Who wants to raise their hemoglobin/improve their diet with me? - Page 3

[CrazyCatLady]

Ok, I finally went to the store and loaded up on as much iron rich foods as I can afford.  Lucky me a lot of it was on sale.  I have salad greens (including spinach), raisin bran, soy milk, eggs, raisins, OJ for my floradix, new yummy (no dairy) salad dressing, etc.  I even splurged on some strawberries just for fun.  And no cookies or anything "bad". 

Now that I am going to try eating more food and drinking ensures less, I may start posting my diet here for motivation.  Kind of scared too though because I know my eating habits are weird.  It's taking me a long time to get back to eating like normal people again.

[ursusarctos]

Originally Posted by Lynann 

CCL the canned sauce has probably been fortified with iron, which is why it seems higher than the unprocessed foods you have.

That's what I was going to say. I wonder how absorbable it is though since the cheese has calcium?

Lyn, I think you're doing great! Sorry about the stomachache.

CCL, yay! Food is good  Please do post, I feel like such a dork posting my menus if I'm doing it alone.
 

[Lynann]

I told my midwife about the pain yesterday at my appointment. She said it sounded like the ligament that goes across the top got over stretched and went into spasm, which then triggered some BH on top of it. It was probably my little wriggler that caused that. At least it wasn't anything serious.

I'm trying to stay balanced, and since we have limited junk food in the house & DH takes our only car to work everyday & the stores are not walkable (no sidewalks/footpaths) I have no choice but to eat well. I am glad the temptation isn't there as some days I know I'd be junking it if I had the opportunity.

I also get my blood levels checked at my next appointment in 4 weeks, so I really need to focus on this so the results come back higher.

[CrazyCatLady]

My iron supplements should arrive today!  Can't believe I'm so excited about floradix lol.

Ok, here is yesterday:

B - Ensure

B - 2 scrambled eggs (no dairy) on piece of wheat bread

L - Left over rice and veggies (very little was left)

S - 2 yogurt cups and some strawberries

D - Big salad with greens, raisins, etc. 

S - Ensure

Edited by CrazyCatLady - 5/22/11 at 6:02am

[ursusarctos]

Lyn that's great that you live far from the store... we live right next to one so it's all on my weak, weak willpower not to eat junk. In fact, here comes DH back with our frozen oven pizzas...

B: Milky rice porridge, a bun with various lunch meats and an egg, orange juice, black coffee

L: Meatballs in tomato sauce, brown rice, 2 pieces of white bread with butter, juice, some grated carrots

S: Floravital 25 ml, 60 mg vit c (I think I am fighting a uti, taking cranberry tablets now)

L2: Mozzarella oven pizza

D: Carrot-ginger soup, rye toast with butter

Edited by ursusarctos - 5/21/11 at 11:54am

[ursusarctos]

I am not even going to list today. We had a housewarming party and I made SO much food including cinnamon buns, blueberry pie, some savory pies, etc. Suffice it to say that today was not a health food day. But it was a nice party! I always forget how pleasant it is to have friends over here rather than meeting them somewhere.

[CrazyCatLady]

Something happened to my shipment and my iron supplements won't be here until Monday.  Bummer.

Here's yesterday.  I woke up feeling sick and then spent 6 hours at a photo shoot, so it was a funky day:

B - Ensure

S - Raisin Bran w/ soy milk

L - Ensure and powerade

S - Pecans, OJ with emergen-c

D - Small salad with greens, pecans, cheese, cucumbers.

S - Ensure

Getting better...

[ursusarctos]

CCL, that sucks about your shipment. Hope you get it asap!

yesterday

B - two bowls of cornflakes with milk

L - pizza with mussels and tuna (yeah they have different pizza toppings here)

S - floravital 25 ml, banana

D - nettle soup, hard boiled egg

today

B - cream of spelt, cheese and cucumber sandwich on oat bread, cup of nettle/rrl infusion

S - banana

L - fish-feta-tomato stew thing, brown rice, white bread and butter, wholegrain pasta salad with chickpeas

S - cinnamon roll, floravital 25 ml, rosehip tea, carrot juice

D - salami-cheese pie, green salad

Edited by ursusarctos - 5/23/11 at 6:47am

[SouthernStormy]

Sorry if it has been addressed already in this thread- I read through but didn't see it: Does anyone know the appropriate amount of time to space out calcium and iron so the calcium doesn't interfere with iron absorption?

I want to raise my iron, but at the same time I don't want my calcium intake to suffer.

