might be coming from. See also http://www.nutritiondata.com/ for some good comparative nutrition info.
Maybe the entire diet or mix of foods you were eating before was crap and now that you're paying attention to such things you're in generally better health? Nutrition is a complex subject, but I know that some nutrients are better absorbed in the presence or absence of others and/or other dietary items or eating habits.