I’m Anemic…Now What?!!: My Story and The Natural Techniques I’m Using To Feel Better

 

Being pregnant has it’s fair share of things to worry about WAY before you even get to the part where the baby comes out.

From the time you learn you’re pregnant, you are poked and prodded with the hopes of keeping you in tip top shape to house this new little one growing inside of you.

However, learning that you have a medical concern to be aware of no matter how small can be incredibly stressful at anytime, let alone during pregnancy.

This is what happened to me recently when I found out I was anemic going into the third trimester of my second pregnancy. I have always been borderline anemic, but have been able to manage mainly through food. However, I’ve had to up my efforts along with adding a a natural supplement to help increase my levels.

How I Knew I Was Anemic

Pregnancy comes with it’s fair share of fatigue. My first trimester was brutal. I literally felt like I was attached to an IV filled with NyQuil. However, my bloodwork still had me with borderline anemic levels.

During my second trimester, I took extra measures to help maintain my iron levels through foods. However, I started feeling like I was not able to keep up. Although I was mainly following a plant centered diet, this little one seemed to need more than what I was able to do through food alone.

Part of this had to do with the fact that I was still SO tired. In hindsight, this must have been when I went from borderline to full on anemic.

Once I hit my third trimester, the excessive fatigue came back with an extreme vengeance. When I went to my OB for my gestational diabetes screening, my doctor advised me to start taking an iron supplement.

Here are a couple steps I’ve been taking to help increase my iron levels. These can be used by anyone, pregnant or not.

PLEASE NOTE: I am not a doctor. I am only speaking from my personal opinion and research which will be provided.

Add Vitamin C To Increase Iron’s Bioavailability

One of the things I love about food is their magical, alchemic properties. At face value, a spinach leaf is just a spinach leaf and squeeze of lemon juice is just some tart juice. However, When you put them together, something incredible happens. As mentioned in this article from the Mayo Clinic, vitamin c increases the absorption and bioavailability of iron in the body. This is why certain supplements have vitamin c added to them.

The bioavailability of iron gets a bit tricky when comparing plant based (or non-heme) iron to animal based (or heme) iron. In general, heme iron from animal products is much more available to our bodies when ingested. However, people who choose to not eat animal products can also maintain their levels with non-heme plant based foods, although it just takes a bit more effort. Adding vitamin c to non-heme iron can do just this.

This can be achieved through food by eating certain foods together. Make a stir fry with spinach or another iron rich green leaf and red bell peppers. Red bell peppers are actually higher in vitamin c than oranges as mentioned in this article. So get creative and cook with intention.

 

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Watch Your Intake Of Foods That Decreases Iron Absorption 

During my research, I found out there are certain foods that can block one’s natural absorption of iron. According to this article, foods such as grains, tea, egg protein, and certain other plant foods can prevent the absorption of iron when consumed together or in a short amount of time of eating an iron rich meal. In addition, minerals such as magnesium and calcium can be counterproductive.

While people are not being told to completely avoid these foods, it’s more important for people to be aware of the better ways to pair their foods.

It is because of this I’ve stopped drinking one of my favorite drinks, matcha. Being that it is pure green tea leaves grounded up and consumed whole, theoretically it has a higher possibility to counter my efforts to increase my iron levels as opposed to a brewed tea.

 

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Choose A High Quality Iron Supplement

Once I was advised to start taking an iron supplement by my doctor, I rushed out to my local store to pick one up. Admittedly, my local Target had very few choices. However, I wanted to feel better fast. I will not mention the brand, but within 48 hours I knew it was not for me.

How did I know it wasn’t working? Well, don’t get me wrong. I started to feel more energy pretty quickly, however, I suddenly found myself “running” to the bathroom…and it wasn’t to tinkle. I did a little research and the brand I was taking included ferrous sulfate. While it has more elemental iron in it, ferrous sulfate is not as easily tolerated as ferrous gluconate which is a more organic version.

I swiftly switched to plant based iron supplements such as this one and this one. While the dosage might be slightly lower in these, I have not had any of the stomach problems that I was experiencing with the more synthetic brands.

Anemia is a small hiccup in the grand scheme of things, as things could’ve been much worse. It is something  many people deal with on an everyday basis. Let me know in the comment section below if you are anemic and if so, what has been your experience.

Check out my video below about the experience

 

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