Should I be vegetarian because I am anemic!?

Question

I really love animals so I don't want to eat them! I am a 12 year old girl but have anemia! Which is where you don't get enough iron and protein which is found in meat alot! Would it be a really bad choice for my health or will I get sick if I become vegetarian? Is there any other food with iron and/or protein in it that a vegetarian would eat? Please help!

Answer 1

Can you take iron supplements?

Answer 2

That's your choice.  There are plenty of vegetarian friendly foods that have iron and protein.  

Check this out:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles...

Answer 3

Sorry,you are misinformed. You don't get anemia from lack of protein. And a vegetarian diet does not mean you are lacking protein or iron.

The key to good health is balance, and eating meat does NOT guarantee your anemia will go away. My uncle is a meat eater with iron deficiency. Eat nuts & wholegrains for iron. Protein is found in nearly everything- beans, nuts, bread, tofu, soy milk, etc.

The best solution to anemia is supplementation. Check with your doctor, iron supplements will build up your low liver stores.

Should you go vegetarian? It's your choice, but a balanced vegetarian diet won't leave you deprived of any nutrients. No matter what path you choose, i hope you feel better soon.

Best wishes.

Answer 4

if you're anemic then you really have to eat meat! you're not really going to find that protein anywhere else. sorry to break the bad news, but you can't really opt out of it. but you should also eat plenty of fresh green veggies!

Answer 5

You should actually talk to your doctor about this.  They'll be able to not only answer your question, but prescribe the best course to take to deal with you anemia.

Answer 6

If you do it healthfully and with a bit of research, it should be healthy. You could take an iron supplement. Vitamin C foods increases the absorption of iron so having them with iron will increase the iron. Soybeans (or soy bean based foods), mock meats, lentils, bagels, tempeh, leafy greens, and potatoes are all good sources of it. A citrus vinaigrette, papaya, kiwi, kale, and cauliflower are all sources of Vitamin C. I did a bit of research for you and found websites. Hope I helped!!

Answer 7

There are some vegetables that have iron. I think brocoli has iron....hmmm and you eat something that has vitamin C after so you can absord the iron easier.

I'm a veggie ;)

Answer 8

i'm anemic and i was vegetarian and i got reallllly bad stomach cramps all the time and i was sick the entire time. i wanted to do it for the animals too, but my doctor said not to do it because of my anemia. =/

Answer 9

That is really sweet, you loving animals enough not to eat them. There certainly are a lot of vegetarian choices that will provide you with both Iron and Protein.

Here are a few links that give you details -

http://www.dfwnetmall.com/veg/plantfoods...

http://www.healthcastle.com/iron.shtml

www.fatfreekitchen.com/nutrition/iron.... -

http://search.yahoo.com/search?ei=utf-8&...

Answer 10

If you are at all worried just supplement with spirulina which is vegan. It higher in protein, iron, and b12 in comparison than another other meat source.

Answer 11

I'm sure you can just ask your doctor to do some tests you may need 6 weekly injections then take iron tablets.

You will be able to find a good source of iron in leafy vegetables look around when our shopping