My Copy: 9781520944470 (image from goodreads.com)

I was recently diagnosed as anemic as well as pre-diabetic (which is it’s own minefield I’m tackling soon), and felt completely overwhelmed with what I needed to do to start doing better for myself and get back on track. I’d had no energy in months and was just generally getting worse.

Other than a supplement and being told to eat more iron-rich foods, I really knew very little. I’m going to consult a dietitian soon, but I figured I’d better hit the ground running with some basic info I could digest.

And I found it. Low Iron Diet is a digestible (pardon the pun) short book that gives a good crash-course into various iron disorders in the body, namely when you’re anemic, but also if you have hemochromatosis, or far too much iron in you. It’s got some helpful bullet points of food and where to start.

More than that, though, is the need to pair certain vitamins with iron to help absorption. I needed that info more than anything because otherwise all my efforts would be in vain. Iron is difficult to absorb without the right vitamin pairings and can be blocked by other normal things in the American diet (I’m fighting off a headache now trying to get around the caffeine restriction–ugh). WHEN you have your iron rich foods matters as much as what you have.

I am aware, and I’ll make you aware, this author is not a doctor as far as I can tell (and doesn’t claim to be). She’s a researching freelance writer, but good at boiling things down to the very basics from what I’ve read. You can find her on facebook as a fellow anemia sufferer.

This book is not comprehensive by any stretch, but a great start that can answer some immediate questions (and make you ask more of your doctor). I’d recommend anybody who’s seen their doctor and is made aware of iron issues to download or order a copy of this book. It’s a good reminder for those who may have slacked off and gone back to old habits, or for the beginner who is just overwhelmed and unsure of how to proceed best.

Glad I got it. A load off my mind.

Now I’m gonna check some more resources and do some food journaling and see where the recommendations take me.

P.S.–This is a self-published book, or from one of those really small publishers that doesn’t go through the major book outlets. you can get the Kindle version easily on amazon, or even the print version if you prefer paper like me (I can’t stand staring at screens any more often than I already have to).