Hellobee Boards

Isn't there Vitamin C that is required for iron absorption? Have they talked to you about that?

The fruit/veggie pouches are our way of getting in these vitamins.

Have you considered cooking with cast iron cookware? http://paleodietlifestyle.com/cooking-with-cast-iron/ I LOVE to cook and have some fairly expensive items of cookware, but my cast iron is the cheapest, best stuff ever. It's amazing what a great job it does, and it won't break your wallet in the least!

@Mrs. Twine: I never knew that!

@mrsjazz: Walmart carries Lodge brand and I believe is made in the USA. Target carries some too. Shipping with amazon might be crazy.

At M's 9month appointment they tested her and her levels are low. They also suggested supplements but we declined and instead opted to try and change her diet first.

You can google for a more extensive list but there are two groups of iron rich foods, one which is more easily absorbed and one which is less easily absorbed.
Items such as prunes, raisins, black/kidney/lima beans, hummus, leafy greens are in the less easily absorbed category.
Items such as lean pork, beef, turkey, dark chicken meat, turkey, poultry, tuna, eggs are in the easily absorbed category.
Vitamin C helps absorption of iron.

And those are just general guidelines, our genetic makeup, I believe can play into your iron levels as well!

My ped also reco making sure she has something iron fortified 3x a day.

We'll see where she is at next week and if we have to switch over to supplements.

@mrsjazz: I'm not sure? In my case my iron levels were low during pregnancy and in retrospect I probably should have continued the iron supplements during BFing for her benefit. And my brother is also anemic so she def has a family history of low iron levels.

ETA: does she like eggs? For breakfast we make eggs with kale or any other leafy green a lot. Double whammy! But I would watch that as well bc eggs are high in cholesterol. So I try not to make that more than 3-4x a week.

@Mrs. Twine: do it! Cooking with cast iron is so awesome.