I just started eating spinach wraps for a snack (flat out tortilla wrap w/ a slice of turkey and a whole load of spinach). Also noticed last night the organic whole grain noodles we buy have tons more iron per serving than brown rice. Normally we use brown rice as a side, but I guess I'll be using noodles more now.

I'm also taking a liquid herbal iron supplement 2x a day now.

[ursusarctos]

Southernstormy, I dont actually know but I usually wait at least a couple hours to take my iron supplement after or before eating dairy. Haven't looked it up though...

[Lynann]

I think the recommendation is 2 hours. You also don't have to be completely dairy free, just not a lot, so a little bit of butter would be OK but not a large glass of milk.

Hope that helps.

[CrazyCatLady]

That helps me a lot, thanks!
 

Originally Posted by Lynann 

I think the recommendation is 2 hours. You also don't have to be completely dairy free, just not a lot, so a little bit of butter would be OK but not a large glass of milk.

Hope that helps.

This thread seems to have died.  So I will post one last time, just because I am proud of myself at the moment lol.  This thread and you mama's really did give me a huge kick start in taking much better care of my diet/iron levels.  I am eating a lot of real food again, especially iron rich stuff.  So thanks for that. :)

Yesterday (out of town most of the day):

B - Ensure

Floradix iron pill

S - Strawberry smoothie from Starbucks

L - Small amount of homemade fried rice (lots of egg and veggies).

D - Healthy Choice TV dinner.

S - Yogurt

S - Strawberries

Floradix iron pill before bed.

[ursusarctos]

Originally Posted by CrazyCatLady 

That helps me a lot, thanks!
 

This thread seems to have died.  So I will post one last time, just because I am proud of myself at the moment lol.  This thread and you mama's really did give me a huge kick start in taking much better care of my diet/iron levels.  I am eating a lot of real food again, especially iron rich stuff.  So thanks for that. :)

Yesterday (out of town most of the day):

B - Ensure

Floradix iron pill

S - Strawberry smoothie from Starbucks

L - Small amount of homemade fried rice (lots of egg and veggies).

D - Healthy Choice TV dinner.

S - Yogurt

S - Strawberries

Floradix iron pill before bed.

That's great! I also noticed this thread sort of fizzled out, but thanks for starting it with me ladies and I'd love to hear if your iron levels go up! I will post in a few weeks when I get mine checked again :)

[bobbinbopbop]

I've been trying to reply for days but my phone won't log me in. :P 

Today: 

Breakfast: 2 bowls of honeycomb with 2% milk

Snack: Fruit smoothie with 16g protein powder(I found organic whey in a vanilla flavor. YUM!)

Snack: 1 cup of canned peaches 

Lunch: Small salad(green spring lettuce and baby spinach, cheese, tomato, and onion, with itailan dressing)

Snack: 1 slice of hubby's birthday cake. devils food!  
Dinner: Smart choice pasta(enriched with vitamin d and calcium and whole grain instead of white flour based), with butter garlic cream sauce, and shrimp.

I've also have about 32 oz of water, and 2, 8oz glasses of hot chocolate. I will be drinking more water though as the evening goes on. 

So far my protein count is about 41. I need it to be at least 75 each day.  

[Baby_Cakes]

I'm jumping back in!!  My diet has been pretty sparse and crappy lately so I felt sheepish and didn't want to post.  

B - Bowl of cereal with soymilk, coffee with creamer and sugar

S - everything bagel with margarine, Vitamin Water

L - Soy yogurt, some fresh cut fruit, half an Odwalla protien drink

D - vegan alfredo sauce (TONS of protein in this recipe) with alfredo noodles and two boca chicken patties.

S - huge bowl of cherries

Supps - yellow dock X2, benefiber/dulcolax combo, prenatal.

Hmm.  I really don't eat a whole lot, do I?  But lots of carbs...hmm.

[ursusarctos]

Well shucks, guess I'll post too then.

B1 - Muesli and milk, nettle/rrl infusion

B2 - Tuna sandwich, orange juice

L - Tofu sauce, brown rice, grated carrots, slice of bread and butter, soymilk

S - Rye and barley toast with salami, wilted radish greens, orange juice, Floravital 25 ml. Plus folic acid - finally got some to take with the Floradix. I find it weird that it has other B vitamins but not folic acid.

