16 mo borderline anemic...wwyd? diet?

[smellyann82]

would you use a supplement? or what can i put in his diet that will increase iron? he's a big nurser still, and eats a lot of whole grains (breads, crackers), dairy (cheese, yogurt), and fruit, but isn't into veggies and rejects meat (which we eat very little of). he's also sporadically into beans in general.

[Rosehip]

What's the hemoglobin level?

Dairy interferes with iron absorption, so if you are serving something iron-rich, try to not serve dairy with it at the same meal. In the same vein, vit C enhances iron absorption, so that is something to pair with iron-rich foods. Cook with cast iron (that is not enamel-coated).

Iron-rich:
red meat
dark poultry
peanuts
egg (but it's the yolk that contains the iron)
enriched cereals, breads, etc
beans
spinach
broccoli rabe
cashews

ETA: My DS was quite anemic for several years (hgb levels ~8-11). I did all the diet stuff, plus gave him a chewable that included iron. For quite a while, he HAD to have the supplement to keep him close to the low end of the normal range. If I stopped for a few weeks, his levels would dive back down. Now, he's 3.5 & finally seems be holding @ the low end of normal w/only diet.

[nycmom18]

all greens have a lot of iron as well. we put ours into a smoothie, about half greens(kale, spinach, collard greens, swiss chard etc) then half fruit(banana, mango, strawberries)fill with mostly water and we top with pineapple juice for sweetness. if you have the right ratio, you should barely taste the greens.

also, you should rotate your greens, so we do a different one every week.

blackstrap molasses is a good source of iron

sometimes the body is just not absorbing well...how is his elimination? i found for us, my son needed a little less meat, then he eliminated more regularly and seemed to absorb his nutrients better.

btw, what exactly was the hemo number?

[redvlagrl]

If it were me I would sautee chicken livers (organic, free range etc of course) in butter and garlic until brown on the outside and puree with some prunes which have been soaked in hot water to soften. Add some of the prune water if necessary. DD would *devour* this from 6 mths on and she wouldn't really eat meat.

Veg sources are good but considering the size of your baby's tummy you need a lot of bang for your buck. Can't beat liver for this. You can thin it with a little milk if it's too thick to eat or spread it on toast like pate.

[maddymama]

thread hijack:
do you know how much iron is in a liver pate versus liver. DD2 (who is slightly anemic) will not eat livers, but will devour pate. Is it worth it?
~maddymama

[redvlagrl]

They are v similar but it would depend on the recipe. Pate would have cream (heavy) added so it would dilute the liver. If I make pate I just fry onion, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper, livers in butter then puree with a good slug of cream in the food processor. I also like to add some booze which I flame to burn off the alcohol

IMO it's certainly a better source than green veggies, even if it is 'diluted' with the cream. Because livers really have a huge amount of easily absorbably iron.

Very important that it's organic though because the chemicals/hormones etc collect in the liver and it's where they are most concentrated. V easy to make your own.

We eat organic, free range etc etc meat but very very occasionally eat conventional if eating out or desperate (run out of meat, no soaked beans or other protein sources available). *however* I would never feed our family conventional chicken liver pate.

[earthie_mama]

I would use floradix. It's an herbal iron supplement that is highly effective. Just be careful to properly prepare the dosage, too much iron can make big problem.

[Koalamom]

Subbing for ideas, as my son is a 10.8, and he is allergic to liver, and only has 4 teeth. My pediatritian recommended I wean him and give him iron fortified formula, butI don't want to. Just looking for iron ideas, and perhaps sharing when I get ideas, and also wondering if increasing my iron intake will help him at all?