Ok, it's just about the TOM and I'm having a strange craving for red meat. I've never been a huge red meat eater, and most of my protein comes from chicken, fish and supplements. Anyway, I can't get the craving for a hamburger off my mind. A few weeks ago I had my iron checked during my yearly physical and they said it was good, but after doing a little research online it seems that a craving for red meat usually means you need more iron in your diet.
I looked at my food log and I get an average of about 50% a day. Spark people says I should be getting between 100-150%.
Anyone else ever craved red meat? Or, what are some other good, healthier sources of iron? Or am I just crazy and having weird girl-cravings?
Last edited by WastedThermos; 07-10-2006 at 04:19 PM.
TOM and I have been divorced for some years now, but I remember having similar cravings for eggs and spinach, both high in iron. I'd boil 2 eggs at midnight. It worked! Good luck.
This absolutely happens with me. I have been borderline anemic for some time now due to medical issues (finally getting it sorted out) and could always tell when I had made a big dip in my iron levels. I would start seriously craving red meat and spinach.
Yep, I get red meat cravings from time to time. It doesn't have anything to do with TOM as mine has basically stopped or is a very rare occurence since I lost weight.
I don't eat much meat at all; most of my iron comes from plant based sources. I find that I can go for long stretches without a problem not eating meat but then every now and again I am whacked with a NEED. I think non-stop about tearing into a nice big thick bloody dripping juicy steak lol and can't stop till get it!
I always give in to this craving because I figure my body probably needs it. However I found a really really good rich, very lean, source of red meat.
You'll cringe...but trust me, it's SO GOOD. Kangaroo steak.
mmmm...just thrown down very quickly, one side and the other...still blue in the middle. Excellent stuff and you can only really eat like 150gms-200gms in a sitting because it IS such a rich flavour.
Every TOM I crave red meat (and less cooked than I would ordinarily want it) and also chocolate (I don't even care for chocolate and don't miss red meat the rest of the time). Unfortunately they seem to aggravate my PMS, menstrual cramps, and my fibromyalgia pain. I never thought of trying to eat iron-rich non-meat foods instead, so I'll have to give that a try.
i have tried kangaroo a couple of time - very low fat and needs little flavouring. its funny how i think we are the only country that actually eats our national emblem. can you imagine those in the US eating a bald eagle?
as for me - i can't say i really crave red meat or foods high in iron around TOM any more than other times. i crave usually a week before TOM and it might be something simple like a big glass of milk or a chocolate bar. thankfully the milk usually wins over
I've had a few bouts of anemia and low iron, and I don't think the craving for red meat got worse during those times. Oddly, I craved dairy (calcium) more then, eating tons of yogurt and gulping down milk. The two signs I have that tell me I'm low on iron are:
-- I crave ice chips
-- Pepsi and Coke taste like they've gone bad (20 minutes after downing an iron pill, they taste fine again, unless my iron level is super low)
But you may be craving the meat for that reason or for the other nutrients it contains. No reason not to have it. Just work it into your food plan. Flank steak is a fairly lean source of beef. I like it marinated in soy sauce or in fajitas. Ground sirloin is 90% lean, if you want a burger.
If you're concerned about low iron, have your blood tested. If the tests come back fine, have them redone every few months. You can't get anemic overnight unless you lose huge quantities of blood, like from a wound. Your body stores iron and can subsist on the stored iron for many months. You don't show a drop in iron until the stores are low.
Re only getting 50% of the recommended amounts of iron, remember that we overweight chicks absorb food better than normal-weight people. Certainly we absorb fat better, so we probably absorb iron and other nutrients better, too. So you may absorb twice as much as the thin person would, eating the same amount of iron.
I never thought of trying to eat iron-rich non-meat foods instead, so I'll have to give that a try.
Seaweed (wakame, kombu, nori etc) are great sources of iron and calcium and lots and lots of minerals. A seaweed soup of wakame (aka miyok) is especially comforting during menses.
Daisy- Well, I think our national bird was supposed to be a turkey, but they changed it because they didn't want people to be tempted to shoot and eat the national bird. Although, that sounds like a story I would have heard in primary school so I'm sure some other elements went into choosing the bald eagle.
Siena- Those are really interesting points. I'm not really concerned about have low iron because it has always been normal, I just wonder if you can feel the effects of having LESS iron than normal. Paying attention to what I eat has me kind of hyper-aware of how nutrients effect the way I feel.
Craving Meat = Iron Deficiency?
