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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
on Dec 18
-
on Jan 10
-
on Feb 26
-
on Mar 3
11 Answers