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Dec 16, 2019

Anemia Without Supplements

Recently I was diagnosed with low iron anemia. The doctor didn't prescribe an iron supplement and just gave me a brochure while mentioning that more protein is a good idea. I would love to hear from any of you who have experience about your tips and tricks for getting enough iron while living in Japan.

helloalissa

helloalissa

Kanji and design nerd.

11 Answers



  • genkidesu

    on Dec 16

    Seafood is great for iron if you like it! The only seafood I really like is salmon, but we tend to have it about once a week since it's often cheaper in our local supermarket than most cuts of meat. One thing I haven't noticed here that I would back home is iron fortified foods...or foods fortified with other nutrients, for that matter. I felt like it was easy in Australia since even things like breads and breakfast cereals usually are fortified with things like iron, folate, etc...but I would be curious too if anyone knows about whether those things exist in Japan. It's highly possible that if they do I just haven't understood enough Japanese on the packaging to put two and two together.

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  • TonetoEdo

    on Dec 16

    @genkidesu Look for 鉄分 tetsubun iron on labels. I occasionally drink iron fortified yogurt I get at the combini. The brown rice I buy also says tetsubun on it.

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  • genkidesu

    on Dec 16

    @TonetoEdo ah! That's awesome! I figured it probably did exist somewhere, I just don't know so many words/kanji and if there's not a lot of context I wouldn't know where to start. Gonna look out for it next time I'm at the supermarket or convenience store.

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  • TonetoEdo

    on Dec 16

    Broccoli and egg salad is full of nutrients and provides iron. Hard boil and chop the eggs, steam or roast the broccoli, and toss with dressing. I like mine with mayo and a dash of curry powder. Chingensai has iron, too. If you crave crunchy stuff, try dried fish and almonds. Nuts have a lot of iron.

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  • KamaT

    on Dec 17

    I had a routine blood test earlier this year which revealed my hemoglobin count to be right at the lowest end of average so I decided to make a bit more of an effort to increase my iron intake. Thus far though it has only gone as far as a couple of cartons a week of Tropicana’s “Essentials” iron (鉄分) drink - mango blend. http://www.k-tropicana.com/sp/products/essentials1.html Yet to confirm if this has made a difference or not.

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  • helloalissa

    on Dec 18

    @genkidesu I'm with you on the salmon! Trying to eat more fish and seafood as I'm not a huge meat eater. We don't eat bread or cereals much, but they are fortified usually. I'm not sure if that's the best route though - naturally from foods seems healthier.

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  • helloalissa

    on Dec 18

    @TonetoEdo We eat eggs and nuts a lot. Didn't think about chingensai, but we do eat that a lot when it's in season. Hopefully when the green leafies are more plentiful that will help get my levels back to normal, but not sure if that's enough.

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  • helloalissa

    on Dec 18

    @Tomuu I have tried this! I didn't notice anything short term but am guessing it's along the same lines as getting a multivitamin. You might be okay on iron and lacking more B vitamins, folate, etc. depending on your blood work.

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  • Eli

    on Jan 10

    Liver contains a lot of iron. I always order some when eating Yakiniku or Yakitori.

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  • Kate

    on Feb 26

    When o has low iron I was told that edamame seems a great food to boost you iron levels

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  • Kobakko

    on Mar 3

    Make sure you also take vitamin c with your food and don't have coffee or green tea with your food. Caffeine hinders the iron reception. A friend of mine had the same trouble and he got better by delaying his coffee for 30 minutes after his meals.

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