IBS diet and anemia
#360940 - 09/14/10 04:01 PM
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Salia
Reged: 09/14/10
Posts: 1
Loc: Upstate NY
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I am new to this forum, but have been following Heather's diet for IBS for 4 years now. It has drastically improved my quality of life and am very grateful. I am posting, though, to see if anyone else has had problems with anemia while on this diet. It has been 4 years since I ate any red meat, and can't handle large amounts of leafy green vegetables, either, so both my iron and B12 levels are very low. The B12 supplements are fine, but my doctor told me to start taking iron supplements, and I am terrified that my constipation will return. Also, she told me to take 'FeoSol', which she said are easier on the stomach, but one of the first ingredients is lactose. The pharmacist was no help, either. She said that it was such a small dose of lactose it probably wouldn't hurt me. I ended up buying a 'time-release' (and supposedly easier on the stomach) kind of iron with no lactose, which has not hurt my stomach, but later found out it is not well absorbed. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get my iron level up without killing my stomach? Thanks
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I have the same problem to a certain extent.
In answer to my similar question, Syl wrote:
' Heme - Fish, chicken, turkey, clams, oysters, shrimp
Nonheme - banana, beans (if you can handle them), rice, oats, wheat, tomato paste '
little Minnie wrote:
'I heard today at market that artichokes have more iron than anything but liver. Spinach, kale and broccoli have a lot too. '
I personally do eat broccoli, and have now even gone for spinach. Cooked it well, and ate it with potatoes and chicken, caused me no C. And it is very healthy and even a FODMAP friendly food, if you have problems with FODMAPS.
http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=70#foodsources
As for B12: fish? I personally adore salmon.
http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=107#foodsources
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Susie, born in 1985,
(pseudo-)D and bloating April 2007-December 2010, now stable
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check the newsletter article on vitamins and IBS here http://www.helpforibs.com/diet/faq.asp#vitamin for some helpful details about taking iron. You can also possibly get a liquid version, which is less likely to have fillers/additives like lactose (though your doc is right, the amount of lactose in something like a pill is very, very small, so unless you have a severe allergy it's unlikely to affect you at all).
- H
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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Blah. Iron supplements.
I'm anemic, too, and completely lactose-intolerant (took the test -- can't say I recommend it!  ), and I am not willing to chance that bit of lactose. The doctor prescribed me the liquid version, which contains no lactose but was absolutely vile and stained my teeth. It did not substantially worsen my C, but it didn't help, and even the pharmacist tried to prescribe a pretty strong laxative. Yuck! I am always amazed at how little help doctors and pharmacists are with IBS -- it never occurred to them that this would be an issue. ARGH.
I have the list of iron-rich foods, and I find spinach to be extremely tolerable when slightly wilted or cooked (remove the stems -- it helps). I can also tolerate beans.
On top of that, I found a vegan iron supplement at my natural foods store (they are supremely helpful) -- VegLife is the brand. The pills are smaller than an aspirin. That, plus acacia fiber, and some VERY gentle laxatives while my body adjusted (half doses of Miralax), got me to just in the "okay" iron range. I've been on the iron supplement for a few years now, and it isn't an issue anymore as far as C goes. It took about a month to adjust to the pill, after a few really bad months with the liquid.
Good luck!
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IBS-C, D and nausea with acute attacks, stable on EFI for 3 years
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