anemia

One of my friends who is vegetarian told me the other day that she is anemic. I hear about that stuff all the time! People go vegetarian, then say they got anemic or sick, and stop. Are they just eating extremely poorly or what? It's almost EXPECTED that vegetarians are anemic. Example: A few years ago my mom thought that because I was pale and vegetarian, I was anemic, and made me get my blood drawn. Turns out, nothing was wrong with me at all! Of course, maybe my friend really is eating poorly, but I haven't known her for long, so I don't know. My two longest-known girl friends are also vegetarian, and the three of us have been perfectly healthy for the 3 1/2 years we've been this way(all three of us decided to stop eating meat around the same time). Any advice I could give my new friend? I'm a little tired of people who try to go veg and don't have a clue about what they're doing... it's making vegetarianism look bad, IMO. What do you all think? Thanks!
~Nova

well if you're just eating junk.. it can happen.

i was anemic when i was a meat eater..

LEAFY GREEN VEGETABLES! your body absorbs iron better from them than meat anyways.

i've been vegetarian for the past year and two nights ago my mom said i look pale and anemic, and then a couple ppl at work said i looked sick... i haven't been to the doctor but i realized i most likely have not been eating enough iron as a woman (we're supposed to get more because of periods and other things) anyway, i had been contemplating eating fish again for months, so i decided to go with it.... i ate some today, and knowing all the nutrients that are in fish makes me feel better mentally, plus i love the taste. nothing else'll change (i don't eat gelatin, pectin, rennet, or any other meat or broth or by-product of animal death except the fish.)

anyway, it is possible to get anemia, and i dont' think it's JUST from eating junk. i'd seriously suggest taking a multi-vitamin that contains iron, as a woman and a vegetarian. of course, this isn't a great substitute for getting it from the actual source, but it's good if you need the supplement. tell your friend she needs to eat primarily vegetables and whole grains, and definitely definitely eat lots of green leafy veggies. (spinach, greens, NOT iceberg lettuce) and to avoid nutrientless foods like white bread and rice, celery, any kind of junk food, etc etc (what i'm saying it choose more nutritious stuff over these if possible)... and definitely to eat a variety of food. it is possible to be healthy and vegetarian, you just have to be a more careful.

There is no greater incidence of anemia among vegetarians than in the population as a whole. Eat more leafy greens, eat citrus when eating iron rich foods to increase obsorption, and cook meals, especially meals containing tomato, in a cast iron skillet.

I'm Vegan, and my iron levels are normal. I regularly give blood, and the only time I've gotten a deferral was when I was on my period.

tigerlily: what exactly is pectin? you said it's from animal by-products
But when i looked it up, i found that it's made from plant materials ("Pectin is a heterosaccharide derived from the cell wall of plants.")
I'm just curious because i've never heard of it before.

I'm also vegan, and my iron levels are quite normal as well. I know it's already been said like thrice, but just eat leafy green vegetables.

Originally Posted by 3littlebirds

tigerlily: what exactly is pectin? you said it's from animal by-products
But when i looked it up, i found that it's made from plant materials ("Pectin is a heterosaccharide derived from the cell wall of plants.")
I'm just curious because i've never heard of it before.

well... i was told a while back from a reliable source that pectin is like gelatin. it's a preservative from cow bones.. it's in jellies mostly, but a lot of jellies have fruit pectin in them which does come from plants... however i decided to look it up just now after reading your post and it looks like the person was wrong, so yay, i don't have to worry about it anymore

haha thanks for asking i will no longer take anything at face value but research everything.

be careful about statements, young tigerlilly!
And I don't think fish is a great iron source.
If you WANT to eat it, go ahead, but not for iron.


whole foods, including (all together now) green leafy veggies and a reduction of sugar (not elimination, but to free up calories for whole foods) will help a lot, as will getting Vit C with your iron source (helps in absortption, scientists think)

hey,after becoming vegetarian, I feel better than ever, I've got a great metabolism!

eat loads of green veg like spinach (sp) kale etc. eat loads and it should return bck or failing that iron tablets or maybe a high iron drink!!