I'm using My Fitness Pal on my iPhone to track my daily calories. My nutrients always look good except for my daily calcium and iron. It says I'm only getting like 20% of my daily limit. I take a multiple vitamin already. Should I take an iron and calcium supplement also?

I'm using My Fitness Pal on my iPhone to track my daily calories. My nutrients always look good except for my daily calcium and Iron. It says I'm only getting like 20% of my daily limit. I take a multiple Vitamin already. Should I take an iron and calcium supplement also?

I think for women as we age we need more calcium and Vitamin D...as far as the Iron I would get your blood levels checked before you increase that.

You should be taking extra calcium anyway because you won't be able to digest it as well when you drink it or eat it. As for Iron, go give blood and they'll test your iron level (that's the test when they time a drop of blood falling to the bottom of a tube). That way you're doing something good and finding out if you have low iron or not. If you do, they won't let you donate.

If you need to take iron supplements limit them to 1 extended release tablet every 3-4 days. If you take more than that you can get iron poisoning as it will bunch up in your stomach and can poison you.

I take an extra calcium supplement. Just one of those chews from the drugstore, nothing fancy. My 12 year old daughter takes them too. I think, as women, it is important.

My nut said Calcium supplements 3x per day. But not at the same time as your Vitamin. Iron, I would have checked. Or you can add some spinach or other high iron foods to your diet.

In a Vitamin we at Henry Ford Beriatric Center are all put on Flintstones Complete with Choline. I do about 4 a day, and I am fine. It is a chewable, but it really works. What Are you taking?

10/31/2006

I'm told as a post-menopausal woman to get a minimum of 1200mg of calcium a day. It's important to get calcium citrate as it is better absorbed in the absence of food. most calcium citrate comes in huge pills. You can try those, but even breaking them and putting in yogurt or applesauce caused me pain, even back when I had very little fill. I prefer the chewables that I get from Bariatric Advantage. Celebrate also makes a chewable calcium citrate. And there's a brand out there, OTC that makes a Calcium Citrate "mini" for easier swallowing.. can't remember the brandname right now. I've used them when I ran out of my BAdvantage.. they're tolerable.

Some people use the Viactiv chewables. I suppose they're ok, but I don't like the fact that there's hydrogenated oil in them. YMMV.

I don't know about Iron poisoning.. sounds a bit far fetched to me. When I was needing Iron, I took Slow-Fe. It releases slowly and causes much less problems with constipation than other formulations. If you choose to get more iron via your diet, make sure you're not drinking too much tea. Tea can block the absorption of iron.

Good for you for being on top of this!! You don't want to get osteoporosis or osteopenia from lack of calcium/vit. D. I take a D supplement.. low D is associated with many things, including depression. It's about time to get in and get my levels checked.. spring tune up so to speak. ::grin::

You need to see your doctor and have Iron levels and a CBC done (since being iron deficient can cause anemia). This should be a covered procedure with insurance so better to do that with your own doctor. My doctors said I would need a calcium supplement with the Band, so I chew one Tums twice a day. No need for the expensive things, the cheap store brand Tums or Rolaids has enough calcium. Just don't take more than 500mg at once, since your body will dispose of the rest instead of using it. Iron is a very dangerous supplement if you don't need it. Iron can build up in the brain and liver and make a person very very sick. This is only something you should take the suggestion of your doctor. Also, iron supplements are very hard on the stomach. They cause constipation and can irritate your pouch. I am iron deficient, and the band made it worse. I take Biferra, a brand name iron supplement that for some reason is much easier on the stomach. I had terrible problems with the ferrous sulfate pills, so was glad to find an alternative. Be aware that if you have kids you need to keep them out of their reach. There is reason they don't sell liquid iron supplements on the shelves anymore. It can really make kids ill. Hope that helps.