D - Planned falafels, brown rice, cucumber spears, and radish-mint-yogurt-garlic salad

Edited by ursusarctos - 5/26/11 at 6:41am

[Lynann]

I haven't been as good as I should since the weekend. DS has only had one successful afternoon nap all week, which was yesterday and I can't get everything done in just one nap time. He is beginning to cruise and is going to be walking soon as I have to keep right on top of him while he is awake. He is also having major attachment issues since I was gone for 3 hours at my last prenatal appointment and cries if I even go to the kitchen for a drink of water, never mind spend time making food (even if the food is for him.) I can't take hours upon hours of constant crying due to his overtiredness so I give in and stay by him, and try to grab a bite of something whenever I can to stop myself feeling ill, until DH gets home then I just want to eat everything I can get my hands on, so not exactly balanced.

I am being good about breakfast as I get up with DH early so I can make breakfast while he showers before work. He usually leaves before 6am, so we get to sit down for breakfast together about 5-5:30 am which is nice, and he always has the same thing, scrambled eggs and toast. He has this almost every morning, at his request, so I just make enough for both of us. At least I'm eating more eggs since I started doing this for DH.

So far today:

B1 - Scrambled Eggs, Toast & Coffee

B2 - Raisin Bagel & Cream Cheese, left over Coffee

S - organic banana

L - Whole wheat pasta with homemade cheese & tuna sauce, pill supplements

S- Mango frozen fruit bar

Planned:

D- Mojo Chicken with homemade vegetable couscous & Floradix in juice/water

S - Homemade Granola/Muesli with homemade Yogurt

I also have had 2 20oz glasses of water & will have at least one more.

I also discovered why the Floradix HAS to be kept in the fridge and used in 4 weeks. I had been a little inconsistent in taking in for several days so I hadn't used it up in the 4 weeks. I went back to it yesterday and when I went to drink it (in grape juice mixed with water) I could tell it had started to ferment, as it had a definite alcohol taste to it. It made the juice taste like wine. So I had to throw out the rest of that bottle. Fortunately I had another unopened bottle waiting. It was much better.

[Baby_Cakes]

Hugs, Lyn.  That transitional stage from creeping to walking is TOUGH.  I give you such props, mama.  Hang in there!!

AFM - I literally forgot to eat like, all morning.  I keep having to remind myself that I need calories and nutrition!  I can't just survive on coffee and snacks!!  Ugh.

B - Coffee and some cereal with soymilk. (at 9 am)  Gatorade during my walk.

S - slice of ww bread with peanut butter

didn't eat again until 2PM!!  WTF!?

S - 5 chocolate chip cookies (out of desperation, stuck at work w/nothing and was STARVING!)

L - big plate of fettucine alfredo (vegan) with a boca chick'n patty, 2 big glasses of water. (around 4 pm)

D - 6" veggie delite from Subway with a few baked lays and sweetened raspberry iced tea

S - Rita's cotton candy italian ice

S - veggie baloney and cheese sandwich on ww bread.

I think I did better today.  I consciously tried to eat more, and eat better.  I love this thread for accountability.

I did skip my supplements, except for my prenatal.    It's 10 pm and I know I'll be up all night peeing if I down 2 glasses of water/tea to take my yellow dock...grrr...ok, ok, fine, I'm going!  I want my platelets up!!!

[ursusarctos]

  Quote:

I think I did better today.  I consciously tried to eat more, and eat better.  I love this thread for accountability.

Me too. My diet may look decent now but before I started this accountability thing I was eating SO much fast food and packaged crap  I'm glad to have rediscovered cooking at home. It's soothing and I feel way better after eating homemade food. I am so ready to have my thesis done so I can just concentrate on being a housewife  Which means I should probably get off MDC and do some work...

B - Milky rice porridge with blueberry syrup and butter, whole grain bun with various cold cuts and veggies, coffee

L - Meatballs and gravy, grated carrots, 2 slices dark rye and 2 slices white bread with butter. The darn cafeteria was out of both rice and potatoes at the same time.

S - Orange juice, Floravital, folic acid

D - Chocolate-banana and blueberry-buckwheat muffins, vanilla ice cream. Whatever, I was depressed and making muffins cheered me up. My legs feel a bit restless after all that sugar though.
 

Edited by ursusarctos - 5/27/11 at 1:16pm

[CrazyCatLady]

Well after all that waiting, I have yet to find the nerve to drink my floradix. I just really, really hate that stuff.  I have been taking the floradix pills though.  Nowhere near as good, but better than nothing maybe.  My diet was way too full of yogurt and left over Japanese food yesterday to count for much I'm guessing. Tonight I'll post everything I ate again.  Knowing other people are going to peak at it sure does help me stay on track.