Iron___

If I was playing a game where you had to fill in the blank, the first word that comes to my mind when it starts with iron is Ironman. Then I would probably say Iron Chef, then Iron Maiden, maybe Iron Cross or iron mountain.

Today, I learned that I am iron deficient, just slightly - BOO! I went to donate blood and part of the screening process is measuring your hemoglobin* to determine if you have enough to spare through blood donation. It is not the first time that I have seen that result when I donate blood, but it has been over 20 years since I did not have high enough levels to donate. That was during college when it was questionable whether the mess hall served actual meat products. Low iron levels could explain why I am a bit tired and why I have felt a bit scatter-brained and 'out of sorts'. It would be great if I could have even more energy than I have now!!

Why is this a topic for my blog?
I am surprised that my hemoglobin was low considering the foods that I have been eating during the Whole30 program. A majority of my protein comes from red meat (a LOT more red meat than I typically consume), chicken, and turkey, all great sources of iron. I got a pamphlet from the Blood Donation center and it lists the above sources of protein as the "best thing" along with clams, crab, halibut, oysters, pork loin, shrimp and tuna.
The surprising 'tip' was what the pamphlet noted to avoid because they are iron blockers: antacids, calcium supplements, coffee. tea, bran or high fiber, and milk & eggs. Of this list, I consume both coffee and eggs - lots and lots of eggs (hard-boiled, scrambled, omelettes, occasionally raw).

next step - focus on tracking my protein (iron) sources for a few days, get tested again and see if there is improvement in my hemoglobin levels.


*Hemoglobin is the protein molecule in red blood cells that carries oxygen from the lungs to the body's tissues and returns carbon dioxide from the tissues to the lungs.  The less hemoglobin you have, the less oxygen that can be carried to the body's tissues leading to feeling of weakness, fatigue, general malaise, and sometimes poor concentration. more about hemoglobin

Kidding about the occasional raw egg, but I am throwing it in this post to see if anyone will comment ;-)