I tried to donate blood today but apparently my iron level is 10.9 (g/dL) — a healthy level for women is 12-16 and my iron's never been that low— so I have to go to the health center to have that checked out.
I'm sure I'll be told to eat more beef and take supplements. Somehow I thought I was getting enough iron, but I do tend to avoid eating dinner at the kosher dining hall on meat days because the dining hall meat is very fatty, greasy, and salty… the only low-fat/low-grease meat is deli meat, which isn't low sodium and certainly isn't as iron-rich as beef.
Weird as it sounds, after being vegetarian for 6 years I also don't feel the need to eat meat every day, even every other day. If the meat is well-cooked and flavorful (like a roast lemon chicken or brisket), it is a welcome indulgence. But eating it more than twice a week just feels gross, and I hate thinking about how many resources are used raising livestock, let alone the working conditions in slaughterhouses.
On the other hand, when it's there, and there aren't many appetizing vegetarian options, I eat it just because it's filling. I guess for the time being I'll just have to get over my aversion to cafeteria meat. Ideally, I would get some beef or chicken liver, since that stuff's super iron-rich and also has other nutrients, but I don't have a kitchen to cook it in, which is a problem.
I do have a thing of unsalted almonds, though, and it's tough to complain about low iron when it's something that's easy to remedy. Hopefully it will pass over quickly.
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