Iron intake for a female vegan athlete

Question
Hi Tanya,
I have recently had blood tests which revealed I was low in several areas.  S Ferritin 17, S TRF 4.2, haemoglobin 119, B12 144.

I am a vegan but I do eat very well and take a diary to monitor my iron, protein intake closely.  I also  try to avoid the iron inhibitors.  I was taking vitamin C and a multi everyday prior to the blood test and am now taking iron supplements prescribed by a naturopath and had a once off b12 injection.

Just before I was diagnosed, I was taking part in a fair bit of training, specifically per week: 3 x 1 hr of intense bootcamp, 2 x 1 hr kickboxing, 2 x 2hr ashtanga yoga, 1 x 1hr running session.

I realise the logical side of things would be to say that I am low in iron because I trained so hard and am vegan, but I really need to know how I increase my iron levels and maintain them whilst training, and eating meat is not an option.  I have also heard that a vegan athlete should have an intake of 3 times the normal amount of iron just to keep up with a meat eater.  Is this correct?

Can you please shed some light on how much iron/b12 I should be getting per day for that kind of active training?  Also, perhaps some examples of a daily meal plan? or foods I can take that will increase my iron dramatically.

Thank you so much in advance for helping me with this.  I have been so run down/ill of late that I have had to stop training.  I will do anything to get back out there...except kill a cow ; )

Cheers,
Nicole.

Answer
Nicole,

You are right, being a female, an athlete, and a vegan is a pressing task iron-wise. Here are a few practical tips to consider:

- Avoid caffein, and calcium and zinc supplements since they decrease iron absorption.

- Eat more citrus fruits and sour green apples since they increase the absorption.

- Plant foods rich in absorbable iron are nuts, pomegranates and pomegranate juice, legumes, buckwheat, black olives, and iron-fortified cereals.

- Use cast iron skillet for cooking vegetables

Read also:

Food Sources of Iron
http://atkinszone.com/recipes/2008/09/food-sources-of-iron.html

Absorption of heme iron versus non-heme iron
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Nutrition-Dieting-939/2008/9/Absorption-heme-iron-ver...


Tanya Zilberter

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