Vegetarian Advice: Vegetarian Diet and Iron Deficiency

Doctor says no to vegetarian diet, because of iron deficiency

I've got a colleague (a possible convert!) to whom I've been extolling the wonders of a vegetarian diet, but she has an iron deficiency and her doctor's got her convinced that a vegetarian diet just won't do. I wondered what your thoughts might be. - B. R.

Savvy Vegetarian Advice

Dear B. R.,

Vegetarian diets don't normally result in iron deficiency. Probably her doctor is thinking that heme iron mostly from red meat is more available & more absorbable than nonheme iron, mostly from plant food. And he'd be right about that. But perhaps uninformed about vegetarian diets.

A nutritious vegetarian diet contains more than enough iron, but the amount you absorb depends on the other food you eat. Eating iron rich foods with foods high in Vitamin C greatly increases the rate of absorption. Eating a lot of dairy products, and a lot of food high in oxolates & phytates decreases iron absorption, as does tannin, from black tea and to a lesser extent, coffee.

Suggested Reading: 'Becoming Vegetarian' by Vesanto Melina, for detailed information about iron, and other extremely useful info about vegetarian nutrition. It's available in many libraries, costs about $20 new, and maybe half that used. Well worth getting whether or not she becomes vegetarian. Could be her iron deficiency is related to other dietary factors that her doctor isn't aware of, and this book may be helpful. Also read this excellent article: Iron and Vegetarian Diet

Let me know if you have more questions - Judith Kingsbury, Savvy Vegetarian

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