The iron that goes in your body, doesn't necessarily have to stay in your body!

Here is something interesting I learned recently: The tannins in black teas have been found to inhibit the absorption of iron, if you are drinking it with your iron-rich meal. This has also only found to be true of iron from plant sources (not meat sources). So - a cup of tea with your fortified cereal or a glass of iced tea with your baked potato may limit the iron you absorb. Other iron-rich plant foods include brown rice, oatmeal, wheat breads, wheat germ, chickpeas, molasses, dates, broccoli, lima beans, leafy greens and watermelon. All foods that are otherwise very beneficial. Apparently, the more tea you drink with your meal, the less iron you absorb. (If you are reading this and you are anemic, you are - of course - going to want to do the opposite that those of us with hemochromatosis will do!)

Which brings me to a pet peeve... why, oh why do they feel the need to load breakfast cereals with iron? (An ounce of Total cereal actually contains 10 mg. of iron.) Shouldn't people be managing their own mineral intake? An overload of iron can be damaging to a number of people, including those at risk for heart disease. And yet, they market it as some sort of health benefit.

Recent statistics indicate that there are 1.5 million people with hemochromatosis - yet I've never met a one of you that I wasn't related to. Are you out there? Fellow iron-overloaders unite! Let's share our experiences. Any phlebotomy tips? Frustrations? (maybe we can even take on the cereal manufacturers in our spare time! Let your voice be heard...