I’ve watched my blood test result recently and Found out I should increase my level of iron. I heard that eating vitamin c can increase the absorption of the iron I eat. Does it creates that effect only when you eat vitamin c and iron in the same meal, or it’s enough to just add iron and vitamin c reach foods to my general nutrition without eating them in the same time? Thanks.
A question about iron and vitamin c
- Thread starter Ohad
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Lou
Forum Legend
I don't think you HAVE to eat them together. I think the advice is usually given to people who are supplementing iron. Take the iron pill with a glass of OJ.
The other advice I've heard is not to take your iron supplement within a couple of hours of a cup of coffee.
It could be a logical fallacy on my part but I'm thinking if coffee inhibits iron absorption for hours, then vitamin C would improve absorption for a couple of hours.
When I give blood they check my iron levels. I am almost always borderline anemic. increasing my iron intake with foods helps the most. Strangely, eating a bag of apricots during the week before the test helps a lot. I have taken a supplement and found that i can't stand more than about 50% of the RDA. if your stools turn black and become rock hard you are ingesting more iron than your body can absorb. I selected my multi with iron partially because it only has 33% of the RDA of iron.
A lot of good healthy vegan foods ARE high in iron. but the non-heme iron found in plant foods IS not as absorbable as heme iron. So the vitamin c and coffee timings are probably really important. If you monitor your iron intake with something like Cronometer you should probably shoot for a number over 100%.
The other advice I've heard is not to take your iron supplement within a couple of hours of a cup of coffee.
It could be a logical fallacy on my part but I'm thinking if coffee inhibits iron absorption for hours, then vitamin C would improve absorption for a couple of hours.
When I give blood they check my iron levels. I am almost always borderline anemic. increasing my iron intake with foods helps the most. Strangely, eating a bag of apricots during the week before the test helps a lot. I have taken a supplement and found that i can't stand more than about 50% of the RDA. if your stools turn black and become rock hard you are ingesting more iron than your body can absorb. I selected my multi with iron partially because it only has 33% of the RDA of iron.
A lot of good healthy vegan foods ARE high in iron. but the non-heme iron found in plant foods IS not as absorbable as heme iron. So the vitamin c and coffee timings are probably really important. If you monitor your iron intake with something like Cronometer you should probably shoot for a number over 100%.
Qwaychou
Forum Senior
I never knew that about coffee! Shoot! I have taken my iron supplement with my morning coffee for months! Dang!
They may also be referring to putting some lemon or lime or other citrus on greens and green vegetables. Even when I put broccoli on pasta or have brussels sprouts or salad greens or kale I always have lemon with it and in the case of cruciferous vegetables I also add a 1/4 teaspoon of Keene's mustard powder or equivalent. The citrus helps with the uptake of the greens' nutrients and the mustard helps with the phosphorofane.
Both habits are so simple and so tasty! I always keep a bottle of lemon juice and a small bottle of lime juice in the fridge as keeping fresh ones around is just too expensive.
Emma JC
Both habits are so simple and so tasty! I always keep a bottle of lemon juice and a small bottle of lime juice in the fridge as keeping fresh ones around is just too expensive.
Emma JC
Lou
Forum Legend
I know. I think I took all my supplements with breakfast for years and years.
Now I take them with dinner.
When I was younger BF was the only meal that I was Sure to eat at home. But then I got into the habit of eating BF on the way to work. Plus for a while, my multi had a lot of zinc and would make me sick on an empty stomach. So I couldn't take it when I got up. So I switched to after dinner. it's all moot now. My multi doesn't have much zinc in it. Plus I'm home for almost every meal. And don't drink coffee every day.
I gotta start doing that!
