hey everyone,

after months feeling low energy/tired on 100% raw, i decided to get a blood test. im low-normal in both iron and zinc which could explain the lack of energy.

b12: 316
zinc: 12.2 (normal is 10-20)
iron stores: 28 (normal is 15-165)
cholesterol: 3.2
glucose: 4.5

my doctor wasnt worried but when i told my naturopath she was, so im now on zinc and iron supplements.

my question is just - how on earth could i be low in iron? i have green smoothies everyday - literally 7 days a week - with a HUGE bunch of greens and i rotate them - i then usually have another bunch of greens at night, sometimes 3 bunches a day (smoothie, lunch, dinner) - i eat way more greens than i ever did when i was just cooked-food vegan. how could i be low?

also re zinc, i eat pumpkin seeds everyday - perhaps i need to eat more? what else is zinc rich?

has anyone else had these experiences? i also wonder how 811ers get their iron if they eat smaller amounts of greens as they eat more fruit.

any advice appreciated!

Maybe try eating more fruit and a variety of nuts/seeds. Sunflower seeds are good for iron and zinc, and cheap. Sesame seeds (the brown ones in the hull) are good. I'd also suggest buying your nuts and seeds organic only.

A higher fruit consumption helps the body to absorb more iron. Studies have shown that Vitamin C and other organic acids found in fruits can substantially enhance iron absorption and reduce the inhibitory effects of phytate, and thereby improve iron status. (Hallberg L, Hulthen L. "Prediction of dietary iiron absorption: an algorithm for calculating absorption and bioavailability of dietary iron ", Fleming DJ, et al, "Dietary determinants of iron stores in a free-living elderly population: The Framingham Heart Study".

hey suncloud,

thanks for that--

the only thing is i do eat HEAPS of fruit (i.e. today i had 3 oranges, 2 apples, 4 kiwi, a gs with a huge bunch of parsely and 6 bananas, a cup of soakd goji, and mixed berries) - and all the meals i have iron with i also have vit c with for absorbtion.

i also eat a variety of nuts and seeds and so do everyday - i have sunflower, flax, sesame, hazelnuts, almonds, pepitas, brazil nuts, walnuts etc--

i have a bad feeling i may generally have a problem absorbing my nutrients on a raw diet - but im wondering what i could potentially do about this? a fast maybe, or a juice fast? banana island? since ive been 100% raw ive never experienced the awesome energy, health, vitality etc everyone seems to be talking about....waah

It may be that you are eating too many fats and this is draining your energy. Or it could be that your body wants to detox, and you just need to take some time off of work, rest and get lots of sleep until your energy returns to normal. This is what I did when I first went from high fat raw to low fat raw. I was extremely fatigued, so I slept as much as I could until the fatigue went away.

The body detoxes at its own pace, so you can't really tell it to go faster. But if you listen to your body, like sleeping when your body is tired, you will attain an incredible level of health. Check out this article on called Detoxification.