Discussions

I'm low on iron was told by doctor the iron I was told to take is expensive can't afford it , so was wondering if anyone is taking molasses to help with your iron levels .

I have used blackstrap molasses to up my iron levels. Iron tablets have a tendency to constipate you (sorry for being blunt), unlike molasses. Much healthier option IMO. There are also iron absorption enhancers & inhibitors. Read attached article http://www.healthcastle.com/iron.shtml

check Spatone iron supplement is higherly absorbed

Molasses only has 3.6mg iron per Tablespoon. Spatone contains 5mg. The 'expensive' iron supplements (which are polysaccharide iron like Feramax, PolyFe, etc) have 150mg of elemental iron. Cheaper iron supplements are available but have less elemental iron and can sometimes cause more stomach upset/ constipation for some people (Ferrous Sulfate 300mg = 65mg elemental iron, Ferrous Gluconate 300mg = 35mg elemental iron). Depending on how low your iron is, these may be enough. You should really speak with your doctor, or a registered dietician, to determine how low your iron is (and if just Hemoglobin is low, or if ferritin, TIBC, serum iron, etc are low as well) in order to determine how much supplementation you need. Always better to get health information from a health professional who has all the details of the problem, rather than eBrandon.

curlysister has good points - the quality iron supplements have a higher dose of iron (also, don't rely on ebrandon for health advice... always check with your doctor).  
 
However, my experience has been that higher doses isn't always better, depending on the absorption rate. Most people can only absorb 10-15% of the iron in high-dose iron tablets, but from what I understand the absorption rate in lower-dose foods like molasses (which is a non-heme iron) is higher, especially if you pair it with absorbic acid (vitamin C).  
 
I never tolerated iron tablets (they always seem to give me the runs, oddly enough), and I've relied on food pairings to increase my iron, having at least one serving of heme iron and one serving of non-heme every day, and keeping away from calcium when consuming them (calcium blocks iron absorption). Investigate what other foods are high in iron, like dried beans - something that is nutritious, delicious and economical.  
 
Also, simply taking iron isn't enough sometimes, without addressing the reasons why you're low in the first place. Are you still having periods? Are they heavy? Are you maybe having a slight bleed somewhere in your digestive system due to food allergies or intolerances? Are you consistently eating iron with calcium?  
 
I know it's easy to take a pill, and doctors will often recommend that because it's advice that works for a lot of people. But sometimes it just doesn't work for whatever reason, so you need to investigate other means of accomplishing the desired result.

Also, if you are having trouble affording what the doctor recommends, try asking him if he has samples. Especially if there's a question of whether you can tolerate them.

spatone absorption is rate of 40% higher than some iron food even. Some supplements aren't absorb as much as the amount shown on their label.  
Spatone is a naturally iron rich water collected from a national park in Snowdonia, England if I got information right.

I was told that cooking with cast iron all the time will take care of any iron deficiency.  
 
This is what I have done for many years and do not have a problem.

The absorption rate of Spatone isn't 40% higher than other supplements - up to 40% of the iron is absorbable, compared to 10-15% of other supplements, according to their website.  
So:  
40% of Spatone's 5mg iron = 2mg absorbed  
10% of Ferrous Sulfate's 65mg iron = 6.5mg absorbed  
10% of Feramax's 150mg iron = 15mg absorbed

I'm borderline anemic, and find that dietary changes help. Cooking with cast iron, eating more heme iron (meats) and waaay more non-heme iron (veggies). It's not a cure, but it's an easy way to boost my daily iron intake.