foods 021Originally uploaded by wjharrison77.
Lots of good things have happened this year already. Too many to list, really. But, without a doubt, the absolute best thing that has happened to me in the last six months is this: I discovered that I have a severe iron deficiency.
For years and years I have been absolutely exhausted most of the time. And I’ve always thought this was totally normal. I put my constant fatigue down to a crazy work life. So I couldn’t stay awake after 9pm at night? So I needed several days to get over a day of activity? So if I didn’t get 10 hours sleep per night I couldn’t function? That was normal, right? WRONG! It’s not!
When I mentioned one day to my doctor that my hair had started to snap off she did some tests. It turned out that I had an extremely low iron reserve count and so I was put on an very high dosage of iron tablets. All I expected was to have my hair grow in healthier. What I got was my energy back.
I feel great! And I didn’t even know I felt crap in the first place!
In a bid to maintain my new vigour I am supplementing my daily 1200 mg of Ferrous Sulphate with an iron rich diet. Lots of green vegetables, red meat and red wine. Sounds like my kind of diet. 😉
Apparently the body can have difficulty soaking up iron from leafy greens. Eating vitamin C rich foods along with these vegetables can improve this absorption. Which is why I can often be found snacking on the following salad.
It’s very pretty too.
Ruby Red Grapefruit & Baby Spinach Salad
Large handful of baby spinach
1 ruby red grapefruit
Black olives
Extra virgin olive oil
Black pepper
- Remove peel from grapefruit using a knife. Half the fruit and remove all pith. Some juice should have seeped from the fruit at this point. Pour this into a small bowl.
- Add a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and a good grinding of black pepper to the grapefruit juice. Mix well using a fork.
- In a bowl toss the spinach and dressing until the leaves are lightly coated. Remove the spinach to a large plate.
- Add grapefruit slices and olives and a little more pepper.
A Wee Bit of Cooking 
And, of course, dark chocolate is full of iron too…
Very pretty salad!
This post is very informative! A friend of mine also has iron deficiency, but she’s getting better now.
I love grapefruit in salad. :d
looks pretty but I can’t stomach the sourness of the pink grapefruit! I bought a grapefruit juice a while back and just couldn’t drink it!
But I understand the iron deficiency thing – I get it every now and again and find tablets help – it is a pain but makes you try and eat well at least! And it must be a great thing to rediscover your energy reserves.
That looks very refreshing, Wendy. I’ve never tried putting grapefruit in my salad, so this is a great idea for me to try, thanks!
Lucy – Dark chocolate, you say? That I didn’t know. 🙂
Anh – Glad you’re friend is getting better too!
Johanna – The red grapefruit isn’t quite as sour as the yellow or pink. That said, I sometimes eat limes so I’m perhaps not someone you want to listen to on the subject of sourness.
Nora – Refreshing is a perfect word for it. 🙂
Simple salads are so wonderful as they are good for you and EASY to fix! I love fruit in salads. So many ways to use it. I also love throwing in a few pecans, walnuts, pine nuts to give it some crunch! Keep drinking that red wine – it really is good for you!
This is a great summer salad and perfect as I too have an iron deficiency.
I just posted a new recipe for ginger cookies, which contain unrefined molasses which is apparently high in iron – thought the quantity in the recipe is small I keep telling myself this so I can have just one more 🙂
Deb – Totally agree, Deb. Adore pecans especially. Unfortunately, they are extremely pricey across here.
Erika – Didn’t know molasses was iron-rich. Will definitely check out your recipe. 🙂
Wendy,
Good to know that you’re feeling better – my grandmother has the same problem and we all know how bad it is.
Your salad is delightful! I love spinach and I bet it’s wonderful paired with something citrus.
Thank you for visiting my blog – I’m glad because now I know yours, too!
Welcome Patricia! And thank you!
Not as exciting a suggestion as Lucy’s dark chocolate but a good one if you eat it regularly – it’s worth picking out a breakfast cereal that is fortified with iron. Love the leafy spinach and grapefruit/vitamin C combo – much more imaginative than the usual glass of orange juice on the side!
Sophie – Hadn’t thought of the cereal idea at all. And I do love my cereal!
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