Vegans and anemia?

Question

so when i first starting being a vegan...i ended up with anemia due to poor eating and such.

is it pretty common for vegans to become anemic?

Answer 1

Well informed vegans have no problem obtaining enough iron. Only vegans who don't have a properly balanced diet may end up anaemic. Or those who have problems absorbing iron from the intestine.

Even meat eaters can be anaemic. My uncle eats red meats each day and he's anaemic because his body doesn't absorb iron very well. He is now taking a daily iron supplement, but it takes a while to build up the body's iron stores.

See a doctor, they may suggest iron pills, but when it comes to your health- better safe than sorry.

Good luck : )

Answer 2

i don't really know. i need to eat a t-bone every other day.

Answer 3

It isn't more common than meat-eaters. I'm a vegan and I'm not anemic. My hemoglobin was 12 and to have a good hemoglobin it has to be 10 or over. Yay!

Answer 4

Do not know, but you should consult your doctor, before you seriously get ill. good luck.

Answer 5

I am too, and I am anemic... good luck, and see your doctor to see better eating plan. Just eat protein and it should be better, like beans, tofu, and peanut butter...  hope I helped

Answer 6

Anaemia can be common for everyone if their diet isn't balanced. Vegetarians and vegans need to be extra careful of what they eat so they can get enough iron. Lack of iron makes you anaemic, not lack of protein as others are suggesting. Dark green vegetables are a good source of iron. That includes broccoli and spinach.

Answer 7

Actually, no.  Vegans are no more likely to develop an iron deficiency than the general population.*  It is, however, common for people who don't eat a balanced diet to become anemic (or develop other nutritional deficiencies.  It's not hard to get enough iron on a vegan diet and, when paired with vitamin C, non-heme iron is as absorbable as heme iron.

Answer 8

Your anemia was due to poor eating..not because you were vegan.

Answer 9

A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found no significant difference in anemia levels between vegetarians and meat-eaters.

I don't know how common anemia is among vegans. There are plenty of good vegan sources of iron, including black beans, bran flakes, cashews, chickpeas, Cream of Wheat, GrapeNuts, kidney beans, lentils, navy beans, oatmeal, pumpkin seeds, raisins, soybeans, soymilk, spinach, sunflower seeds, tofu, and tomato juice.

There's really no reason for vegans to become anemic unless they eat tons of junk food or starve themselves by eating only salads.