I also know that eating a rich source of vitamin C with meals with increase your iron, especially with non-meat sources, by making the iron more bio-available, so that you get more per meal.
Good sources are certain vegetables, but I relied on things like colored red bell peppers like a salad, and I still rely on citrus. You can have an orange with your meal, or, I like a glass of lemonade which I squeeze fresh to make a glassful. Orange juice, strawberries, etc. are also good.
Basically, if the iron that you are eating is non-heme, which is to say, vegetable source like broccoli or beans, the vitamin C even more important for absorption, though, because of my extreme anemia, I include it with meat sources, as well.
Also, and understand that I really don't like molasses, I used to drink a cuppa' each day, and do 3 days a week still. My 'cuppa' is simply boiled water in a tea cup with a 1/2 - 1 spoon of blackstrap molasses stirred in.
It needs to be blackstrap, and I use the unsulphured. Because I don't really like it, I eat something with it like a mini or regular sized muffin. That gets it down.
The way that I see it, no one thing is a solution, but a little of this - eating buffalo/beef, blackstrap, seeds and nuts, etc. and a little of that - cooking in cast iron, and including vitamin C containing foods with meals with iron in them, help.
Some foods help themselves. For example, broccoli contains both non-heme iron, and vitamin C. Voila!
Some foods higher in iron than others, aside from red meat, include:
Fortified hot and cold cereals,
Various legumes such as beans, peas, and lentils,
Real dark chocolate,
Large eggs for various reasons,
Various fish and meats,
Some dried fruits,
Cashews, pistachios, almonds, etc.
Pumpkin, hemp, and sesame seeds,
Vegetables such as broccoli, collards, and greens, potatoes, other brassicas, and tomato paste, etc.
I have found that, over the years, meat is something I can't skip. Also, the darned blackstrap makes a big difference. But, the variety of other foods containing iron do add up.
I hope that she feels better soon, it's not pleasant, nor healthy, having iron that low.
That sounds like a good idea for Dh! Lol the girls!
Thank you!
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