Help with low ferritin please

[Senorita_Squiffy]

Hi, has anyone had any experience of successfully raising ferritin levels? I was recommended liquid iron supplementation, but even with extensive research and finding the purest and most gentle ones I could, my digestive system just didn't tolerate it at all and my acne-prone skin flared up significantly. I've bought a lucky iron fish to use in cooking and have started making chicken liver pate. I'm also taking lactoferrin supplements, but no change so far.

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Senorita Squiffy

I raised my ferritin from 35 to 91 purely by eating lamb's liver every week. The amount I used was about 130/140g, the maximum recommended is 200g due to it's high Vit A Content. I had been a demi-veggie for years (no red meat or pork, only chicken/turkey/fish) but I realised that I had to do something as I couldn't tolerate iron supplements so I accepted that I needed liver and found a way to cook it that I like.

You can also include lots of iron rich foods in your diet apjcn.nhri.org.tw/server/in...

[Chai2015 in reply to SeasideSusie]

How do you cook it? I can’t bare he thought!!

[Senorita_Squiffy in reply to Chai2015]

I've been a making a very nice pate. Really easy.

healthfulpursuit.com/2016/0...

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Chai2015]

I have a good butcher, never buy from a supermarket, so I know I'm getting local Welsh lamb's liver not something that may have come from Poland (I checked Asda's liver once) where you don't know what their animal welfare is like.

I slice it so that it's no more than 1cm thick, I fry it gently in butter. It's easy to overcook it and it will go hard and leathery, so it needs gently frying for a few minutes to keep it tender. Lots of onions, also fried in butter, roasted tomatoes, maybe rice with vegetables, or mashed potatoes and vegetables. Some people cook liver and onions in gravy. There are many recipes on the internet, you just have to look and see what you fancy.

You can also mince it and 'hide' it in casseroles, cottage pie, curry, bolognese, etc.

[Senorita_Squiffy in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thanks! Any reason for lambs liver in particular? I've been taking selenium ACE, so will probably have to stop taking those in order not to OD on Vitamin A...

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Senorita_Squiffy]

Depending on how much Vit A is in your supplement, you may not need to worry. I take a combined D3/K2/Vit A supplement daily and the Vit A content is 3000iu and one serving of up to 150g liver in addition hasn't given me Vit A overload yet. The recommendation of 200g liver maximum is probably cautioning against anyone who would eat it every day.

Lamb's liver because other than chicken liver it's probably the mildest of the firm livers.

[Senorita_Squiffy in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thanks! Any reason for lambs liver in particular? I've been taking Selenium ACE, so will have to stop those in order not to OD on Vitamin A...

[jax2005 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Just a thought but have you been tested for celiac disease as I had same problem and found out low ferritin levels is a main symptom and very common with thyroid problems

[Chai2015 in reply to jax2005]

No I haven’t been tested I should look into this - what’s the test pls?

[jax2005 in reply to Chai2015]

Firstly the doctor will do a blood test and if that shows indicators you have the camera put down and they take a biopsy but you must be eating gluten for it to show

[Rmichelle]

Seaside susie, i have been eating lambs liver once a week for nearly 8 weeks now, how long did it take for your levels to raise up? Ive kindly had advice from you before and took your advice about eating foods rich in iron.x

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Rmichelle]

Rmichelle I can't answer exactly how long because I wasn't testing my ferritin regularly.

My original ferritin was 35 in June 2015, before supplements. I tried different iron supplements and managed to get it up to around 50 by September 2015. I had to give up the supplements, they were causing me so much trouble with constipation.

I went without anything until I started eating liver around July 2016 but have no idea how much my ferritin level had reduced, I imagine it may have been right back to where it started. I didn't test again until February 2017 and my level was 66 and in July it reached 91. So best guess is around a year from possibly 35 to 91. But there was a good increase of 25 in the 4 months between February and July this year.

Of course, we're all different and some people may improve their ferritin level more quickly, others may take longer.

[Rmichelle]

Sorry seniorsquiffy for jumping in here.☺

[Senorita_Squiffy in reply to Rmichelle]

No problem at all!