Waah! I thought I was doing so well!

And I am keeping within my calorie limit, but I learned in the forums today that you can see additional nutritional information about your food intake for a particular day by mousing over the date under the Analysis tab. Ouch! There I was being all smug about my cholesterol and sodium intake, only to find that I am consistently under my recommended calcium and iron intake--I discovered this this afternoon so I made sure to have a glass of milk with dinner tonight, which put me a little over 100% for the day, but that's been rare (I think there was one other day in the past 19 days!). My iron intake has been really no higher than 75% over the same time period. It's no wonder I'm borderline anemic.

I'm not vegetarian (but I do tend to avoid red meat-- I have it maybe once every couple of weeks), I love (and eat lots of) beans and legumes and dark leafy vegetables. I have oatmeal every day for breakfast. I aim for anywhere between 1200-1450 calories/day. I'm a woman, 47 years old, 5'8" and currently 168.5 lbs (looking to get to 145 lbs or thereabouts).

I hate taking supplements in general because, well, I just do, and I have doubts about how well we absorb the vitamins and nutrients in pill form. And I *really* hate iron supplements because under the best of circumstances I'm predisposed to constipation. 

I know, as a woman "of a certain age," I really can't mess around with my calcium intake. Anyone have any suggestions for me? If I need to start taking supplements, I will--I'm seeing my doctor on monday for my routine annual physical, so I guess I'll ask her about it.

 

I can't drink milk, so I'm always looking for low fat ways to get calcium (i love cheese, but it's not exactly "low fat"). A great and delicous source is the 0% fat greek yogurt (the brand I usually buy is "Fage.") It's super thick and a bit tart...I usually add some fruit, or it's also A REAL treat with honey and granola. If you're not a yogurt breakfast person, I often do the honey & yogurt option for dessert. I've also heard tofu is a decent source of calcium...

I do like that greek yogurt--guess I need to trade in my fruit-sweetened 4 oz serving for a larger serving of that stuff. Thanks for that tip. I'm going to look into those shiratake noodles, which are made of tofu, I believe--we eat a lot of pasta at my house and I really need to find an acceptable alternative to regular pasta or I'm going to starve, lol. Thanks for those tips! :)

Any other tips? Calcium seems to be an easier fix than iron--and at least if I have to take supplements, the calcium doesn't do a number on my bowels. What other iron-rich foods are people out there eating? I'm beginning to wonder if it really is possible to get everything you need from food if you're sticking to a 1200-1400 kcal/day intake.

Along the lines of calcium, I know you said you didn't really want to take supplements, but have you considered Viactiv? It is a calcium (and vitamin D and K0 supplement in a flavored chew. They have chocolate and caramel flavors (might have others, I am not sure) and supply 50% of each of these 3 in just one chew. They are very good, no after taste and taste somewhat like a tootsie roll but better.

Do you like cinnamon? Cinnamon is fairly high in iron and has a lot of other benefits. Goes great in oatmeal in the morning (and a lot of other things!).  http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/nutrition/a/ cinnamonbenefit.htm

Oh! If you need a pasta "substitute", why not try Fiber Gourmet? Lower calorie and high in fiber. My husband and I really like it!

http://www.fibergourmet.com/Default.aspx

*edited to add pasta info*

The yummiest calcium supplement out there is Adora - it's so good it shouldn't even be called a 'vitamin' at all (it's made from real high-quality chocolate...) I have no worries remembering to take my calcium every day when I have a bag of Adora in the bedroom. :) No advice on the iron sorry... I don't have a problem getting my calcium to the right level with cereal for breakfast, a yoghurt later on, and an Adora, but my iron is always low. The only time I get close to 100% is when I have an iron-fortified cereal, pork or ground beef, and spinach/mushrooms all in the same day. Pork seems to have quite a bit of iron in it and tastes better to me than beef.

1 cup of spinach is about 5% of your daily iron and only 7 calories!

Broccoli has a lot of benefits too (fiber, protein, vitamin D & C, calcium, and iron) and will help regulate as well =)

I hear you!  You sound a lot like me; I'm 5'9", currently 175 aiming for 140 (small frame), and 42.

I eat a lot of dairy; I have at least 2 glasses of 1% milk and a fat-free sugar-free yogurt a day.  One of those glasses is poured over my oatmeal in the morning :)

I do take a multivitamin most days.  I also have my doubts about how much we really absorb in pill form, but I figure it's better than nothing.  I also pop a Tums occasionally for the calcium; I'm weird in that I don't mind the chalky taste.

As for iron, I eat red meat 2-3 times a week, and I rely on the multivitamin.  If I could reliably get fresh spinach I'd use that in my sandwich at lunch instead of lettuce, but what I can get this time of year is pretty unappetizing. 

Have a cup or two cups of Kellogg's Special K Fruit & Yogurt
Good points

• Low in saturated fat
• No cholesterol
• Very high in iron
• Very high in niacin
• Very high in riboflavin
• Very high in thiamin
• High in vitamin A
• Very high in vitamin B6
• Very high in vitamin B12
• Very high in vitamin C

 

And substitute the milk for 

 Rice Dream Vanilla Enriched

Good points

• Very high in calcium
• High in phosphorus
• High in vitamin B12

 

It might help... another way to add iron and calcium is to add cereal high in fiber with Rice Milk.

I don't recommend Soy milk constantly, because over time it increases menstruation, and prolongs menopause. (it is actually proven research...)

If I think of anything else I'll let you know.

Hang in there. it is hard. But you are on your way to get healthier and slimmer. Kudos to you!

 

I have 2 words that will solve your problem: Total Cereal!!!!

 

I found out that it has 100% of everything I (as a picky eater) have a hard time getting into my diet, and now I have a bowl every day.

 

3/4 of a cup will give you 100% of calcium and iron, as well as lots of other things for your day, and tastes delicious!